Political Uncertainty Adds to Challenges for Small Local Operation

It’s so typically Rhode Island: a little farm, tucked away on a road less traveled, near to the water and mashed up against a state border. With its quaint, vintage roadside stand, Long Lane Farm is a Rhode Island gem. While the farm itself has been around since the early 1930s, Long Lane Farm as you see it today got its start in 2020 and has made remarkable strides in a short period of time.

“With the pandemic, and all that happened afterwards, we were very lucky indeed,” says Camille Abdel-Nabi, farmer and co-owner of Long Lane. She and her wife, Devin Abdel-Nabi, purchased the five-acre plot of land from the granddaughter of the original owners and immediately went to work updating the property. Camille had been farming full time at Little River Farm in Exeter and Devin left work in medical administration to focus fully on the farm. Together, they began the rigorous process of turning fallow fields into productive farmland.

First came infrastructure. A fence around the whole property, a new well, irrigation lines, upgraded electric and more. The couple sought and obtained grants from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for high tunnel greenhouse structures so they could extend the farm’s growing season. These structures are expensive and can make or break the profitability of a small farm business. Long Lane has four high tunnels covering roughly one acre.

There are multiple agencies offering various grant funded possibilities for small farms, and each has its own rules and requirements. “Grant writing could be a full-time job,” says Devin. “The free money isn’t totally free,” quips Camille. Often farms must demonstrate they can cover the full amount of federal grants and the funding pays for partial reimbursement of cost outlays on such projects as solar panels, high tunnels or other farm infrastructure.

For Long Lane Farm, the timing of their high tunnel grants was very fortunate indeed. “We were able to work with NRCS to get the high tunnels, and that was a major accomplishment,” says Camille. “Our washing station grant was awarded through LASA [Local Agriculture and Seafood Act], a grant program administered through DEM [Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Agriculture].”

LASA grants are generally awarded for small but necessary improvement projects or equipment to help local farms, aquaculture businesses and fishers achieve profitability, which in turn strengthens our local food systems. The importance of these grant programs to our local community cannot be overstated. “DEM is careful to upfront funds—whether they be state or federal—as much as possible to avoid the challenge to the small farmer who receives our grants of paying for the project out of pocket and then getting reimbursed,” says Ken Ayars, chief of the Division of Agriculture at DEM.

“No one is making us apply for these grants, sign the contracts and complete these projects on our farm,” says Camille. “We choose to do so because they increase the financial stability of our farm.”

Policies by the current administration called for freezing grants funded through various USDA programs. (Note: At press time some USDA grants had been reissued, including the Rural Energy for America Program.) “If our latest grant contract is not honored, our farm is looking at a crippling deficit,” laments Camille in reference to a solar panel grant application with the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program. The USDA funding freeze is having destructive effects on farms across the nation—but thanks to good luck and timing at Long Lane, most of the heavy infrastructure improvements are already done. “We feel blessed to have gotten most of the big stuff out of the way when we did,” says Devin.

Even outside the grants, there are things like organic certifications, taxes, administration and, of course, there’s the crop planning. “You’d be surprised how much time a farmer has to spend on a computer!” says Camille. Efficient use of space, precise growing choices and timing are all critical factors that can make or break a small farm. At Long Lane they use no-till methods and regenerative agriculture practices.

In the old days, Long Lane Farm sold sweet corn and raspberries—there are still people in the area who remember it.

Nowadays, in deep summer the stand is filled with organically grown heirloom tomatoes, bright purple eggplant, green beans, an array of peppers, melons, salad greens, mixed herbs, garlic and chokecherries. They stock a small freezer with products from local livestock producers, and they offer other sundries from local purveyors. But you won’t find sweet corn. According to Camille, “It just doesn’t provide enough income for a small farm like ours.”

Their goal going forward is to sell a lot of vegetables, say Camille and Devin. “We’re grateful that the greater community of Warren has been so welcoming to us,” says Camille. As 21st-century small-scale farmers, the pair must navigate some tricky waters. Factors such as cost of seed, time in ground, labor, and final value must all be weighed. Having a farm stand right on their property is helpful for both farmers and consumers. During the season, it brings in a bit of cash each day, while providing the very freshest products for Long Lane’s customers.

“Farming isn’t always easy,” says Camille, “but we do love it.”

William Tuthill is a writer who attended Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in Ithaca, NY. He lives with his family in Jamestown.

Long Lane Farm
39 Long Lane, Warren

For more about the farm and their weekly veggie membership, visit LongLaneFarmRI.com