1+ week, 3+ day ago   (877+ words) To celebrate how students connect with Massachusetts’ agricultural heritage by engaging with and learning about the local food system, the state has released 250 snapshots of farm-to-school initiatives, including 21 such programs at Franklin County and North Quabbin area schools and organizations....

1+ week, 3+ day ago   (1011+ words) With the help of two Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) grant programs, farmers across Franklin County are investing in new equipment to speed up their operations and strengthen sustainability as they face unpredictable futures. The two sources of funding,…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (908+ words) ERVING — Annabelle Lucas planted the seed of friendship, leadership, generosity and compassion in the Erving community. Now, those seeds are blossoming in the form of a shaded pollinator garden at the Erving Public Library, honoring Lucas for her role as…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago   (487+ words) DEERFIELD — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton stopped by Bar-Way Farm on Thursday morning to learn about the dairy farm’s role in the local economy and how the federal government can step in to support farms in western Massachusetts. Moulton is running…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago   (656+ words) The Massachusetts Rural Policy Plan is being updated for the first time since being released in 2019, with a focus on supporting rural equity and capacity. The updated document, now in its draft phase, is being developed by the Rural Policy…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago   (497+ words) BOSTON — Farmworkers are hoping lawmakers will advance legislation that raises their pay almost 50% to match the state minimum wage and grants them overtime. Meanwhile, there’s resistance to the proposed pay raises from farmers who are facing economic pressures. “What we’re…...

1+ mon, 3+ week ago   (855+ words) AGAWAM — The Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation and its Local Farmer Award partners have announced the 2026 award recipients, granting more than $270,000 to 128 farms across western Massachusetts, including 43 farms in Franklin County. With this year’s awards, the program’s total investment in local…...

2+ mon, 2+ week ago   (640+ words) An overnight frost on April 20 set asparagus season off to a false start in Franklin and Hampshire counties, according to local farmers. “It started off very strange,” said Wally Czajkowski, who runs his family farm, Plainville Farm, in Hadley. For…...

3+ mon, 3+ day ago   (919+ words) Overnight temperatures that dipped into the mid-20s are leaving some Pioneer Valley growers in a state of limbo as blossoming peach trees and other crops may have been impacted, but it’s still too early to declare the cold-sensitive crops as bountiful…...

3+ mon, 2+ week ago   (516+ words) BOSTON — The Senate unanimously passed a sweeping bill Wednesday aimed at stabilizing agriculture, expanding food access and modernizing how Massachusetts defines farming. The legislation reflects years of study and arrives as lawmakers warn that farms face mounting economic and policy…...