Find It Locally
Search CISA’s online guide to local farms, food, and more!
Find Local FoodResources for Farmers
Business Assistance
CISA provides numerous opportunities for farmers in Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin Counties of Massachusetts to grow their business and agricultural knowledge. We provide in-house assistance, as well as referrals and funding to meet one-on-one with outside professionals with a wide variety of expertise. CISA’s business assistance is made possible through grants and private donations, which cover CISA staff time and outside consultant/mentor fees and allow us to offer farms free or low-cost assistance.
See more details below on some of our current opportunities for business consulting support. If you have a need in one of these areas – or have an idea that’s not listed here – please fill out our online request form to let us know what type of assistance you’re looking for. Requests for consulting are considered on a rolling basis, and when we have limited funds, decisions are made based on individual needs and funding priorities. We generally can’t provide significant support to farms outside of our region, but we’ll always do our best to share our knowledge, referrals, and/or recommendations.
Current opportunities
General Farm Business Support
CISA frequently has funding available to cover the costs of one-on-one business consulting support for farms seeking guidance to improve current business practices and/or farm viability. CISA can cover support in a wide range of business assistance topics. We encourage anyone to apply who would benefit from outside expertise to establish clarity and/or gain tools for sound business decision making. The funding available for business support varies by project, need, and funding source, but is typically between $200 and $2000. Farmers interested in getting business support are encouraged to complete the online request form and/or contact Sonia Schloemann, CISA Program Coordinator, to discuss their needs at sonia@buylocalfood.org or 413-665-7100, ext. 21.
Climate Change Adaptation Support
CISA offers climate change adaptation and mitigation technical support to help farms and farm-related businesses implement or expand practices that foster adaptation to climate change and contribute to the resilience of the local food system. We can provide direct technical assistance or help you find the assistance you need. The types of technical assistance we provide include consultations with experts, project design and planning, grant and project proposal review, and general advice and mentorship from CISA’s in-house technical assistance providers and other farmers.
Farmers interested in getting support to improve and/or implement climate change adaptation practices are encouraged to complete the online request form and/or contact Stephen Taranto, CISA Climate Program Coordinator, to discuss their needs at stephen@buylocalfood.org or 413-665-7100, ext. 17.
Employee Management Support
Funding is available to support farmers in developing employee policies or employee manuals, understanding employment laws, providing anti-discrimination/harassment training to managers or workers, standardizing employee compensation and benefits, improving workplace communication, and in many other areas of employee management.
Funding varies by project, need, and funding source. Up to five hours of individualized CISA staff support is available per farm, and CISA frequently has funding to cover support from outside professionals, such as fees for attorney review of employee manuals, consultations with professionals at the Employers Association of the NorthEast, and work with a wide range of other professionals.
Farmers interested in getting employee management support are encouraged to complete the online request form and/or contact Kristen Wilmer, CISA Program Manager, to discuss their needs at kristen@buylocalfood.org or 413-665-7100, ext. 12.
Click here to submit an online request form.
Business assistance topics:
Labor Laws & Management • Employee Training • Employee Manuals & Policies • Food Safety Compliance • Sustainable Farming Practices • Marketing, Branding and Online Content • Graphic Design • Merchandising • Business Planning • Financial Recordkeeping • Financial Analysis and Planning • Grants & Financing • Land Access and Leasing • Value-Added Products • Farm Transfer • Succession Planning • Farmers’ Market Support • SNAP & HIP Support