Farm Microloan Workshop
Area farmers are eligible for microloans; workshop plannedSOMERVILLE, Mass. - Many Western Massachusetts and Vermont farmers are eligible to apply for loans from the Strolling of the Heifers Microloan Fund for New England Farmers. The deadline for the current round of applications is November 27, according to Dorothy Suput, director of The Carrot Project, of Somerville, Mass.
The Microloan Fund is a joint project of Strolling of the Heifers, of Brattleboro, Vt., an organization that works to help sustain family farms, and The Carrot Project, which creates small farm financing solutions. Chittenden Bank is the microloan program's bank partner for Western New England.
Loan applications for amounts ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, for terms up to five years, will be accepted from pre qualified applicants.
Applications are limited to farms located in Western Massachusetts (Berkshire, Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin Counties) or in Vermont, with a primary focus on small-sized farms that use sustainable and organic methods (or are moving toward them), and that are marketing at least a portion of their products locally.
Also, to be eligible, farms should have no more than 250 acres in active production, and annual gross revenue of no more than $250,000.
Loans may be used for capital investments and other expenses that help improve efficiency or quality, or that expand production and sales; repairs necessary to maintain farm operations; short term operating needs such as inventory, supplies or labor; and emergency funds to deal with business interruptions from fire, natural disasters, or other unforeseen events.
Pre qualification questionnaires are available at www.thecarrotproject.org/farm_financing. Applicants may also email info@thecarrotproject.org or phone Dorothy Suput at 617-666-9637.
An educational workshop for interested farmers will be held at 10 a.m. on Wed., Nov. 4 at the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture office in Amherst. The workshop will cover whether credit is right for your farm business, and how the Microloan Fund and other financing and business planning resources can help.
To learn more about the workshop or to register online, visit www.thecarrotproject.org, contact workshop@thecarrotproject.org or call 617-666-9637. Farmers should register by October 30.
This is the second 2009 lending round for the Microloan Fund. In the first round, which was the pilot round for the program, 5 farms received loans totaling $46,000.
On the web: www.thecarrotproject.org and www.strollingoftheheifers.com.
