|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings!, Raise a glass of milk in honor of Dairy Month! |
| |
Bree-Z-Knoll Farm, Leyden
|
Massachusetts is home to 149 dairy farms, 42% of which are in Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties. Dairy farms make up only 2% of all farms in the Pioneer Valley, but those farms steward 18% of the agricultural land in our region and account for 14% of our agricultural sales. Statewide, dairy farms produce 230 million pounds of milk per year, and 20% of the milk consumed in the state comes from Massachusetts dairy farms. So dairy farms are a vital and productive piece our agricultural system, providing a LOT of nutrition in our diets and care for our land.
Supporting local dairy farms is easier than you might think -- most of the milk produced by our region's dairy farmers is processed and sold regionally, in New England and New York. The processing plant for every dairy product is listed right on the container, so if you are curious about where your milk or dairy product is processed you can look it up here. Or you can buy dairy products directly from farmers at farm stands, farmers' markets, or via home delivery -- of course we have a list here! For profiles, news stories, and more about our local dairy farms, check out our special dairy page. CISA Staff
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | Photo Credit: Old Friends Farm |
CISA Membership has its Benefits
Bug Hill Farm is featured in the Franklin Land Trust's 24th Annual Farm & Garden Tour on Saturday, June 27th from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. CISA Community Members receive one of Bug Hill's value-added products as a bonus for attending. (Be sure to pick it up at Bug Hill.)
Not a member? Join here!
We welcome three new CISA employees
Please help us welcome three new CISA staffers! Aja Lippincott is our new addition to the Local Hero team. Brian Snell will be handling CISA's database and assisting with Senior FarmShare, farm tours, and web site maintenance. Innocent Nwosu will be working with farmers' markets on SNAP matching and the statewide Healthy Incentives Program. Read more about them here.
Help make Taste the View a success!
CISA is seeking volunteers for our September 18th harvest supper and auction, Taste the View. From decorations and set-up to serving and kitchen help, we've got a job for you! Contact Judy to help out.
|
Strawberries! They're just starting to come in, and you can find a list of farms that grow them here and a list of Pick-Your-Own options here. We've got lots of strawberry recipes here.
Tons of greens and veggies! Stay on top of it all with our lists of summer farmer's markets and farm stands.
Looking for recipes and cooking ideas? Our Daily Hampshire Gazette column is packed with ideas every single week, year-round! Click to read our recent Valley Bounty columns about radishes, green garlic, asparagus, and hakurei turnips, all spring classics!
|
 Local Hero profile: River Maple Farm
The third and fourth generations of farmers work River Maple Farm in Bernardston together, selling maple syrup, meat, and vegetables at their farm stand, and producing milk for wholesale. Read all about them here.
Visit our press room for recent news stories, including Elmer's Store's recent "Entrepreneur of the Year" award from the Franklin County CDC, some nice coverage of the brand new Wheelhouse Farm Truck, and several stories about how the dry spring has affected crops.
You can also listen to our weekly radio interview series on WRSI with Local Hero businesses. Featured this month: Book and Plow Farm, Good Bunch Farm, Granny's Place Farm, and Gardening the Community. |
|
Remembering Rick Bean, longtime CISA volunteer
We are sad to report the death of Rick Bean, who was a dedicated CISA volunteer for many years. He was instrumental in shaping our annual fundraising dinner, Taste the View, and willing to help out however he could -- even climbing onto our roof for repairs! He will be missed by so many in the CISA community. You can read his obituary here.
|
|
CISA's events page is really filling up with farm tours, field days, festivals, and more! Here are a few highlights:
Weekly farm tours at Barstow's Longview Farm
172 Hockanum Road, Hadley
June 13: Meet the Calves
June 20: Fields and Food
June 27: Robotic Milkers
Barstow's is celebrating dairy month with free weekly tours, each focused on a different component of their farm! Full tour details here.
Crush Wine Festival
June 14, 11am-6pm
Look Park, 300 North Main Street, Florence The Crush Wine Festival features locally made wines & artisanal food from across the Commonwealth. The Festival features two ticketed tasting sessions, music, food, a wine lovers photo booth, and ask-the-expert opportunities as well as craft and farmers' market vendors. Details and tickets here.
|
|
Do you value the news you get from CISA? Join 1,100 others in supporting CISA's work. We've been strengthening farms and engaging the community to build the local food economy since 1993!
Please do not take images or content to use on your own site or project without CISA's explicit permission. Please feel free to link to our newsletter. Archives can be found at buylocalfood.org. |
|
Email: communications@buylocalfood.org
Phone: (413) 665-7100
Website: buylocalfood.org
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
|
|
|
|
|
