Food Bank Farms

Deepening Roots in the Connecticut Valley

Aerial view of the new Food Bank Farm when it was purchased in 2020 (Google Maps)

After years of searching with the support of the Kestrel Land Trust, in 2020 the Food Bank purchased its second Food Bank Farm… and probably the only one of the 200 food banks nationally. This new 142-acre farm in Hadley builds on the success of our first Food Bank Farm also in Hadley. It represents our unique approach to food banking not to rely exclusively on donated food from food retailers and commodities from state and federal governments. Instead, it is an investment in local farmland for farmers to strengthen our local farm economy while also providing a reliable source of healthy organic food for those who need it most.

How the New Farm Works

Like the existing 59-acre Food Bank Farm, which we have owned since 1992, we contract local farmers who grow organic vegetables for the community, including people living with food insecurity. In lieu of cash rent, the Food Bank receives a share of the harvest, agreed upon in advance. In this case, instead of partnering with a farmer who sells shares to shareholders at the original Food Bank Farm, the farmers of the new Food Bank Farm sell most of their share of the harvest to food retail stores and to public schools in high-poverty school districts.

Farmers Joe Czajkowski, owner of Lakeside Organics adjacent to this farm, and Gideon Porth, owner of Atlas Farm, combined are farming about 35 acres.

Currently, three acres have been set aside for Cultivating for Community (CFC), our own regenerative farming and education initiative where CFC farm employees and volunteers grow and harvest organic vegetables while learning about sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, and food security. CFC was conceived to begin a journey of learning and practice in no-till farming and food justice. This year, we have launched an incubator to lease farmland and provide support to emerging farmers.

Read more about the CFC journey >

Read our CFC Case for Support >

Innovative Farm-to-School Partnerships

CFC Education and Community Coordinator Amanda Reynolds, teaching at an Earth Day event about the erosion protection that will be provided as newly planted trees mature on the property.

Thanks to farm-to-school grants from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, the Food Bank now partners with the Springfield and Chicopee Public Schools to:

Increase the amount of locally-grown vegetables that are served in school meals
Teach students about the farms, vegetables and farmers who grow them, and
The benefits of eating fresh (organic) vegetables

Funding and Preservation

CFC Farm Manager Lee Gadway, harvesting winter kale in one of two greenhouses donated by Sunnier Days Construction. See our video about the donation here.

Both farms are under Agricultural Preservations Restrictions thanks to important funding from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. The Kestrel Land Trust secured this funding as well as a significant grant from the Town of Hadley, and used a bridge loan from The Conservation Fund, to purchase this second farm and sell it to the Food Bank. Similarly, the Food Bank secured the other half of funds to purchase the farm with grants from the H.P. Kendall Foundation and 1772 Foundation, and significant donations from several anonymous local donors.

Watch WCVB’s Chronicle story about how the new Food Bank Farm is preserving farmland in Massachusetts in partnership with Kestrel Land Trust.

Kendall Foundation executive director Andy Kendall says, “this purchase demonstrates the power of collaboration of local groups committed to food security, open space, and creating opportunities for young and expanding farmers. An especially exciting aspect of this collaboration is between the Food Bank and Springfield Public Schools.” The Kendall Foundation’s focus is to strengthen the food system of Western Massachusetts and New England by helping local farmers gain market access to schools.

The Kestrel Land Trust retains a trail easement for public walking on designated farm roads that link to the conservation lands on the Amherst side.

Our First Food Bank Farm

The First Food Bank Farm, Hadley, MA

The Food Bank Farm is a 60-acre parcel of land near the Connecticut River in Hadley, protected from any development. It operates as a production farm in partnership with Mountain View Farm which leases it from the Food Bank in exchange for a share of fresh, local, USDA Certified Organic produce. We distribute this local bounty to our members as well as through our Mobile Food Bank and Brown Bag: Food for Elders sites.

Mountain View Farm