How can we develop systems to build community resilience, grow local agriculture, improve access to nutrient-dense food, share growing spaces, and mitigate climate disruptions? All seven state chapters of the […]
Dates: January 12th through February 9th, 2023 Time: Thursday evenings, from 6:00 to 9:00pm Location: MDAR office in Southborough, MA Cost: $100 for up to two participants per enterprise, as space allows. This 5-session course provides guidance to aspiring farmers through the decision-making process of whether to start a farm business. Participants will learn about […]
Join NOFA/Mass for their 36th annual Winter Conference! Connecting farmers, gardeners, homesteaders, educators, and environmentalists to share resources and ideas to grow our vibrant organic community. From the NOFA website: […]
Dates: January 17th through March 14th, 2023 Time: Tuesday evenings, from 5:30 to 8:30pm Location: MDAR office in Southborough, MA Cost: The course fee, subsidized by MDAR, is $150 per […]
Best Practices for Plant Disease Management Strategy: General tips will be presented that form the foundation of both organic and conventional disease management. Recommendations based on research results will be […]
How do you grow over 50 different crops for 500 shareholders who are coming to coming to your farm to pick up 13lb of vegetables for 24 weeks? Explore the […]
This webinar is part of the 2023 Tri-State SARE Project Webinar Series: Improving Pasture Management for Sustainable Livestock Production Speaker: Speaker: Heather Darby (UVM Extension) The Tri-State (CT, MA, RI) […]
The Hatfield Comprehensive Plan Committee is gathering input directly from Hatfield farmers about how agriculture in town is changing and adapting to increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. The last two growing […]
Over the past several seasons, Sawyer Farm has been successfully growing vegetables directly in a perennial Dutch White clover sod. Lincoln Fishman will explain how the system works, and discuss its benefits […]
You are raising and selling local meat, but are you making a profit? Learn marketing techniques and how to use the NEW Cornell Meat Pricing Tool to develop prices that […]
This webinar is part of the 2023 Tri-State SARE Project Webinar Series: Improving Pasture Management for Sustainable Livestock Production Speakers: Cheryl Cesario (UVM Extension) Rich Meinert (UConn Extension) The Tri-State […]
Join American Farmland Trust for a webinar on Cut and Carry for Weed Management and Fertility in Organic Cropping Systems. Also known as ‘transferred mulch,’ “cut and carry” refers to […]
Free Webinar! The International Workshop on Agritourism is hosting a free webinar on Marketing Your Farm. A farm marketing consultant and two agritourism farmers will discuss the three essential components […]
In this all-day workshop we will discuss the basics of how set up a new grazing system, and how to troubleshoot and improve an existing one. We start the day […]
About the Statewide Local Working Group Purpose Local Working Groups (LWG) provide essential input to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on the most important natural resource concerns and […]
(Nearly) Fall Meadow Stroll Sunday, September 17, 12:00 – 2:00 pmCheckerspot Farm30 Jacksonville Rd., Colrain Franklin Conservation District announces the last outdoor event of the year in our Native Plants education series. Join Jocelyn […]
On September 17, 2023, the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew and CISA are hosting a panel to discuss the challenges of farming in the climate crisis, the Massachusetts government response, […]
REGISTER HERE! In 2023, the Hampden-Hampshire Conservation District (HHCD) launched the Healthy Soils Program, which provides farmers with resources to encourage and facilitate the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices, with […]
Register Here! Are you interested in MDAR’s Climate Smart (CSAP) grant programs? Are you an APR farmer wanting to see an APR Improvement Program (AIP) grant in action? Are you interested in the APR […]
Location: Hadley Public Library, 50 Middle Street, Hadley 01035 Pickup Time: September 23, 10am-12pm Inside, you will find flowering perennials, beautiful grasses, shrubs, and trees that are right at home […]
Join Tom Sullivan at Cathy and Michael Katz's Farm in the historic landscape of The Great Meadow of Hadley. Tom will draw our attention to the bees visiting the farm's […]
Farmer Circles are peer learning communities for farmers interested in discussing a certain topic in an informal, supportive environment. Each circle meets for at least 12 hours over the course […]
Are you thinking of starting a small farm?Do you already run a farm and are hoping to expand? Invest in yourself and watch your returns grow through this 7-week course. Click […]
Course Details: When: Tuesdays, January 9 – March 5, 2024, 6-8:30pm Where: MDAR office in West Springfield, or alternate western MA location dependent upon interest Registration: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. $150 […]
An overview of insurance programs relevant to vegetable and small fruit producers in New England. This workshop is intended for those with little to no prior experience with insurance and […]
A deeper dive into each individual program, one at a time, to help you decide which program is right for your farm. Regional experts from FSA and RMA will provide […]
Are you interested in learning more about solar options for your farm? As solar panel costs have lowered and incentives have increased, more farms are turning to solar to offset electricity […]
Author Talk: Lawns Into Meadows author Owen Wormser Sat., Feb. 10, 1:00-3:00 pm Hadley Public Library (HHCD) Tues., Feb. 13, 6:00 - 7:30 pm Storr’s Library in Longmeadow (HHCD) Intended […]
With our unpredictable drought-flood cycle, irrigation has become a necessity for many vegetable operations to weather the summer. Choosing the right system to fit your operation’s needs can be costly […]
Author Talk: Lawns Into Meadows author Owen Wormser Sat., Feb. 10, 1:00-3:00 pm Hadley Public Library (HHCD) Rescheduled due to inclement weather - New date, Wednesday, Feb 21st, 6:00 - […]
Presenter: Jocelyn Demuth, owner of Checkerspot Farm (Colrain) Saturday, March 2, 10-11:30 AM at Hadley Public Library (HHCD) Saturday, March 30, 2024, 10:00 - 11:00 AM at Storr’s Public Library […]
PurposeLocal Working Groups (LWG) are a key part of NRCS’ locally-led conservation process. They provide essential input to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Conservation Districts (CDs) […]
This on-farm tour will focus on energy use and conservation in high tunnel and greenhouse production. Energy costs can be substantial in a smaller diversified production system and reducing electric […]
Cool Bugs and Native Plants: Adventures in Native Plant Gardening for Beginners and Families Presenter: Jocelyn Demuth, owner of Checkerspot Farm (Colrain) Saturday, March 2, 10-11:30 AM at Hadley Public […]
Presenter: Tom Sullivan of Pollinators Welcome landscape design Thursday, Jan. 25, 10:00 - 11:00 Bernardston Senior Center (Franklin CD) Thursday, Feb. 22, 6:00 - 7:00 PM Northfield Public Library (Franklin […]
Welcoming Pollinators Home Presenter: Tom Sullivan of Pollinators Welcome landscape design Thursday, Jan. 25, 10:00 - 11:00 Bernardston Senior Center (Franklin CD) Thursday, Feb. 22, 6:00 - 7:00 PM Northfield […]
Register Here Please join us on Wednesday June 26th at 6pm at the Hadley Senior Center for a workshop on ditches and storm water management in agricultural settings. This workshop is […]
Date: Saturday, June 29, 2024. Rain Date: Saturday, July 13Time: Farm Tour from 9:30 to 11:30. Socializing from 11:30 to 12:30.Cost: FreeLocation:195 River Rd, Sunderland, MA With each year that […]
Register here! Come check out Atlas Farm’s 3 acre experiment with strip-tilled winter squash in a perennial clover living mulch, and living clover/rye pathways in five acres of tomatoes. We’ll […]
Date: Saturday, July 27th, 10:30-11:30AM. Location: Jones Library, 43 Amity St, Amherst To register, send an email to : Programs@Joneslibrary.org Just because food is not consumed, doesn’t mean it is […]
Less is More: Eco-Friendly Fall Garden Cleanup free webinar with Heidi Dollard of the Massachusetts Pollinator Network Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7:00 PM Re-think your fall cleanup to benefit pollinators, […]
A 12 Step Program Description: Many people now realize the importance of pollinators and other essential wildlife. They want to make their yard pollinator-friendly, but don’t know where to start. […]
The “little things that run the world” are in big trouble: Insect populations are plummeting, and many species are headed for extinction. This spells disaster for our food supply, our […]
You have chosen and planted your native plant garden or meadow, and a few years later, whatever design you planned is no longer in place.Some plants have spread, others seem […]
In this talk, Amy will focus on the current biodiversity crisis; the evolutionary history among native plants, insects, birds and fungi, and how these interdependent relationships among diverse species are […]
This talk includes a brief introduction to the biodiversity crisis, explaining why providing habitat for pollinators is essential for maintaining a sustainable ecosystem. Amy will show that pollinators not only […]
Lawns are ecological dead zones. 40 million acres are devoted to lawn in this country; the largest irrigated crop. Mowers emit at least 16 million tons of CO2 per year. […]
Join staff from the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), Mass Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), Mass Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), and the Hampden-Hampshire Conservation District (HHCD), to discuss strategies […]
Join staff from the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), Mass Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), Mass Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), and the Hampden-Hampshire Conservation District (HHCD), to discuss strategies […]
Lawns are ecological dead zones. 40 million acres are devoted to lawn in this country; the largest irrigated crop. Mowers emit at least 16 million tons of CO2 per year. […]