Amherst College Book & Plow Feasibility Study

Feasibility assessment for establishment of college farm program.

CLIENT | Book and Plow Farm at Amherst College
LOCATION | Amherst, MA
DATE | 2012-13

Conservation Works provided assistance to Amherst College in establishing the Book and Plow Farm. Services included a feasibility study for the project, working with a special College committee to draft a Request for Proposals to find highly qualified farmers to run the operation, and drafting a contract for the chosen farmers, Tobin Porter-Brown and Peter McLean. The farm has made great forward strides in its first three years of operation since its establishment.

Services Provided

Land Management Plans & Implementation

Prescribing and recommending appropriate measures for the management of fields, early successional areas, forests, and wetlands.

Agricultural & Food Systems Planning

Helping communities build relationships with local farmers to better understand their needs and opportunities to support local farms and increase access to local food. This typically includes the collection of local data to develop a profile of existing agriculture and facilitated community engagement to guide volunteers through a process that results in an informed action plan.