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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 25 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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Whats Happening?

Health Connector - Health Benefits Webinar and Q&A

March 30 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Small businesses that need to offer affordable, quality health insurance to employees can learn about cost-effective options from the Sustainable Business Network’s health insurance partner, the Massachusetts Health Connector for... more
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An Introduction to FSA and NRCS Assistance Programs

March 30 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
This remote workshop is intended for beginning growers who have never worked with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) or Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) before, or for producers who are... more
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La Nueva Siembra

April 1 @ 6:00 pm - May 27 @ 6:00 pm
La Nueva Siembra es un curso de agricultura integral completamente enseñado en español diseñado para una amplia gama de participantes que buscan iniciar empresas agrícolas, incluidos los granjeros con experiencia agrícola de... more
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Low Infrastructure Agritourism: Picnicking and Walking Trails

April 3 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Do your visitors oooh and ahh over the views or the tranquility of your farm? Have you ever considered opening certain areas of your farm to the public to enjoy... more
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Managing Farm Labor Costs

April 4 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
The past few years have posed unprecedented employee management challenges for local farms – from rising wages and employee shortages to the added demands of the pandemic and weather extremes.... more
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Virtual info session: Volunteering at Gould Farm

April 5 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Greetings from Gould Farm, a therapeutic farm community in Monterey, MA (western Massachusetts). We're hosting a virtual info session on April 5th at 12:00 PM EST for young farmers and gardeners interested in... more
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Global Agritourism Network (GAN) Launch

April 11 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Register here! Leading scholars and practitioners of agritourism have joined forces to form the Global Agritourism Network (GAN). This network of agritourism stakeholders (farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural producers; researchers;... more
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CISA's Annual Meeting and Celebration!

April 11 @ 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
CISA members and supporters, please join us in Holyoke on April 11th for a special evening. We'll be honoring CISA's 2023 Local Hero Award recipients, sharing the highlights of the... more
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Film and Discussion: The Seeds of Vandana Shiva

April 11 @ 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Who is Vandana Shiva? How did this woman from an obscure town in India become Monsanto’s worst nightmare: a rebellious rock star in the global debate about who feeds the... more
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Grazing School at Gould Farm: Best Practices for Pasture Management

April 13 @ 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Workshop presented by Berkshire Grown and Berkshire Agricultural Ventures: In this all-day workshop we will discuss the basics of how set up a new grazing system, and how to troubleshoot... more
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Family Farm Days - Cultivating for Community

April 15 @ 10:00 am - July 8 @ 10:00 am
The Food Bank and Kestrel Land Trust will be hosting Family Farm Days throughout the growing season on The Food Bank’s community engagement farm, Cultivating for Community. Families will learn... more
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Nutrient management decision making based on soil testing

April 19 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
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)... more
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Get the Latest News From CISA

Valley Bounty: Bergeron Sugar House

March 18, 2023    Posted in: CISA News, CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Press Room
Bob Bergeron, of Bergeron’s Sugar House in Leyden, has been sugaring for over fifty years. He first got hooked on maple during high school, at his grandparents’ sugarhouse in Whately ... more
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NEPM: Maple Corner Farm

March 7, 2023    Posted in: CISA News, NEPM "Fabulous 413" interviews, Press Room
Phil, Monte, and Kaliis get the backstage treatment at Maple Corner Farm in Granville, before the ceremonial first tree taping of Massachusetts Maple Month. Hear how they make syrup at ... more
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Valley Bounty: Sunrise Farms Maple

March 2, 2023    Posted in: CISA News, CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Press Room
"We call it liquid gold,” Erik Lively says of maple syrup. This is his favorite time of year at Sunrise Farms in the hills of Colrain, when they reap the ... more
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NEPM: Mi Tierra Tortillas

February 28, 2023    Posted in: CISA News, NEPM "Fabulous 413" interviews, Press Room
Hosts Monte Belmonte and Kaliis Smith, along with CISA’s Phil Korman, get a VIP tour of Mi Tierra‘s Springfield tortilla factory from owners Michael Docter and Jorge Sosa. Did you ... more
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Valley Bounty: Cooley Dickinson Hospital

February 24, 2023    Posted in: CISA News, CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Press Room
As day breaks each morning, Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton is already a hive of activity. Doctors and nurses on overnight shifts trade places with daytime colleagues, procedures are prepped, ... more
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Valley Bounty: Wells Provisions

February 11, 2023    Posted in: CISA News, CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Press Room
At first glance, Charlemont may seem an unlikely place to open a restaurant that features New Orleans cooking. When the pandemic offered a chance to try something new, Wesley Janssen ... more
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Valley Bounty: Pause and Pivot Farm

January 20, 2023    Posted in: CISA News, CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Press Room
‘When people think about farming, a lot of specific imagery may come to mind,” says Miana Hoyt Dawson of Pause and Pivot Farm in Williamsburg. “We’re probably the opposite of ... more
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Valley Bounty: Chicopee Fresh

December 24, 2022    Posted in: CISA News, CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Press Room
Many Chicopee families rely on school food to ensure their kids get enough to eat, and Chicopee Fresh has a mission to combat food insecurity while supporting the local economy. ... more
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WRSI: Autumn Mist Farm

November 6, 2022    Posted in: CISA News, WRSI's "Local Hero Spotlight" interviews, Press Room
… Derrick Turnbull, farmer and owner of Autumn Mist Farm in Feeding Hills talks to Phil and Monte about: Their newly opened farm-to-table restaurant and retail store Selling local beef ... more
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Valley Bounty: Warm Colors Apiary

November 5, 2022    Posted in: CISA News, CISA's Valley Bounty Column, Press Room
Dan and Bonita Conlon began Warm Colors Apiary in South Deerfield around 2000, as Dan Conlon transitioned from a teaching career to full-time beekeeping. The couple strives for nonchemical beekeeping ... more
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Featured Local Hero Profile

Be a Local Hero

Local Hero Profile: Wilder Hill Gardens

June 9, 2022    Posted in: Local Hero Profiles
Local Hero Profile by Ellery Pool, TerraCorps Service Member If you are looking for sustainably grown nursery plants, gorgeous cut... more
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