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Who is CISA?

Who is CISA?

Hear about what we do from local farmers and people we work with every day!

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Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) strengthens farms and engages the community to build the local food economy.

CISA has been working for over 30 years to build a stronger, more resilient, and more just local food system. We envision a local food system where farms are viable, working conditions are fair and just for owners and workers, the environment is respected, and locally grown food is available for all.

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What’s Happening

Brookfield Farm: Business Management and Tractor Cultivation

October 7 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
This visit will be an overview of the major areas of business management that we rely on to make our farm economically functional. We will cover planning (including budgeting), bookkeeping... more
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Twilight Meeting: Climate Impacts on Weed Management and Soil Health

October 8 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Register here! How are climate change and hotter temperatures affecting our soils? Often, practices like reducing tillage and cover cropping are recommended to improve soil health, reduce risk of topsoil... more
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The BizGrow Conference: Free Legal Support & Small Business Expo

October 10 @ 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Register here! Calling all current and aspiring small business owners! Springfield City Library welcomes Lawyers for Civil Rights and The BizGrow Conference to Western Mass for the first time! This event connects... more
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Food Safety & Storage in a Warmer New England

October 15 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Register here! Join UMass Extension, CISA, and UVM Extension for a climate-themed twilight meeting at Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland, MA! Lilly Israel and Max Traunstein will give a tour... more
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Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing Program Informational Webinar / Seminarios Virtuales Informativos sobre el Programa de Agricultura y Promoción Climáticamente Inteligentes

October 16 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
¡Regístrese aquí! Únase a uno de los tres próximos seminarios virtuales que ofrecerán una descripción general del Programa de Agricultura y Promoción Climáticamente Inteligentes, liderado por Pasa Agricultura Sostenible. Los... more
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Welcoming visitors to your farm: Kid and family-friendly activities

October 21 @ 5:00 am - 7:00 pm
Register here! Families with children are key target customers for many local farms, and there are many strategies – both large and small – that farms can employ to attract... more
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Rich and Healthy: No-till for Successful Farms and Gardens

October 27 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Are you a farmer or market gardener seeking to start or transition to no-till methods that use simple tools, build healthy soil, reduce labor and cost inputs, promote climate resilience... more
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Rich and Healthy: No-till for Successful Farms

October 27 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Seeds of Solidarity Farm and Education Center, Orange MA Sunday Oct 27, 10am to 5pm. Rich and Healthy: No-till for Successful Farms. Are you a farmer or market gardener seeking to start... more
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Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing Program Informational Webinar/ Seminarios Virtuales Informativos sobre el Programa de Agricultura y Promoción Climáticamente Inteligentes

November 13 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Register here! Join one of the three upcoming webinars that provide an overview of the Climate-Smart Farming & Marketing Program, led by Pasa Sustainable Agriculture. Northeast regional project partners from Community Involved... more
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Soil Management for Climate Resilience 

December 3 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Register here! In this webinar, Caro Roszell of American Farmland Trust will discuss the impact and associated risks of increasing year-round temperatures and extreme heat on soil moisture, nutrient levels,... more
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Get the Latest News From CISA

Valley Bounty: Rustic Outlook

October 4, 2024    Posted in: CISA News, CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Local Heroes in the News, Press Room
When Heather McCann founded her farm, Rustic Outlook, in 2020, she picked a niche that few local farmers have chosen. She decided to make beans her thing. Even as Rustic ... more
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NEPM: Ben & Meg's Farm & Garden Store

October 1, 2024    Posted in: CISA News, Local Heroes in the News, NEPM "Fabulous 413" interviews, Press Room
– Ben and Meg’s Farm and Garden Store is new in South Hadley, and they have what you need for decorating your front porch or planting out your garden with ... more
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NEPM: Preservation Orchard & Farm

September 24, 2024    Posted in: CISA News, Local Heroes in the News, NEPM "Fabulous 413" interviews, Press Room
_ Claire takes Monte and Kaliis to meet Ava Blum-Carr of Preservation Orchard and Farm and her mom, Nicole Blum of Carr’s Ciderhouse, to talk about: Sharing land between their ... more
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Valley Bounty: Creativity and Community Bear Fruit at Apex Orchards

September 21, 2024    Posted in: CISA News, CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Uncategorized One, Press Room
School is back in session, with the emblematic apple in season at local orchards. The Shelburne Falls orchard grows fruit for sale at their farm store and is available as ... more
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Climate Change Hits Home: Not all Farmworkers Feel the Heat Equally

September 21, 2024    Posted in: CISA News, Climate Change and Farming Blog, Local Heroes in the News, Press Room
Published September 21, 2024 in the Daily Hampshire Gazette Farm risks rise with heat By Jacob Nelson Imagine this: It’s 10 a.m. and already near 90 degrees. The hot sun ... more
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Recorder: State climate chief hears from area farmers on putting climate-resilient methods into practice

September 17, 2024    Posted in: CISA News, Climate Change and Farming Blog, Press Room
The state’s first-ever climate chief toured Atlas Farm in Deerfield and Big River Chestnuts in Sunderland alongside legislators, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources officials and representatives from Community Involved in ... more
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Climate Change Hits Home: Hampshire College Farm's Grassroots Research and Resilience

September 13, 2024    Posted in: CISA News, Climate Change and Farming Blog, Local Heroes in the News, Press Room
As college and university farms go, Hampshire College Farm is not a big one. What they do have in abundance is student energy, and true to the Hampshire philosophy, they’ve ... more
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NEPM: Climate Week and UMass Dining

September 9, 2024    Posted in: Climate Change and Farming Blog, CISA News, Local Heroes in the News, NEPM "Fabulous 413" interviews, Press Room
🌎 Stephen Taranto, CISA’s climate program manager, and Kathy Wicks, director of sustainability for UMass Amherst Dining and Auxiliary Services, join Monte and Kaliis to discuss:  CISA’s Climate Change and ... more
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Climate Change Hits Home: Adapting Together with Stonebrige Farm and Keshtyar Seed

September 7, 2024    Posted in: CISA News, Climate Change and Farming Blog, Local Heroes in the News, Press Room
Published September 7, 2024 in the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Climate Change at Home: Adapting Together Local support and federal funding help farms respond to climate change By Jacob Nelson Three ... more
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NEPM: Fern Valley Farms

September 6, 2024    Posted in: CISA News, NEPM "Fabulous 413" interviews, Press Room
This week on NEPM, CISA’s Communication Manager, Claire Morenon, launches her debut alongside Monte and Kaliis. This week, they spoke with Brooke Fernandes, of Fern Valley Farms. Now in its ... more
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Featured Local Hero Profile

Be a Local Hero

Local Hero Profile: Bloom Woolen Yarns

October 18, 2023    Posted in: Specialty Producer Profiles, Local Hero Profiles
Local Hero Profile by Julia Mazzuchi, Local Hero Program Assistant  The buy local movement in the Valley not only encompasses... more
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