Many beginning farmers find buying land a challenge when they first start their business. At Brandon Family Farm in West Kingston, R.I., Alby and Heather Brandon discuss how public programs and creative partnerships can help grow a thriving business.
“You definitely don’t need to own land to start a farm business,” says Alby Brandon, who began by leasing fields before taking the leap into ownership. With farmland scarce and expensive in Rhode Island, the Brandons reached out to a local land trust, which connected them with a hobby farming couple willing to share fields and equipment. “They helped me prepare the land the first year I started the farm,” Alby recalls about the partnership that helped them grow from one acre to three, then 10.
As the farm expanded, the Brandons turned to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Farmland Access Program to buy their own land through a “buy, protect, sell” model that made ownership affordable. They also took advantage of Farm Service Agency microloans and Natural Resources Conservation Service programs, including high tunnel cost shares and cover cropping incentives to start and maintain their business. They encourage other farmers to do the same. “There’s a lot of opportunities out there for access to capital and to…build a farm business,” says Alby. “It’s waiting there for you.”
This video is one in a series produced by SARE titled Practical Tips for Beginning Farmers. Based on their own experiences when starting out, farmers from across the country share advice about common challenges facing beginning farmers in today's agriculture. To view the entire series, visit www.sare.org/resources/practical-tips-for-beginning-farmers/.
For information on grants and resources available from SARE, visit www.sare.org.