Application Information

Award Amount: Up to $2,500

The Local Farmer Awards are intended to help farmers purchase capital equipment used as an ongoing part of farm operations with a life expectancy of more than 5 years. Do you have an idea for a project that could help your farm grow?

Before you apply, please review this page thoroughly for important information regarding eligibility, timeline, application requirements, what we fund, what we do not fund, and tips for a strong application.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Must have annual gross sales of at least $10,000
• The Farm must be located in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin or Berkshire County of Massachusetts (Beginning in 2024 – farms located outside of the 4 Western Massachusetts Counties were no longer eligible for these grants regardless of membership in Berkshire Grown or CISA)
• Farm must grow, harvest, and market your own agricultural products as more than 50% of your farm’s economic activity
• Farmers are required to contribute to the cost of the capital equipment purchased through this grant.
• Funds must be used for farm equipment and/or physical improvements related to the process of growing, harvesting, or processing.
• Project must start and finish in calendar year 2025

2025 Schedule

• Application Opens – January 1, 2025
• Application Closes – January 31, 2025
• Final Decisions communicated via email – by the end of March
• Award Checks mailed – by the end of April or within 2 weeks of anticipated project start date
• Recipients submit a short online project report – October 2025

Additional Information:

• This is a competitive application with a limited number of available awards.
• Our review panel is comprised of caring individuals with agricultural experience.
• Reviewers do not know the names of the farmers or farms whose applications are being evaluated.
• If you applied previously but didn't receive an award, we welcome you to try again. And if you’ve been awarded in the past, we also encourage you to reapply.

Required on Your Application:

• General information about your farm such as location, gross sales, products you sell and sales outlets
• Specific details about your proposed project including timeline, projected expenses, and the impact it would have on your business, etc.

Examples of Winning Projects:

In 2024, Award Amounts (based on farmer requests) ranged from $760 to $2,500

• Hoophouse
• Irrigation equipment
• Row cover and supports to protect crops from deer
• Winter water and electricity
• Egg Washer
• Electric Fencing
• Insect exclusion netting
• Trailer high crop sprayer
• Vacuum Seeder
• High Tunnel Updates
• Jang Seeders
• Herbal processing equipment upgrade
• Bulk Grain Silo
• Paper Pot Transplanter

We Do Not Fund:

• Farm stands
• Farm stand refrigerators unless also used for cold storage
• Delivery vehicles
• General maintenance
• Hiring staff
• Marketing & signage
• Purchasing livestock, plants, or seeds
• Labeling machines (unless required for compliance regulations)
• Fertilizer or pesticides
• Equipment for clearing the land, excavation
• Solely cosmetic farm improvements

Tips for a Strong Application:

• Clearly explain why the proposed project is critical or valuable to your farm's future (for example: how it will help increase production and/or sales, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.)
• If possible, provide quantitative information on how the project will provide a return on investment.
• Explain why an award of up to $2500 will make a difference even if the project has a very large price tag.
• Describe the issue or obstacle you are facing and how this project will help.
• Be descriptive – tell a story.  Use words like “For example…”
• Keep your project proposal as central to the core agriculture process as possible.
• Recent winning applications have the following characteristics:
  • The proposed project was well thought through and researched
  • Concise and descriptive
  • Conveyed importance by showing direct impact of the project. This is often best done with numbers, but a few have been able to describe impact without numbers.
  • Showed facts related to the project
  • Persuasive about why the award was so important to their farm; told a story
  • Were carefully proofread, had no spelling or grammatical errors
• This worksheet may help you work on a draft of your project descriptions