Article via Cheshire County Conservation District
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The 10 New Hampshire Conservation Districts announce twelve grant recipients for the 2022 NH Conservation Districts Climate Resilience Grant: Bascom Road Blueberry Farm of Newport, Boggy Meadow Farm of Walpole, Brookfield Farm of Alstead, Gentile Family Homestead of Fitzwilliam, Green Bough Fam of North Haverhill, LindenWoods Farm of Durham, LocaBerry at Emery Farm of Durham, Meristem Flower Farm of Strafford, Picadilly Farm of Winchester, Robinson Family Farm of Pittsbury, Tellman Hill Farm of Whitefield, and Winter Street Farm of Claremont. The NH Conservation Districts Climate Resilience Grant proudly distributed $50,000 among these twelve farms.
The mission of the NH Conservation Districts Climate Resilience Grant is to support and empower local farmers to build climate resilience throughout the Granite State. This will be done through reducing the impact of agriculture on climate change (mitigation) through greenhouse gas emissions reduction and carbon sequestration, and to increasing the resiliency of New Hampshire Farms in a changing climate (adaptation), while meeting farm’s conservation goals and needs. Extreme weather events, frequent and prolonged droughts, and increased pest pressures are increasing challenges for NH farms.
This grant though the NH County Conservation Districts seeks to support farmers in meeting those challenges.
The NH County Conservation Districts have launched this farm viability program to improve the resilience of NH farms in the face of extreme weather events and a changing climate. Direct grants to farms to invest in on-farm infrastructure, equipment, and innovative practices will support farm profitability and the long-term viability for NH’s agricultural sector.
Bascom Road Blueberry Farm, located in Newport, NH, a pick your own blueberry operation and vegetable farm will purchase a plastic mulch layer to keep water in the ground and prevent weeds from growing up through it, reducing herbicide use. Learn more about Bascom Road Blueberry Farm!
Boggy Meadow Farm, located in Walpole, NH, producing farmstead cheeses, will install a Johnson-Su compost bioreactor, to create a fungal- rich compost to improve on-farm soil health. Learn more about Boggy Meadow Farm!
Brookfield Farm, a certified Organic Dairy Farm in Alstead, NH, will apply potassium to select fields to increase the quality and quantity of forage, improve soil health, and improve plant resilience during extreme weather conditions and drought. Learn more about Brookfield Farm!
Gentile Family Homestead, located in Fitzwilliam, NH, selling pasture based beef and pork directly to the community, will install an automatic cattle watering system, conserving water during periods of drought. Learn more about Gentile Family Homestead!
Green Bough Farm, located in North Haverhill, NH, offering grass fed beef and pastured eggs to the community, will install an automatic cattle pasture move system to increase soil water holding capacity through mob grazing practices. Learn more about Green Bough Farm!
LindenWoods Farm, an equestrian facility located in Durham, NH, growing hay and selling composted manure, will update their drainage system to reduce and manage erosion. Learn more about LindenWoods Farm!
LocaBerry at Emery Farm, a berry farm located in Durham, NH, will implement climate smart agricultural practices for resilient day-neutral strawberry production. Learn more about LocaBerry at Emery Farm here!
Meristem Flower Farm, a flower farm located in Strafford, NH, will update their drainage system to drain fields earlier in the spring and reduce soil erosion. Learn more about Meristem Flower Farm!
Picadilly Farm, a diversified farm in Winchester, NH, selling organically grown vegetables, will purchase a Perfecta Field Cultivator to reduce tillage, improving farm soil health and carbon capture. Learn more about Picadilly Farm!
Robinson Family Farm, located in Pittsburg, NH, providing custom beef, pork, and chicken orders, will upgrade their manure pit and barnyard corral to minimize mud, control moisture, and increase farm manure use instead of fertilizers. Learn more about Robinson Family Farm on their Facebook page!
Tellman Hill Farm, located in Whitefield, NH, sells meat chickens and keeps a small laying flock of chickens, ducks, and geese. The farm is currently establishing a 6 acre pick-your-own orchard which will have fruit available beginning in 2024. Products will be apples, apple cider, pears, plums, sour cherries, pumpkins, and related value-added offerings. Tellman Hill Farm will enhance their irrigation water supply and distribution, providing greater security for the health and growth of trees, and in turn, producing higher quality fruit during periods of drought. Learn more about Tellman Hill Farm!
Winter Street Farm, a reduced tillage four season vegetable production CSA, located in Claremont, NH, will purchase necessary infrastructure to increase their community composting program: reducing waste, fertilizer inputs, increasing soil health, and promoting carbon capture. Learn more about Winter Street Farm!
Interested in applying for the next grant round? Contact your local conservation district for more information and learn more here
