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Our efforts to empower women, non-binary, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC farmers here in the US just received a huge boost with two USDA Rural Development grants! These funds will strengthen our capacity to support the development of regenerative enterprises and more climate resilient farms in places like Maui County, HI and Clark and Martin County’s in Eastern Kentucky, two of the poorest counties in the US.

Regenerative Farms has been awarded an Enterprise Grant by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Program. The $119,050 year-long effort in KY, entitled Future Farm Appalachia, will focus on rural business development training for the citizens of Martin County, Kentucky until September 2025. In Maui County, the funding will be used to build climate resilience and local food security by teaching business skills and resilience design to underserved farmers, women and youth.

Future Farm Appalachia will provide technical assistance on agricultural techniques centered on forest farming and targeted to the unique natural and cultural assets of this region. Enterprises to be assisted in the project will primarily be those involved in non-timber forest products. The project takes mine-scarred land that is sitting idle and instead employs regenerative agritech practices that are uniformly identified by economic development authorities as having the potential to help drive the area’s future. The areas of assistance will be soil health management/composting, regenerative grazing, and forest farming to teach local producers a sustainable agricultural practice that mimics natural forest ecosystems to produce food and other products while restoring degraded forests and mine lands.

The USDA grant program provides one year of funding and will be supervised by Mary Johnson, Regenerative Farms Founder and CEO. Ms. Johnson is a senior farm business technical assistance provider and an environmental restoration specialist working for over 35 years with brands, social entrepreneurs, and nonprofit organizations on restoring degraded ecosystems.

Regenerative Farms employs a unique “Regeneration Hub” model to provide a powerful incentive for behavioral change. Hubs offer farmers better incomes and produce many essential goods needed by rural families. Hubs provide training, tools, and access to other innovations that lead to more climate-resilient, food secure eco-agricultural landscapes.

In Kentucky, we are collaborating with a visionary team who founded the Appalachian Renewal Project to transform a 7,000-acre former coal mine into a thriving Regeneration Hub model for rural revitalization of defunct mountain top coal mines, an important opportunity since there are more than 1 million acres of these lands sitting idle and in a degraded state in the SE US. The project is working in partnership with Kentucky State University, Virginia Tech, The Regenerative Design Group, and many others. The Regenerative Farms team will use the funding to provide direct support to local rural business owners, assisting them in gaining the skills and resources they need to grow their ventures and help transform the local economy and environment.

One of the local partners we are excited to support is the remarkable founder of Appalachian Legacy Initiative and the ALI Horse Sanctuary. Erin O’Neill is a young and passionate horse trainer turned angel for feral horses in Appalachia. Her aid is building health and a home for the thousands of discarded domestic and feral horses living on abandoned mine sites located across coal country. Erin and her team are servicing 19 separate surface mine horse populations year round and 32 in the winter months. ALI has grown into a lifeline for the thousands of horses it serves, giving revitalized life back to horses and the communities who surround them each and every day. 

Erin’s effort has proven that feral/wild horse management can be conducted in a manner that is not only effective, responsible, and respectful to the horses, but those who surround them on a ground level. Watch her heart wrenching videos about the harrowing lives of wild horses in Appalachia here.

This journey is made possible through collaboration and the support of people like you. Whether you’re looking to volunteer, partner with us, or simply stay informed, we invite you to join us in creating a future where women farmers are at the forefront of regenerating our planet and communities.

Join Us in Making a Difference

Your support can help us continue to fight child hunger and build resilient communities in coal country in Appalachia, Maui County Hawaii, and worldwide. By donating to Regenerative Farms, you contribute to a future where every child has access to nutritious food and a safe, resilient and restored environment.

Thank you for being a part of our journey to end child hunger with regenerative farming and, innovative ecosystem restoration solutions. Your support is invaluable in making this vision a reality. Together, we can plant the seeds of hope and ensure a brighter future for children and their families everywhere.

Help us spread the word among friends, school groups, teams, and churches. Together, we can create a future where women farmers can survive and flourish. Share our stories on your social media and connect with us on Instagram and Facebook.

Ways to give to Regenerative Farms to Support our work and the Hubs run by our Partners:

DONATE by credit card via Paypal or Venmo

Call 413.475.0864.

Mail checks made out to Regenerative Farms to: 1230 West Rd. Ashfield, MA 01330.

Other ways to give:

Support our work through your donor-advised fidelity fund with this link or Donate through Guidstar.org and see our profile or suggest us to your favorite 1% for the Planet company

Trust and Transparency are Important to Everyone. Our non-profit Employer ID number is 86.2475402. Verify our MA Attorney General’s charity registration details here. Our latest audited financials and IRS 990 forms are available on our website and upon request.

Stay tuned for more updates and exciting opportunities to get involved. Together, we can drive meaningful change!

Thank you for your unwavering support.

Sincerely,

Mary E. Johnson, Founder/CEO

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