Land Lease Program
To lease land from Chester Agricultural Center, or CAC, farmers must:
• Be Instituted as a legal entity, and farming must be their main source of income
• Be farm-insured
• Have 1-3 years of farming experience, including high tunnel and greenhouse management and maintenance, irrigation installation, and any other activities related to running a fully operational farm business
• Have worked on a farm business plan that they can present to the CAC farming community before onboarding
• Pay annual lease fees for land, farming infrastructure (i.e., greenhouse space, cold + tool/equipment storage, wash pack space), and shared utilities.
The Chester Agricultural Center provides farmers with:
• Affordable long-term land leases
• Shared farming infrastructure,
• Shared utilities, and,
• Limited support for field preparation/maintenance, and plastic mulching
Farmers that lease from CAC:
• Are aligned with CAC’s mission of creating a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive regional food system
• Care for the health and integrity of the soil, the land, and its people
• Value and practice collaboration and transparency with land owner, growers, employees, and the community at large
• Are patient with and respectful of processes and procedures
• Abide by high social justice standards
Added Benefits:
Being part of the CAC community of producers comes with added benefits. Proximity to other farms means exchange of farming knowledge and experience, and opportunities to connect and collaborate with other small and beginning farmers.
Additionally, CAC farms get to engage with partnership programming that includes farmer training and mentorship, food access initiatives, and are an integral part to creating a truly multilingual multicultural farming community that is a true reflection of our nation’s changing demographics.
Note: We are not currently accepting new farmers. Also, CAC land does not support livestock farming.
