November 22, 2024

Christi Electris (Executive Director), visited Upswing Farm in Massachusetts for a farm tour with Dirt Capital Partners.  It was exciting to meet Brittany and Kevin Overshiner and their crew to hear how they overcame their challenges in accessing land in the Boston area, how they built their diversified farm to create more resilience, and to learn about their philosophy about focusing on soil health through a variety of practices.

This regenerative farm is certified organic, growing an immense array of vegetables, as well as cut flowers and seedlings. Upswing Farm sells at several farmers markets but focuses primarily on their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. They have committed to being a four-season farm in order to help the community eat locally all year round, while providing their staff good jobs throughout the year.  

Along with financing and technical support from Dirt Capital Partners, they have integrated multiple state/federal grants and conservation programs to build a tailored capital stack. This supported Brittany and Kevin with the purchase and development of the land as beginning farmers. As mission-aligned capital partners, it was clear that the Dirt Capital team has been vested in supporting Upswing Farm navigate what can be extremely challenging for new and emerging farmers trying to access land. While Dirt Capital Partners started out regionally in the Northeast, they are now working nationally across 19 states.

After the tour, we were treated to a fabulous farm-to-fork meal using Upswing Farm’s produce prepared by The Lazy Bubble, a farm-to-table restaurant in Pepperell, MA. 

We got to hear more about how Dirt Capital Partners invests in regenerative farmers to create impact across ecological stewardship, farmer equity, community building and field building. Thanks to Jacob Israelow, Dominick Grant, and Jason Kenny for organizing the event, and to the whole team for their decade of impact-first investing in this space.