The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced awards of $710,140 in APR Improvement Program (AIP) funding to nine farms across Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) grants provide business planning, technical assistance, and funds to commercial farms with land that has already been protected through MDAR’s Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) Program to help sustain active commercial farming on the land.
In Bolton, Nicewicz Family Farm was awarded $80,140 and will use the funds to build a new equipment storage barn, extending the life of their equipment and decreasing maintenance costs.
Nearly 80% of all farms in Massachusetts are family owned and these farms, like the Nicewicz’s, face developmental pressure and rising costs. Programs like the AIP and APR vividly demonstrate the Commonwealth’s commitment to the future of the agricultural industry in Massachusetts and to ensuring that our farms remain vibrant and sustainable for generations to come.