2+ day, 6+ hour ago   (1717+ words) Nothing about the Massachusetts landscape indicates a lack of water. The terrain looks lush and reservoirs remain full, but precipitation tells a different story. Two years of below-average rainfall has depleted groundwater and shrunk stream levels, setting off an official…...

2+ day, 7+ hour ago   (676+ words) In May 2025, Massachusetts had its fifth wettest May on record — a deluge that arrived after six straight months of significant to critical drought across the Connecticut River Valley that fueled wildfires across the state and region. The state declared the…...

6+ day, 7+ hour ago   (347+ words) WASHINGTON — U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern has teamed up with Congressman Greg Casar of Texas to introduce the Fair Seeds for Farmers Act, a House bill that would limit seed patents and protect farmers’ and researchers’ rights to breed, save and…...

6+ day, 13+ hour ago   (714+ words) “Our little part of Whiteloaf Mountain probably hasn’t changed much, other than I’ve added more trees and we got rid of the cows,” said Tom Bashista, fourth-generation farmer and steward of Bashista Orchards in Southampton. Bashista’s great-grandfather, Jacob Bashista, came…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago   (478+ words) GRANBY — The smoke blown in from the Canadian wildfires cleared just in time for local farmers and state officials to celebrate a significant milestone for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) — the sale of $100 million in fresh, locally grown fruits and…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (395+ words) GILL — A new ad hoc committee made up of local farmers and town officials is being formed to join the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources’ new Farmland Partnership Program, which aims to help document and preserve farmland. “We’d do a…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago   (1006+ 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, 5+ day ago   (872+ 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, 6+ day ago   (903+ 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, 2+ day ago   (410+ words) A day after Gov. Maura Healey signed the fiscal year 2027 state budget, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll hit the road to see some of the state’s past investments in local food systems in action. “We feel we’re a pretty important cog…...