New grant gives local farmers an opportunity to innovate
The Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership, better known as SEMAP, wants to see local farmers try something new, and it’s offering a grant to help them do that.
The goal of the TIE (Technology, Innovation, and Excellence) Grant is to “encourage farmers to trial new equipment, implement new systems, and address the challenges farmers collectively face.” Farmers in Bristol, Plymouth and Norfolk counties may apply now through Feb. 10.
Program and Marketing Manager Kendra Murray said the idea for the grant has been in the works for some time.
“We wanted to offer a really beneficial program to local farmers who might not be doing all they can because of financial constraints,” she said.
The grant falls in line with SEMAP’s core mission to increase access to local food in Southeastern Massachusetts and to help farmers. The TIE Grant will allow farmers to creatively explore solutions to common problems and, as part of the grant requirement, they will share their findings with others in the region.
Murray expects SEMAP will receive a variety of proposals as varied as the types of farms in the area, which range from aquaculture to organic farming.
“It really depends on the farm,” she said. “It might be new pest management techniques, seed starting.... [The grant] can be used for really anything.”
The grants, which range from $500 to $3,000, will be announced in late February. Murray said the exact number of grants will depend on the applications.
TIE is the first grant offered by SEMAP, and Murray said the goal is to continue such programs going forward.
“We’re hoping this can benefit the whole agricultural community,” she said.
More information, an application, and a sample application are available at semaponline.org/tiegrants. Although farmers only have a month to apply, Murray said the application should take an hour or less.