Doing Good: Land for Good
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 01/22/2010 - 3:35pm.
Steve Taylor
New England Correspondent
KEENE, N.H. — It’s a small not-for profit organization with a staff of just two, but Land for Good has ambitious goals aimed at preserving and strengthening agriculture throughout the six New England states.
Land for Good seeks to support farmers, landowners and communities that keep agricultural lands working by providing an array of services, including farm transfer planning, farmland access, leases and other land-use arrangements, farm design and land planning and conservation development.
Kathy Ruhf, co-director of the organization, says it has three primary targets for its work:
-Farm seekers, people looking to get into farming or who want to move from tenancy to ownership of an agricultural enterprise, who need assistance in the nuts and bolts of real estate acquisition, farm business planning and financing options.
-Exiting farm families, including those who are considering sale of a farm operation or transitioning it to the next generation and who need coaching through the process of succession with its often-complex tax, legal and emotional issues.
-Non-farming owners of agricultural land, ranging from land trusts to municipal governments to second-homes owners that need advice and guidance on finding workable solutions to keep farmland active.
Ruhf, a Belchertown, Mass., resident long active in issues relating to farm entry, succession and tenure and previously director the New England Small Farm Institute, shares Land for Good management duties with Bob Bernstein of Keene, N.H., a part-time farmer with a background as a contractor, executive director and organizational consultant. An 11-member volunteer board oversees activities.
After six years of operation, Land for Good has a growing list of projects it has helped through direct services move to fruition, ranging from transfers of working farms to development of management plans for croplands held in trust by towns in Massachusetts. It also conducts workshops and educational programs for its target audiences and for professionals in the conservation and land protection communities.
And it works as a catalyst by collaborating with other public and private service providers to strengthen service networks, build public awareness and foster supportive public policies, all with the aim of keeping New England’s working agricultural lands in production.
Lately Land for Good has ventured outside of New England to assist in projects in eastern New York and it also has two active contracts to provide consulting services that are national in scope. The organization draws on associates who deliver services on the ground and contribute specific expertise, including Craig Oshkello, a land use planning professional and landscape architect who is also a New Hampshire farm operator.
Financial support for Land for Good comes from three sources: donors, foundations and government contracts. As an IRS 501(c)(3) entity contributions to it are tax exempt.
Among recent Land for Good projects are these:
-Colrain, Mass. Dairy farm transferring to daughter and son-in-law.
-Colebrook, N.H. Former 350-acre dairy farm now in hay and vegetables transferring outside family to longtime employee.
-Bridgewater, Conn. Second home with 200 acres of farm and forest land, planning for future agriculture use by tenant or new owner.
-Wilton, N.H. A 150-acre grass-fed beef collaboration between a farmer seeking land and an investor seeking a sustainable agricultural investment.
-North Dartmouth, Mass. Recruited a farmer for land and house lease on convent property, preparing for easement and eventual transfer.
-Stakeholder workshops and development of a farm transfer network, supported by USDA and state cooperative extension services.
-Land use planning and permitting services for an educational and sustainable agriculture-oriented community in New Hampshire.
-Programs to promote involvement by Massachusetts land trusts in working lands conservation projects.
Steve Taylor
New England Correspondent
KEENE, N.H. — It’s a small not-for profit organization with a staff of just two, but Land for Good has ambitious goals aimed at preserving and strengthening agriculture throughout the six New England states.
Land for Good seeks to support farmers, landowners and communities that keep agricultural lands working by providing an array of services, including farm transfer planning, farmland access, leases and other land-use arrangements, farm design and land planning and conservation development.
Kathy Ruhf, co-director of the organization, says it has three primary targets for its work:
-Farm seekers, people looking to get into farming or who want to move from tenancy to ownership of an agricultural enterprise, who need assistance in the nuts and bolts of real estate acquisition, farm business planning and financing options.
-Exiting farm families, including those who are considering sale of a farm operation or transitioning it to the next generation and who need coaching through the process of succession with its often-complex tax, legal and emotional issues.
-Non-farming owners of agricultural land, ranging from land trusts to municipal governments to second-homes owners that need advice and guidance on finding workable solutions to keep farmland active.
Ruhf, a Belchertown, Mass., resident long active in issues relating to farm entry, succession and tenure and previously director the New England Small Farm Institute, shares Land for Good management duties with Bob Bernstein of Keene, N.H., a part-time farmer with a background as a contractor, executive director and organizational consultant. An 11-member volunteer board oversees activities.
After six years of operation, Land for Good has a growing list of projects it has helped through direct services move to fruition, ranging from transfers of working farms to development of management plans for croplands held in trust by towns in Massachusetts. It also conducts workshops and educational programs for its target audiences and for professionals in the conservation and land protection communities.
And it works as a catalyst by collaborating with other public and private service providers to strengthen service networks, build public awareness and foster supportive public policies, all with the aim of keeping New England’s working agricultural lands in production.
Lately Land for Good has ventured outside of New England to assist in projects in eastern New York and it also has two active contracts to provide consulting services that are national in scope. The organization draws on associates who deliver services on the ground and contribute specific expertise, including Craig Oshkello, a land use planning professional and landscape architect who is also a New Hampshire farm operator.
Financial support for Land for Good comes from three sources: donors, foundations and government contracts. As an IRS 501(c)(3) entity contributions to it are tax exempt.
Among recent Land for Good projects are these:
-Colrain, Mass. Dairy farm transferring to daughter and son-in-law.
-Colebrook, N.H. Former 350-acre dairy farm now in hay and vegetables transferring outside family to longtime employee.
-Bridgewater, Conn. Second home with 200 acres of farm and forest land, planning for future agriculture use by tenant or new owner.
-Wilton, N.H. A 150-acre grass-fed beef collaboration between a farmer seeking land and an investor seeking a sustainable agricultural investment.
-North Dartmouth, Mass. Recruited a farmer for land and house lease on convent property, preparing for easement and eventual transfer.
-Stakeholder workshops and development of a farm transfer network, supported by USDA and state cooperative extension services.
-Land use planning and permitting services for an educational and sustainable agriculture-oriented community in New Hampshire.
-Programs to promote involvement by Massachusetts land trusts in working lands conservation projects.
