MDAR: Western Mass Winter Ag Commission Gathering #2

WESTERN MASS WINTER AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION GATHERING #2
Smith Vocational School, Northampton – Saturday, January 11, 2014
Snow Date January 18 (for last-minute weather update, 413-695-4627)

Please RSVP by January 6, 2014

AGENDA

8:30 – 9:00 Registration and Coffee

9:00 – 9:10 Welcome

9:10 – 9:20 Mass Association of Agricultural Commissions (MAAC) – Dick Ward, President:
what MAAC can do for local AgComs, upcoming issues, other conferences & events

9:20 – 11:00 Roundtable: how can AgComs stay active & engaged – new members, challenges and problems, work plans, accomplishments of AgComs around the state, examples of AgCom successes and projects (moderator Phil Korman, CISA)

11:00 – 11:30 and 11:45 to 12:15 Morning Workshops
* Farm Transfer Issues – Passing farmland to new farmers – Kathy Ruhf, Land For Good
* Farm business principles and opportunities – Rick Chandler & Melissa Adams, MDAR

12:15-1:00 Buffet Lunch (local produce thanks to Smith Voke Culinary Shop), Informal Discussion (& report by Lisa Damon, Farm to School Project) and Vendor Exhibits

1:00 – 1:55 and 2:05 – 3:00 Afternoon Workshops
* Farmland protection options (APRs, CRs, CH61A, other; town planning for farmland protection) – Rich Hubbard, Franklin Land Trust; Kristin DeBoer, Kestrel Land Trust
* Nuisance Complaints / Best Management Practices vs Normal Practices / Current Farm Legal Issues – Frank DiLuna, Murtha Cullina; Brad Mitchell, Mass Farm Bureau Federation; Bob Ritchie, former MDAR General Counsel

3:00 Conference Adjourns

Sponsors: Mass Association of Ag Commissions, MDAR, CISA, Conservation Districts, Mass Farm Bureau, American Farmland Trust, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Franklin Land Trust, Franklin Council of Governments, Northampton Agricultural Commission, Keep Farming Northampton, Kestrel Land Trust, Forever Farmland

REGISTRATION FORM – 2013-14 Western MA AgCom Gatherings

Village          (    ) Jan 11 Smith Vocational School, Northampton

Name __________________________________            Town ____________________

Mailing Address_____________________________________________________

Zip _________________

Phone _____________________________

Email Address _________________________________

AgCom Member (  ) Yes  (  ) No                   $15 Registration Fee Enclosed   (  ) Yes

Please make checks payable to “CISA.” We encourage all to register by Dec 2 for Hancock and by Jan 6 for Northampton so we can get an accurate lunch count. 

Send to:  CISA, One Sugarloaf Street, South Deerfield, MA 01373, Jennifer@buylocalfood.org