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X-WR-CALNAME:CISA - Community Involved In Sustaining Agriculture
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.buylocalfood.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for CISA - Community Involved In Sustaining Agriculture
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260513T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260513T180000
DTSTAMP:20260521T152356
CREATED:20260423T180253Z
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UID:52123-1778688000-1778695200@www.buylocalfood.org
SUMMARY:Local Hero Meet & Greet: Franklin County
DESCRIPTION:Celebrate the start of another season with a light supper\, ice cream and the good company of other farmers! \nCISA staff member\, Stephen Taranto will share how CISA is doing some research for FRCOG on irrigation and water efficiency in Franklin county. The county hopes to use the information to help them better support farmers. Jennifer Core and other CISA team members will be on hand to listen and learn about what matters to you at this moment. \nThis event is free\, but we appreciate registration to help us plan for enough food. If you renewed your Local Hero membership and haven’t received your 2026 Local Hero promotional materials yet\, we’ll bring them to the event for you. \nPlease register here.
URL:https://www.buylocalfood.org/event/lh-meetup-franklin-county/
LOCATION:Hager’s Farm Market\, 1232 Mohawk Trail\, Shelburne\, MA\, 01370\, United States
CATEGORIES:CISA Events,Farmer Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.buylocalfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Bernards-photo-vegetable-crop-scaled.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260527T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260527T180000
DTSTAMP:20260521T152356
CREATED:20260508T153857Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260521T180020Z
UID:52212-1779897600-1779904800@www.buylocalfood.org
SUMMARY:Designing and optimizing irrigation systems for drought resiliency\, water efficiency and crop quality
DESCRIPTION:Location: Pioneer Gardens Farm\, 425 Greenfield Rd\, Deerfield\, MA 01342 \nRegister here \nThis workshop at Pioneer Gardens in South Deerfield\, MA will bring farmers and irrigation system designers together to look at emerging irrigation practices that increase water efficiency. Participants will have the opportunity to walk through and discuss the irrigation systems at Pioneer Gardens that were designed and implemented under the direction of a professional engineer. \nThe on‑site discussion will include: \n\nIrrigation water management using automated soil moisture sensors and an on‑site weather station\, with discussion of how to interpret data and translate it into real‑world irrigation decisions\nUse of pressure regulators across the system to maintain uniform flow and pressure\, a key factor in achieving even irrigation and minimizing over‑ or under‑watering\nMainline and riser layout designed with risers spaced at 42 ft 3 in\, coordinated with GPS‑guided tractor operations to improve efficiency and avoid interference with field work\nA large irrigation boom system using low‑flow\, low‑pressure rotating nozzles to achieve high application uniformity with reduced water use and energy demand\nAbove‑ground solid‑set irrigation using similar low‑flow\, low‑pressure rotating nozzles\, providing flexible coverage and consistent distribution\nAn upgrade from a fire‑truck‑based irrigation pump to a high‑efficiency\, automated electric pump\, improving reliability\, energy efficiency\, and operational control\n\nThe goal of this walkthrough is to connect engineering design choices with day‑to‑day farm management decisions\, showing how thoughtful system design can reduce labor\, improve crop quality\, and make irrigation more predictable during dry periods. \n\nThe event will include opportunities for farmers to share their own approaches to irrigation\, including discussion of labor efficiency and decision-making during droughts. We will also provide information on grants and other funding sources for irrigation and related infrastructure. \nFollowing the workshop there will be a networking session with a light meal. \n\nThis work is supported by the Northeast Extension Risk Management project award no. 2025-70027-45395\, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
URL:https://www.buylocalfood.org/event/designing-and-optimizing-irrigation-systems-for-drought-resiliency-water-efficiency-and-crop-quality/
LOCATION:Pioneer Gardens\, Inc.\, 425 Greenfield Rd\, Deerfield\, MA\, 01342\, United States
CATEGORIES:Climate Events,CISA Events,Farmer Events,CISA Workshops for Businesses
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260713T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260713T190000
DTSTAMP:20260521T152356
CREATED:20260508T164429Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260521T175938Z
UID:52238-1783962000-1783969200@www.buylocalfood.org
SUMMARY:Preparing and planning for new & increased pest and disease risks in a warmer New England
DESCRIPTION:Location: Good Bunch Farm\, 221 N River Rd\, Shelburne Falls\, MA 01370 \nRegister here \nAs the number of growing days increases and temperature and precipitation extremes are more frequent\, producers are faced with more challenges related to pest and disease pressure. Existing pests and diseases are becoming more persistent\, and new threats are emerging due to weather variability. Farmers are also faced with crop loss\, reduced crop quality\, and increased costs due to more frequent applications of treatments or preventative controls.   \nIn this event\, the presenter will share a practical framework for assessing\, prioritizing\, and planning responses to farm risks\, using pest and disease pressure as an example in the context of a changing climate. The host farmer will then describe how these planning tools have informed decisions on the farm\, the new practices that have been implemented\, and lessons learned through on-farm experience. \nThe discussion and farm tour will be followed by some networking time and a light meal. \nPresenter:   \nStevie Schafenacker works with small food and farm businesses across New England\, helping clients with financial record-keeping\, grant writing\, budgeting\, and enterprise planning. Stevie integrates holistic decision-making and really likes talking to farmers about how to manage risk. Stevie previously worked at CISA\, where she excelled at creating engaging\, content-rich workshops geared to the needs of the target audience. \nThis work is supported by the Northeast Extension Risk Management project award no. 2025-70027-45395\, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
URL:https://www.buylocalfood.org/event/preparing-and-planning-for-new-increased-pest-and-disease-risks-in-a-warmer-new-england/
LOCATION:Good Bunch Farm\, 221 N River Rd\, Shelburne Falls\, MA\, 01370\, United States
CATEGORIES:Climate Events,CISA Events,Farmer Events,CISA Workshops for Businesses
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260716T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260716T180000
DTSTAMP:20260521T152356
CREATED:20260521T174257Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260521T185135Z
UID:52304-1784210400-1784224800@www.buylocalfood.org
SUMMARY:Building resilient soils: planning & resources for extreme weather events
DESCRIPTION:Register here \nJoin us for a workshop designed for farmers\, land stewards\, and growers navigating increasingly unpredictable growing conditions and seeking practical\, field-tested ways to build soil health and farm resilience. Hosted at Stony Hill Farm with farmer Alice Colman\, participants will learn directly how soil health planning and management reduces production risks and increases resiliency in the face of extreme weather events. The event includes hands-on soil health demonstrations\, a guided farm tour\, and an opportunity to connect with technical service providers from NOFA/Mass\, CISA\, the American Farmland Trust and the NRCS about available funding opportunities\, technical assistance\, and support for developing soil management plans. \nParticipants will: \n\nObserve a live\, in-field soil health assessment & learn how to evaluate their soils\nExplore funded and implemented practices including reduced tillage\, cover cropping\, mulching\, intercropping\, hedgerows\, and soil carbon amendment\nUnderstand how these practices have improved soil structure\, reduced bare soil\, and increased resilience at Stony Hill Farm\nLearn the step-by-step process for developing a soil health management plan that is based on NRCS planning steps\nConnect with technical assistance providers & funding opportunities\, including grants\, soil testing services\, and organic transition support over a local meal & drinks\n\nStony Hill Farm is a certified organic\, small-scale diversified farm on 35 acres of fields and forest (currently ~1 acre in cultivation) in Wilbraham\, MA\, founded in 2015 by Alice Colman and Brian Cunningham. They grow a wide variety of vegetables and cut flowers sold through their farm stand and CSA. Their ecosystem-based approach emphasizes diversity as the foundation of resilience. Soil health practices include compost\, cover crops\, and organic fertilizers\, alongside crop rotations\, row covers\, and beneficial insects to support ecological balance and pest management. These practices are grounded in their on-farm approach to building resilient systems and have been strengthened through technical assistance programs such as American Farmland Trust (AFT)\, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) and NOFA/Mass\, which have helped them refine and deepen their soil health and long-term land management strategies. \nCaro Roszell works with American Farmland Trust to support farmer networks\, provide technical assistance\, and advance practical approaches to soil health and climate resilience. With 15 years of experience in environmental nonprofit work and a decade in organic farming\, she specializes in farmer education\, soil health programming\, and farmer-to-farmer learning. Before joining AFT\, Caro served as Education Director and Soil Health Projects Manager for NOFA/Mass and currently serves on the Massachusetts Food Policy Council representing the Healthy Soils seat.  \nJeremy Barker-Plotkin joined American Farmland Trust with more than 25 years of experience in organic and regenerative farming\, conservation planning\, and farm business development. As co-owner and operator of Simple Gifts Farm\, a 50-acre integrated vegetable and livestock farm\, he has firsthand experience managing diversified production systems\, infrastructure development\, and direct markets. His work focuses on soil health\, organic no-till production\, integrated pest management\, irrigation and water conservation\, and farm business planning. Through AFT\, Jeremy supports farmers with soil health planning\, conservation implementation\, organic transition\, and access to technical assistance and funding opportunities.  \nRandy Violette is in his fourth season working at Stony Hill Farm where he has been supporting implementation of practices that improve soil health and overall farm resilience. Randy also works for NOFA/Mass as a TOPP Field Engagement and Technical Learning Coordinator. In this role\, he develops programming and educational content for farmers and gardeners interested in using organic farming practices.
URL:https://www.buylocalfood.org/event/soil-management-planning-for-drought-resiliency/
LOCATION:Stony Hill Farm\, 899 Stony Hill Rd\, Wilbraham\, MA
CATEGORIES:Climate Events,CISA Events,Farmer Events,CISA Workshops for Businesses
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260817T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260817T180000
DTSTAMP:20260521T152356
CREATED:20260508T185442Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260521T185636Z
UID:52250-1786982400-1786989600@www.buylocalfood.org
SUMMARY:Managing pasture and livestock watering for flooding\, drought and extreme heat events
DESCRIPTION:Location: Chase Hill Farm\, 74 Chase Hill Rd\, Warwick\, MA 01378 \nRegister here \nThis workshop will focus on livestock and pasture management in heat\, drought\, and flood\, including practices for managing and capturing water\, managing forage crops for water extremes\, and efficient methods of providing access to drinking water for livestock. The presenters work with American Farmland Trust’s Thriving Farms and Ranches Livestock Team and can provide risk assessment and planning tools for farms and help them access services from NRCS and will explain the process for accessing this support. Presenters and CISA staff will facilitate discussion of farm-specific challenges and potential solutions.  \nPresenters:   \nMax Breiteneicher is an Apprentice Farm Conservation Planner at American Farmland Trust\, serving on the Thriving Farms and Ranches Livestock Team. In this role\, he helps farmers prepare conservation plans for implementation on their farms and for eligibility to participate in USDA-NRCS programs. Max also owns and operates a grass-based cheesemaking farm in Cummington\, Massachusetts.    \nCaleb Smith is a Livestock and Agronomy Specialist at American Farmland Trust (AFT) and a commercial farmer. He was a professional dairyman for 13 years before joining AFT and continues to be a professional livestock producer on 350 acres. Caleb has had a career-long relationship with Vermont NRCS\, with vast experience using their conservation programs to improve the profitability and sustainability of his own farm. At AFT\, he works to help farmers maximize the profit and environmental potential of their NRCS contracts. \nThis work is supported by the Northeast Extension Risk Management project award no. 2025-70027-45395\, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 
URL:https://www.buylocalfood.org/event/managing-pasture-and-livestock-watering-for-flooding-drought-and-extreme-heat-events/
LOCATION:Chase Hill Farm\, 74 Chase Hill Rd\, Warwick\, MA\, 01378\, United States
CATEGORIES:Climate Events,CISA Events,Farmer Events,CISA Workshops for Businesses
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