Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Farm & Market Report
Vol. 80, No. 6, August/September 2003
In this issue:
LOCAL NEWS
Commissioner's Column Top Tomatoes in the Bay State Named for 2003! Massachusetts Receives Two FSMIP Grant Awards It's OK to be "Shellfish" about Community Preservation! Berkshire Grown plans its 5th Annual Harvest Dinner and Silent Auction for September 22 Stockbridge School of Agriculture Field Day SEMAP's Sizzling Summer Chef Series Continues A New Exhibit: "Coming Up on the Season" New Zealand Stockman at Farm Field Days to discuss Grass-finished Beef and Lamb Vegetable Twilight Meetings Focus on Innovative Ag Technology
NEWS FROM USDA
Livestock Assistance Program Food Safety Guidelines
IN EVERY ISSUE
CLASSIFIED CALENDAR About the Farm & Market Report
Commissioner's Column
AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONS AND RIGHT TO FARM BYLAWS...... Why Your Town Needs Them!
by Douglas P. Gillespie For a number of years the communities of Dartmouth, Amherst and Westport have sought to preserve local agriculture through the creation of municipal Agricultural Commissions in each town. This past year, Town Meetings in Middleboro and Rehoboth created their own, and Town Meeting in Dartmouth passed the first town "right to farm" bylaw that we are aware of. These are landmark accomplishments, and they can provide the blueprint for agricultural viability in every town in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts has a strong home-rule tradition, and volunteers in local communities comprise Conservation Commissions, Boards of Health, Planning Boards, and other elected and appointed boards that affect many farm activities. If agriculture is to thrive, we must have a voice at the municipal level. This is the role of the Agricultural Commission.
Agricultural Commissions, usually appointed the Board of Selectmen, should be comprised of farmers and others supportive of local agriculture. Ag commissions can be the advocates on behalf of farmers in their own community. When the Board of Health or Conservation Commission seek to regulate local agriculture, the ag commission's viewpoint should carry a lot of weight in the rule-making process. When the town seeks to preserve farmland, the ag commission should evaluate and prioritize the parcels for acquisition. When problems arise between farmers and their neighbors, the ag commission can mediate, and find ways for agriculture not to just co-exist, but thrive in the community. Ag commissions can facilitate marketing of farm products; encourage agri-tourism and educational efforts and opportunities.
Local "right to farm" bylaws are the logical next step to codify normal farming practices as acceptable in each community. These need to be carefully written so as to preserve existing agriculture, and potential new types of farming operations. Bylaws must be reasonable, and allow for changing management techniques, and respect reasonable rights of community residents while allowing commercial agriculture to operate as it must to remain in the town. During the next year, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is committed to developing a model bylaw that can be used as a starting point in any community.
Pilgrim RC&D recently received a grant to develop a strategy for establishment of Agricultural Commissions in additional cities and towns. Contact Irene Winkler at (508) 295-1317 ext 130 for information on this project. MDAR staff stands ready to support your local effect to establish a commission in your town. Remember, Town Meetings generally begin in March, so start organizing now for 2004. As someone who has fought the local battle for agriculture over the past two decades, I challenge the farm community to focus on this task, and establish Agricultural Commissions in ten percent of Massachusetts municipalities in the next two years. We've got five in place now, so we need 30 more by September 1, 2005. Can we do it? It's a huge task, but one that could be time well spent in another few years!
The "Right-To-Farm" bylaws: we have one in place now, so let's shoot for ten more in 2004 and 20 total in 2005. We can't do it for you, but we can provide the template and the action plan. We can write letters of support to town leaders. Farmers must plan for the future, and local regulation is becoming the greatest threat to vibrant agriculture. Let's work together to improve your future! Contact me at [email protected], and we'll help you get started! Hope the Harvest is smooth and bountiful!
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Top Tomatoes in the Bay State Named for 2003!
Tomatoes from farms across Massachusetts competed for top honors in the 19th Annual Massachusetts Tomato Contest and Festival held today at Boston City Hall Plaza. The event kicks-off Massachusetts Farmers' Market Week and was held in conjunction with the City Hall Plaza Farmers' Market.
More than 85 tomato entries competed for first, second, or third place tomato awards in the slicing, cherry and/or heirloom categories. Tomato trophies are awarded to the top three winners in each category and certificates are given to the top five winners in each category.
A panel of judges, including food media, chefs and produce specialists, evaluated the entries from commercial growers on shape, color and flavor, with more value given to flavor. And the judges were not just seeing red. This year's contest saw a rainbow of entries from yellow slicing and cherry tomatoes to orange, rose, black and striped tomatoes in the heirloom category. Heirloom varieties -- older, unusual varieties that are no longer widely grown by commercial growers -- are gaining in popularity again.
The Tomato Festival also included tomato sampling for the public, cooking demonstrations featuring local farmers' market produce, and recipes, nutrition information and information on local agriculture. The annual Massachusetts Tomato Contest is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association, and the Federation of Massachusetts Farmers' Markets.
The top winners for 2003 were:
Slicing Category
Farm Name Town Variety Place The Food Boston Taxi 1 Project Duckenfield Norfolk Trust 2 Farm Freitas Farm Middleboro First Lady 3 Blue Heron Franklin Trust 4 Farm Volante Farms Needham Early Girl 5
CHERRY CATEGORY
Farm Name Town Variety Place The Food Boston Sun Gold 1 Project Red Fire Farm Granby Favorita 2 Simple Gifts Belchertown Sun Sugar 3 Farm Freitas Farm Middleboro Sun Gold 4 Arena Farms Concord Sun Gold 5
HEIRLOOM CATEGORY
Farm Name Town Variety Place Cherokee Stillman Farm Lunenburg 1 Purple Ward's Berry Sharon Black Krim 2 Farm Stillman's Farm Lunenburg Brandywine 3 Simple Gifts Belchertown Green Zebra 4 Farm The Warren North Farm and Dzruba 5 Brookfield Sugarhouse
HEAVIEST
Farm Name Town Variety Place Kimball Fruit Pepperell Pineapple 1 Farm Verril Farm Concord Big Rainbow 2 Gove Farm Leominster Merced 3
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Massachusetts Receives Two FSMIP Grant Awards
US Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Venneman recently announced the allocation of Federal State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) grants for this fiscal year. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources received two grants in the amount of $93,100 to identify new markets for fresh and processed cranberries and cranberry products and to foster direct marketing of locally grown ethnic produce to Asian and Brazilian immigrant communities in eastern Massachusetts. These grants will be implemented in cooperation with the Cranberry Marketing Committee, the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association, the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association and the University of Massachusetts.
"Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program grants support the development of new market opportunities for our nation's food and agricultural products," Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Venneman said. "The program encourages research and innovations to improve the efficient and performance of our agricultural marketing system."
For more information on the FSMIP Grant Program, Mary Jordan at 617-626-1750 or [email protected].
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It's OK to be "Shellfish" about Community Preservation!
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a long and prosperous history associated with its shellfish and fisheries resources. In fact, virtually all of the Commonwealth's 58 coastal communities from Newburyport south to Westport have some relationship and/or infrastructure associated with recreational or commercial harvest of fish and shellfish. Not to mention the name of our "Cape" that was clearly derived as a result of a bountiful fishery resource. As indication of the importance of Massachusetts fisheries resources, early in the Commonwealth's development the value and benefit of fisheries and coastal resources was recognized through the enactment of the Colonial Ordinances of 1641- 1647 which provided access to the intertidal zone for all Commonwealth residents for the purposes of navigation, fowling and fishing. Shellfish and the recreational and commercial fishing activities that are focused on the resource have similarly been an important part of Massachusetts cultural and economic history and currently represent a nearly $30 million industry in addition to the immeasurable value that is enjoyed by recreational shellfish harvesters.
Over the past half-century, the cultivation of shellfish for enhancement of public resources and as a commercial enterprise has grown to represent the largest component of the more than $6 million Massachusetts aquaculture industry. The shellfish culture industry has also diversified as a result of ongoing research and development of alternative species and new or improved methods for the cultivation of shellfish species. In 1996 the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture (Department of Agricultural Resources) developed the Aquaculture Program in response to the publication of the Massachusetts Aquaculture White Paper and Strategic Plan. As a result of the Program and subsequent legislative efforts that provided support for aquaculture in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Aquaculture Centers Network was created. The efforts of the three centers (NE, SE and Western) have become manifest through a number of projects that have helped industry and the communities affiliated with each regional center. Most recently, shellfish aquaculture expanded to the North shore where the Commonwealth's first commercial effort for steamer clam production was developed following the introduction of aquaculture technology through a collaborative project that included Merimack Valley Planning Commission, Northeastern Massachusetts Aquaculture Center at Salem State College and the Department of Agricultural Resources.
For more information, contact Scott Soares at 617-626-1730 or [email protected]
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Berkshire Grown plans its 5th Annual Harvest Dinner and Silent Auction for September 22
On September 22nd Berkshire Grown, a non-profit supporting local family farms, celebrates its 5th Harvest Dinner and Silent Auction at Eastover, titled the Beautiful Bountiful Berkshires.
The Dinner Tasting, renowned for its spectacular foods, features 22 top local chefs serving tastings that focus on fall's harvest from about 30 local Farms. The silent auction, always a major attraction, includes weekend and weeklong getaways (including a trip to Provence), country lodgings, restaurant dinners, spa treatments and much more.
This event is the the culmination of Berkshire Grown's Business to Business Program, facilitating connections between 60+ restaurants and 70+ farms to boost farm sales and bring consumers superior foods.. The 6:30-8:30 event is on a Monday night and is usually attended by 350 guests. Cost includes all drinks and full tasting dinner. Reservations for this festive event are highly suggested as it usually sells out. Farmers $25, Berkshire Grown Members $45 (Memberships start at $25.00) and Non-Members $55.00. Tickets can be purchase at www.berkshiregrown.org by downloading a simple form or by calling 413 528 0041. Proceeds will go to Berkshire Grown, a member-supported organization supporting our local food and farms.
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Stockbridge School of Agriculture Field Day
The Stockbridge School will sponsor its annual Stockbridge School Field Day on Friday, October 3, 2003 to acquaint prospective students with Stockbridge programs. Arboriculture students will showcase their climbing skills. Representatives from equipment companies will be on hand with the latest in arboriculture equipment. Landscape Contracting students will demonstrate surveying techniques. Greenhouse tours will be conducted by Horticulture students and staff. A turf grass restoration project will be underway. Interested prospective students are invited to visit the campus that day.
The Stockbridge School offers five majors within the green industries. After two years of study, students receive an associate of science degree and are well-prepared for exciting job opportunities in arboriculture, horticulture, crop production, landscape contracting, and turfgrass management. All curricula include a required internship.
Individual visits to discuss Stockbridge programs and tour the UMass campus can also be arranged at any time. Simply call the Stockbridge School office or write to the Stockbridge School of Agriculture Program at 115 Stockbridge Hall, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003. Also, you may visit their web site at www.umass.edu/stockbridge.
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SEMAP's Sizzling Summer Chef Series Continues
The second of three summer cooking classes to benefit the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership will be held on Saturday, September 13th from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm at "Westport Cooks!" at Lees Market in Westport. Boston area chef and vegetarian cookbook author, Didi Emmons, of Veggie Planet Restaurant in Cambridge will feature "inventive, flavorful and fun" recipes from her new cookbook, Entertaining for a Veggie Planet.
Sponsored by the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP), the event is a fundraiser for SEMAP's Buy Local Campaign. SEMAP is a coalition of farmers, consumers and industry representatives who are working together to raise consumer awareness of the value of farming and farmland throughout Southeastern Massachusetts in an effort to keep farms economically viable and protect valuable working farmland and open space.
Emmons, a 1988 James Beard Book Award Nominee in the vegetarian category will feature spring rolls, goat cheese and roasted garlic fondue, and crudités and dip in her demonstration. An added bonus will be wine pairings for each recipe featuring local wines led by Boston wine consultant and teacher, Eden Stone. Emmons will be available to sign copies of her latest cookbook after the class. The series will conclude on Saturday, September 20, from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm with Chef Mike Melo from M & C Café in New Bedford. With a degree from Johnson and Wales in both culinary and baking, Melo has worked in his family's 36-year-old restaurant business and has run his own catering business for the last ten years. Melo's class will focus on grilling and will include local shellfish, local beef, chicken under a brick, and grilled pound cake with fruit compote. "I need to know where my food comes from and enjoy showcasing locally grown products in my restaurant," says Mello, who is a strong supporter of local agriculture. Mello's recipes have been listed in the "Out of the Earth" and "Stonyfield Yogurt Cookbooks."
"The cooking series will highlight some of the best farm products the Southcoast region has to offer," says Sue Guiducci, SEMAP's Buy Local Campaign Coordinator Participants can register for one or both classes. Space is limited so it's best to register early to ensure a spot. Registration is $30 per person for each class. Register by calling Lee's Market at 508-636-3348 or in person at Lee's Market, 796 Main Road, Westport, Massachusetts. Credit cards accepted. For more information contact Sue Guiducci at 508- 997-9456 or email: [email protected]
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A New Exhibit: "Coming Up on the Season"
The National Heritage Museum, located in Lexington, MA, presents a new exhibition, "Coming Up on the Season: Migrant Farmworkers in the Northeast" from August 23 2003 - February 1, 2004.
"The exhibit traces the path of the fruits and vegetables we eat, and the lives of the people who grow and harvest them in six parts of the Northeast. Oral histories, contemporary photographs and artifacts explore a facet of our society that is rarely seen and even less understood. It examines farm work done in Downeast Maine, western NY and the Hudson Valley, New Jersey and Southeastern Massachusetts.
Based on five years of fieldwork and documentation, "Coming Up on the Season", developed by Cornell University Migrant Program, reveals that even in our mechanized world, having fresh, unblemished produce still means farmworkers have to handle the food by hand.
For more information, visit www.monh.org or call 781-861-6559. Group guided tours are available. "
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New Zealand Stockman at Farm Field Days to discuss Grass-finished Beef and Lamb
The Bakewell Reproductive Center is bringing well-known stockman and farmer Ken McDowall from New Zealand for a series of Farm Field Days about grass-finished beef and lamb. Ken McDowall is the creator of the famous Rotokawa Devons; he also raises 2,500 Romney sheep entirely on grass, with the help of one man and two dogs. Come hear him share his wisdom and experience with us. The Farm Field Days series, held on farms from North Carolina to Maine, is part of an on-going effort of the Bakewell Center to revive livestock farming in this country by promoting grass-finishing -- a system of raising cattle and sheep entirely on grass, without the addition of grain. The Farm Field Days will include presentations and hands-on demonstrations of linear measurement to evaluate cattle, conducted by Gerald Fry and Ridge Shinn from the Bakewell Center. McDowall will share his experience in breeding animals that will thrive on grass, keep good condition, be reproductively efficient--and be tasty and tender. The Bakewell Reproductive Center is named after Robert Bakewell, the famous breeder of the 1700's, who created a number of breeds by collaborating with neighboring farmers in order to have a large pool of animals to select from to fix the desired traits. The Bakewell Center has located and purchased semen from outstanding bulls representing six cattle breeds; it has imported heifers as well as semen from the Rotokawa herd of Devons in New Zealand. Four of the Field Days will be on farms where these imported Rotokawa heifers reside. This is an excellent opportunity to see them. Bakewell's September events will be held at the following locations in the New England and New York area. For more information and directions, visit www.bakewellreprocenter.com or contact people listed below for pre-registration information. September 17, 6 pm to 8 pm Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA)'s Watson Farm in Jamestown, RI Pasture Walk. Rotokawa cattle and grass-finished sheep will be viewed.
September 18, 6 pm to 9 pm Stuyvesant Town Hall, Stuyvesant, NY Slide presentation and discussion of markets and linear measurement.
September 19, 9 am to 12 noon Harrier Fields Farm, Schodak Landing, NY Chute-side demonstrations, linear measurement and discussion, and view Rotokawa cattle.
September 20, 10 am to 4 pm Woodbourne Farm, Bath, NH Field Day. Presentations in the morning, and chute-side demonstration in afternoon. View grass-finished sheep and Rotokawa cattle, lunch included ($10 fee). Send your check for $10 to Chet Parsons, UVM livestock specialist, University of Vermont Extension, 278 South Main Street, Suite 2, Saint Albans, VT 05478. Call 802-848-3771 to pre-register.
September 22, 10 am to 4 pm Little Alaska Farm, Wales, ME Field Day. Presentations in the morning and chute-side demonstrations in the afternoon. Discuss linear measurement and view Rotokawa cattle. You must pre-register for Farm Field Days at the events where meals are included.
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Vegetable Twilight Meetings
The 2003 Summer Twilight Meeting Series co-sponsored by Massachusetts Association of Roadside Stands (MARS) and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources will focus on diversified farm production and direct marketing. Twilight Meetings provide an opportunity to learn from and socialize with your peers during the production season.
Meetings include a relaxed farm tour, a discussion about their production practices, and highlights on how they are successfully direct marketing their farm products. These farms feature vegetables, berries, cut flowers, greenhouses, and livestock, "value-added" products and agri-tourism. Keep up-to-date on solutions to production and marketing challenges with UMass Extension, the Mass. Department of Agricultural Resources, and the Massachusetts Association of Roadside Stands. All meetings held rain or shine!
Randall's Farm, Ludlow, Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Once a seasonal flower, vegetable and ice cream stand is now a new 10,000 square feet building that is open year-round. Hosted by Karen Randall who is on the Flower Growers Board. Family owned, diversified, friendly atmosphere, locally grown, quality products, knowledgeable staff. Tina Smith from the UMass Floriculture Team will be speaking about Pest Management in Retail Greenhouses.
Contact Tina Smith (413) 545-5306 or Karen Randall (413) 589-7071 if there are any questions. Directions: Travel Route 90 (Mass. Pike) to Exit 7 (Ludlow Exit). Turn right off ramp onto Route 21 North. Travel approximately 2 miles, Randall's Farm and Garden Center are on the left.
Cider Hill Farm, Amesbury, Thursday, October 23, 2003, 4pm.
Glenn and Karen Cook are the owners of Cider Hill Farm. Their farm provides orchard tours, hayrides, cider pressing, animals and pick your own. There will be a talk on the variety of apples that are grown on the farm and about storage of pesticides. One pesticide credit will be given for attending the meeting. Jon Clements Umass Extension Tree Fruit Specialist will be on hand. For directions, visit www.ciderhill.com
For questions or more information, call Jon Clements at (413) 323-4208 or email [email protected].
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Focus on Innovative Ag Technology This is the first in a series of three articles that will summarize the progress of the recent projects funded through the Agricultural Environmental Technology grant program
Project Title: "1-MCP: An innovative Technology for Improved Fruit Quality Targeted for the Massachusetts Apple Industry" Funding was provided to the New England Fruit Consultants. This project is evaluating the feasibility of using 1-MCP as a post-harvest treatment to improve the fruit quality of apples kept in long-term storage. The unique aspect of this project is that it is modifying the process by which apples are currently treated with 1-MCP to better suit the size and scope of smaller storage facilities in Massachusetts. Refrigerated trailers are being installed as the testing sites on three orchards. Two additional orchards will be involved with the project, receiving treated fruit with 1-MCP. These outreach participants will benefit from gaining qualitative experience and insight as to the benefits of using the product. Apple varieties that are commonly produced in the region and that are economically significant to the Massachusetts apple industry are being treated. Project completion date is April 2004. This value of this project is $44,746, which is shared equally between DAR funds and participant funds. For more information please contact the Coordinator, Susan Phinney at [email protected] or 617-626-1772.
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NEWS FROM USDA
Livestock Assistance Program - Sign-up for the Livestock Assistance Program began on August 6, according to Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Venneman. The Agricultural Assistance Act of 2003 authorized the program, and $250 million was made available to livestock producers for grazing losses that occurred in either 2001 or 2002. When the sign-up period ends on October 24, the total value of all applications will be determined and if in excess of $250 million will be adjusted proportionately. "This program will provide additional relief to livestock producers who suffered grazing losses due to drought, severe weather and related causes, and have limited safety net and risk management tools available," said Venneman. For more information, contact: Brenda Chappin at 202-690-4560.
Food Safety Guidelines - The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced on August 4 the availability of new food safety and security guidance for transporters and distributors of meat, poultry, and egg products as part of its continuing effort to help protect America's food supply from intentional and unintentional contamination. "Protecting food during transportation and storage is a critical component in our defense against all types of food borne contaminants," said FSIS Administrator Dr. Garry L. McKee. "These guidelines will further enhance the safety and security of meat, poultry and egg products throughout the food distribution chain." FSIS Safety and Security Guidelines for the Transportation and Distribution of Meat, Poultry and Egg Products are now available at www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/topics/biosecurity.htm for more information, contact Matt Baun at 202-720-9113.
IN EVERY ISSUE
CLASSIFIED ADS
FOR SALE: 2 - 8 month old goats, male and female. Perfect for meat (seasonal laborers love fresh goat), breeding backyard goats, companion animals. Also, fresh goat cheese available- Local goat cheese is a big draw at farmstands and CSA's. Crystal Brook Farm, Sterling MA 978/422-6646
FOR SALE: John Deere equipment: No. 35 forage harvester w/ corn and grass heads $2500; No. 65 silo blower $500; Two self-unloading wagons $2500 each. All in good working condition, always stored under cover. Crystal Brook Farm, Sterling MA 978/422-6646
FOR SALE:Mass. grown Balsam Christmas Trees Premium and #1s.6.5 to 8 ft and 8 -9 ft.. Itty Bitty Farm, Windsor, MA, 1-413-684-3268.
WANTED TO BUY: front-end bucket loader and manure spreader for my 1955 Ford 850. Call 802-254-2531 or e-mail [email protected]
Pumpkins...Wholesale! Excellent! Variety and selection, all sizes, delivered or picked up. 978- 264-4168.
The following positions are open at Weston Nurseries: Landscape Foreman (Prior supervisory experience required and Prior Landscape design set up); Landscape Designer (Horticulture and design education, excellent design skills, knowledge of how to calculate plant material needed, measurements and map out design as well as Sales experience) and Loader/Delivery Driver (Class B License required and Hydrolics Licence preferred). E-mail, fax or mail resume along with salary history to Lisa Foley at: [email protected] or Weston Nurseries, Rte. 135, Hopkinton, MA 01748 Fax: 508-435-3274 Phone: 508-293-8031
A farmers' market is in the planning stages for the town of Berkley to start in 2004. Interested growers can contact Joe Senato at 508-824-6794 or email at: [email protected].
Empire Packaging Company Serving New England Farms & Orchards since 1989. Find out why so many growers choose Empire. Quality Packaging , Great Service at a Fair Price. 508-426-7813 or 800-562-5520. We will help Massachusetts farmers with a free help-wanted ad in The Caretaker Gazette. We have Massachusetts subscribers who want to work on your farm. Contact: THE Caretaker Gazette, PO Box 540, River Falls, WI 54022 715-426- 5500, www.caretaker.org
Subscribe to the New England Farm Bulletin. $17/year includes 2 free farm classifieds or $17 in free information booklets, monthly publication, annual almanac, New England fairs and farmers' market directory, monthly farm classifieds and features, access to rare farm topics and more! NEFB, Dept. MA, PO Box 67, Taunton, MA 02780.
How to Place a Classified Ad
Classified ads are accepted free-of charge on a first-come basis. Limit: 25 words. Be sure to include a phone number. No display ads will be accepted. Only one ad per business/individual per issue, unless space permits. Ads may run in consecutive issues, space permitting. Ads must be of interest to Massachusetts farmers. The Mass. Dept. of Agricultural Resources reserves the right to refuse any listing it deems inappropriate for publication.
E-mail, fax or mail ads to: Farm & Market Report, Mass. Dept. of Agricultural Resources, 251 Causeway Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114, 617-626-1750 fax: 617-626-1850, e-mail: [email protected]
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CALENDAR
September 7 - The National King Ketchup Competition at the Eastern Native Seed Conservancy in conjunction with the Berkshire Columbia Slow Food convivium, Lenox. The contest is open to anyone who wishes to enter. There is no entry for non-commercial producers. For more information, contact 413-229- 8316.
September 12 -14, Celebrating CISA: Ten Years and Growing. For more information, contact CISA at 413-559-5338 or www.buylocalfood.com.
September 10 - Vegetable & Flower Twilight Meeting - Randall's Farm, Ludlow. Flower, vegetable and ice cream stand. Contact: Tina Smith (413) 545- 5306 or Karen Randall (413) 589-7071 . Directions: Travel Route 90 (Mass. Pike) to Exit 7 (Ludlow Exit). Turn right off ramp onto Route 21 North. Travel approximately 2 miles, Randall's Farm and Garden Center are on the left.
September 13 - SEMAP's Sizzling Summer Chef Cooking Class from 1 PM - 3 PM at "Westport Cooks!" at Lees Market, Westport. For more information, contact Sue Guiducci at 508-997-9456 or email: [email protected]. September 16 - Training Seminar: Introduction to Animals in Disasters at the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Region 1 location from 9 AM to 4 PM. For more information, contact Barbara Legatowicz at 508-820- 2032 or email: [email protected]
September 17 - 18, 2nd National Food Business Incubation Summit at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, Northampton. Educational workshops and networking activities for professionals working with incubator kitchens, shared- use facilities and food venture centers. For more information, contact Cheryl Leach at 315-787-2622 or email: [email protected].
September 20 - The Fifth Annual North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival. "The Festival That Stinks," 10:00 am to dusk, at Forster Farm, 60 Chestnut Hill Rd., Orange, MA 01364. Contact: [email protected], or visit www.garlicandarts.org.
September 22 - Beautiful Bountiful Berkshires at the Eastover Resort, Lenox. Berkshire Grown¹s 5th annual extravaganza, a harvest celebration, featuring 20 Berkshire Grown restaurant chefs and more than 30 farmers in an extensive dinner tasting and silent auction. (Drinks included.) Always sells out! Mon., 6:30pm. Reservations. $55, non-members; $45, members; $25, farmers. Berkshire Grown fundraiser to support local food and farms. Susan or Amy. 528-0041.
September 20 - Franklin Farmers' Market Harvest Festival from 1 PM - 4 PM. Local farms are invited to attend. For more information, contact Beth Simon at 508-520-1466.
October 3 - Annual Stockbridge School of Agriculture Field Day at UMass, Amherst. For more information, contact the Stockbridge School at 413-545-2222 or [email protected]. October 17 -Training Seminar: Introduction to Animals in Disasters from 9 AM to 4 PM in Great Barrington. For more information, contact Barbara Legatowicz at 508-820-2032 or email: [email protected]
October 23, 2003 - October Twilight Meeting - Cider Hill Farm, Amesbury Thursday, October 23, 2003 4:00pm Farm provides orchard tours, hayrides, cider pressing, animals and pick your own. There will be a talk on the variety of apples that are grown on the farm and about storage of pesticides. One pesticide credit will be given foe attending the meeting. Jon Clements Umass Extension Tree Fruit Specialist will be on hand. For questions or more information call Jon Clements at (413) 323-4208 or email [email protected], For directions visit www.ciderhill.com. November 1 - 5, 7th Annual Conference of Community Food Security Coalition at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston. For more information, contact 310-882-5410. www.foodsecurity.org/events. November 14-15, 3rd Annual "The Soul of Agriculture: New Movements in New England Food and Farming" and NESAWG's Annual Resource Harvest at the Northeast Regional Conference, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. Presented by the UNH Office of Sustainability Programs' Food and Society Initiative and the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG).
Join farmers and agricultural organizations, faith communities and educators, non-governmental organizations and policy makers, natural food stores and restaurants, university and school food services, and dieticians to explore new movements in New England food and farming and enjoy locally-grown food. Visit www.sustainableunh.unh.edu or call 603-862-4088. Conference program and registration materials will be available this summer.
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About the Farm & Market Report
Published monthly by:
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, Governor Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Ellen Roy Herzfelder, Secretary Department of Agricultural Resources, Douglas P. Gillespie, Commissioner 251 Causeway Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114 617-626-1700, fax 617-626-1850 www.mass.gov/dfa
Kent Lage, Assistant Commissioner and Chief of Staff, [email protected] Mary Jordan, Director of Agricultural Development, [email protected] Richard Hubbard, Chief, Bureau of Land Use, [email protected] Steven Quinn, Chief, Bureau of Fairs, [email protected] James Hines, Director of Dairy Services and Animal Health, [email protected] Dr. David Sherman, Chief, Bureau of Animal Health, [email protected] Brad Mitchell, Director of Regulatory Services, [email protected]