Dracut/Westford – The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced yesterday that it has awarded more than $1 million in grants to 16 farms across Massachusetts to help improve and expand operations, ensuring their continued role in supporting the local agricultural economy.
Among the recipients are a pair of local farms. Ogonowski Farm in Dracut will receive $150,000 toward an equipment storage barn. Meanwhile, out in Westford, Drew Farm was awarded $90,000 for a new barn to house a retail store, along with storing equipment and product.
“Thank you to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for providing grant funding to our local famers across the Commonwealth,” said State Representative James Arciero (D – Westford). “In Westford, a Right to Farm community, Drew Farm is a treasured, family-owned and operated orchard. These critical funds will build a greatly needed barn for a retail store, equipment and product storage.”
The funding, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) through the Matching Enterprise Grants for Agriculture (MEGA) Program and the Agricultural Preservation Restriction Improvement Program (AIP), provides training and capital funding for farms to grow and enhance their contributions to the farming community.
“Massachusetts continues to invest directly in our farms that feed us – through innovative, hands-on programs that give local farmers the tools they need to grow healthy food, stay resilient through extreme weather, and keep their businesses strong,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “We all benefit when our farms thrive, and we are dedicated to supporting the growth of Massachusetts farm businesses to ensure their viability.”
This year, the MEGA Program has allocated $148,910 to eight beginning farms, in addition to providing individualized business planning and technical assistance to help foster their growth. Once they complete their business plans through the program, they also receive matching grants of up to $30,000 for capital farm improvements as identified in their respective plans. Since its launch in 2010, the MEGA Program has awarded more than $1 million in total grants to 117 diverse farms, averaging around $9,137 per farm, and provided $480,153 in business and technical assistance.
The APR Improvement Program has awarded $970,000 total grants for infrastructure improvements to eight protected farms. Similar to the MEGA Program, the AIP provides business planning, technical assistance, and grants to established commercial farms with land that is protected through MDAR’s APR Program to further help sustain their agricultural production. Since its inception in 2009, the AIP has awarded $9,375,140 in total grants to 126 APR farms across the state, averaging $74,406 per farm, and provided $704,212 in total technical assistance with a combined total of 17,512 acres of permanently protected farmland.
