Film: A Long Row in Fertile Ground

This 40-minute, original WGBY production tells the story of agriculture in western New England. The Connecticut River Valley is home to New England’s longest river, a remnant of the last Ice Age. But the receding glaciers also left behind another gift—some of the richest soil on Earth. This fertile valley has attracted Native Americans and settlers since the early 1600s. More recently, the idea of Community Supported Agriculture—community members and farmers in a relationship of mutual support based on an annual commitment to one another—was born in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.  Interviews with a number of farmers, land preservationists and agricultural scholars from Deerfield to Great Barrington provide a comprehensive view of this treasured resource and illuminate the complex story of the land, its people, its culture, and its agriculture. This film screening is free, and will be followed by a panel discussion.