State-Owned Farmland Licensing Program

The primary purpose of the State-owned Farmland Licensing Program is to make publicly-owned agricultural land available to farmers and others through agricultural licenses, thereby allowing participants to benefit by implementation of best management practices to assure access to and investment in these public-lands.

The eight (8) representative farmland properties benefiting from the program are located in Agawam, Danvers/Middleton, Grafton, Lakeville, Lancaster, Westborough, Westfield, and Princeton that are put out to bid through a Request For Response (RFR) process. The Commonwealth reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, which it might receive, and the right to negotiate with any and all applicants. A license agreement will be negotiated and executed between the Commonwealth and the selected applicant(s) to outline the terms and conditions of use. Rental period shall be for five (5) years with an option to renew for an additional period of five (5) years. Related RFR and other program notices will be posted here and in the Farm and Market Report.

The Department also manages agricultural Licenses for DCR lands located on several fields in the Wachusett Reservoir watersheds. MDAR's management services maintain open lands for agricultural which in turn helps to increase water yields in the state's reservoir system.

Service Provider: 
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR)
Contact:
Barbara Hopson
413-548-1906
Frequency: 
As Needed
Cost: 
Free
Location: 
Agawam, MA; Danvers, MA; Middleton, MA; Grafton, MA; Lakeville, MA; Lancaster, MA; Westborough, MA; Westfield, MA; Princeton, MA; Wachusett Reservoir, MA
Counties Served: 
Essex
Hampden
Plymouth
Worcester
Resource Category: 
Land Access
Enterprise Type: 
Compost
Dairy
Floriculture
Forest Products
Grains
Greenhouse Production
Hay
Livestock
Nursery
Orchard
Poultry
Sugaring
Vegetable Crops
Skill Level: 
New to farming
Planning to farm
Farmer start up