For Beginning & New Farmers
One of our objectives is to foster emerging industries and assist new and beginning farmers in their business ventures through our Rural Land Preservation Facilitation Programs: Next Gen and SANG.
Not yet a farmer or new to farming?
If you are not currently working in agriculture or aquaculture but would like to start a farm, we encourage you to learn more about the industry. We suggest that you consider exploring organizations that provide education and training for new farmers:
Overview
For most MARBIDCO programs, practical farm and/or business experience is required and may be supplemented by academic or hands-on training experience. Both our loan and grant programs require business plans and borrower financial information to be submitted. If you have some experience in commercial agriculture, forestry, or seafood, or are working with a mentor, you may qualify for one of our loan or grant programs. In delivering our financing programs, we work cooperatively with commercial banks, Farm Credit Associations, and the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), as well as other federal, State, and local government agencies and land grant universities. Please contact us to find out which programs may be right for your business.
In addition to our other loan and grant programs, MARBIDCO offers programs that facilitate the preservation of rural land and assist beginning farmers with purchasing farms.
The Next Generation Farmland Acquisition Program and Small Acreage Farmland Acquisition Program help address a two-fold challenge: one, assisting young, first-time, and beginning farmers with obtaining farmland by helping to finance the purchase, and two, helping to preserve that land from future development.
Learn about our Rural Land Preservation Facilitation Programs
Next Gen and SANG
MARBIDCO’s Rural Land Preservation Facilitation Programs offer financing opportunities in conjunction with other State and local government agencies and/or private land trust organizations, with MARBIDCO serving as a conduit financing agent. These opportunities include the Next Generation Farmland Acquisition Program (Next Gen) and the Small Acreage Next Generation Farmland Acquisition Program (SANG).
Next Generation Farmland Acquisition Program (Next Gen)
Young and beginning farmers face unique challenges when it comes to buying farmland. This exciting program addresses this challenge and, at the same time, enables the State to further its mission to help preserve good agricultural land.
Working with farmland conservation programs and commercial lenders, MARBIDCO offers assistance to young and beginning farmers with down-payment funding for the purchase of farmland. During the process, the development rights are temporarily extinguished on the farmland being purchased, and eventually, the land will be permanently preserved.
Small Acreage Next Generation Farmland Acquisition Program (SANG)
The SANG program is available to help qualified young or beginning farmers who have trouble entering the agricultural profession, because of relatively high farmland costs and lack of access to adequate financial capital, to purchase smaller farmland properties that are between 10 to 49 acres.
How To Apply to Purchase Farmland
Requests for rural land preservation assistance are made on a competitive basis. Please see the application-specific program pages for full details, deadlines, and application requirements.
MARBIDCO has a Review Committee made up of individuals with experience in agricultural lending, land conservation, and agriculture and resource-based business. The committee ranks the funding applications and makes recommendations to the MARBIDCO Board of Directors.
Please contact your county agricultural land preservation program office to see if your prospective property is eligible for the Next Gen or SANG programs.
Further information about these programs may be obtained by contacting Allison Roe, Financial Programs Officer/Program Coordinator, by telephone at (410) 267-6807, or by email at aroe@marbidco.org.
