WALPOLE, N.H. – The Monadnock Food Co-op and the Cheshire County Conservation District (CCCD) announce two grant recipients for the 2026 Monadnock Food Co-op Farm Fund: Picadilly Farm, of Winchester, and Archway Farm, of Keene. The Farm Fund proudly distributed $25,560 between these two farms. Since starting in 2017, the Farm Fund has awarded more than $250,626 in grants to 30 local farms.
Archway Farm will utilize the grant to purchase a meat grinder/mixer to increase its capacity to produce sausage and ground meats for local wholesale. Picadilly Farm will use the grant to purchase a new Rinse Conveyor with more advanced improvements to not only make washing produce more efficient, but also to secure business viability for years to come.
The Monadnock Food Co-op Farm Fund, created in partnership with the Cheshire County Conservation District, has a mission to support local farmers in increasing sustainable food production and wholesale sales to contribute to a thriving local farm economy. This grant supports several of the co-op’s goals, including contributing to a healthy, sustainable food system, supporting local farmers and producers, and building a strong, sustainable, and improving local economy. The Cheshire County Conservation District, fiscal agent and partner for the Farm Fund, supports farm viability in the region and promotes the responsible stewardship of natural and agricultural resources.
Picadilly Farm is a 71-acre farm that has been agricultural land for many generations. Prior to Picadilly, the farm was a dairy farm, run for 35 years by the Hudson family. The farm boasts about 40 acres of prime agricultural soils, a treasure of the Connecticut River Valley. Each season, Picadilly grows produce crops on 15 of these acres, soil-building cover crops on 9 acres, and permanent conservation, erosion preventing crops on the field edges. There are also several acres of wetlands, 18 acres of woods, and a stream that winds down to the Connecticut River about half a mile away. Learn more about Picadilly Farm at www.picadillyfarm.com.
Archway Farm is a pasture-based livestock operation raising, packaging, and selling meat through a variety of wholesale and retail channels in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire. Learn more about Archway Farm at www.archway.farm.
“Our Farm Fund is an essential way to invest in the future of local, sustainable farming in our region,” said Michael Faber, Monadnock Food Co-op general manager. “Especially in these times, it helps ensure we have a healthy, local food system for our community now and into the future.”
Funds for this program are provided by donations from Monadnock Food Co-op and its shoppers. Additional funds come from the You Have Our Trust Fund. Fundraising is already underway for the 2027 Monadnock Food Co-op Farm Fund grant cycle. During January, March, August, and November, co-op shoppers round up their change at the registers to donate to the fund.
For more information, please visit www.cheshireconservation.org/farm-fund.
To make a tax-deductible donation to the fund, please contact Benee Hershon at the Cheshire Country Conservation District at 802-400-3660, or donate anytime online at www.cheshireconservation.org/donate.