The Massachusetts Food System is full of activity, energy, and innovation – from the growth in urban agriculture, to increased access to healthy foods, to innovative education and supports for food system entrepreneurs, to efforts to reduce food waste, to schools integrating nutrition and farming into their curricula, and much more. Much has been accomplished, […]
Join us to celebrate the new cold storage facility at the Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center, along with the FCCDC Annual Meeting. Details to follow!
Learn how to use plant materials gathered outdoors to create beautiful arrangements for your home or a centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. First, we will head outdoors to learn best practices for collecting plant materials, then we’ll return to the classroom to create unique display pieces. Bring pruners and a container or vase for your […]
Mark your calendars for the 6th annual Hilltown Seed Exchange on Saturday, November 18th from 1-4pm at the Cummington Community House! (33 Main Street, Cummington) Learn to save your own garden seed, get answers to your seed saving questions, and exchange seed that you’ve saved with your friends and neighbors!
This year's event will feature an opening talk by Amy Pulley of Wing and A Prayer Pollinator Nursery in Cummington. Amy is actively working to restore pollinator habitats throughout the area and educate gardeners, children and families about how to support pollinators by planting more pollinator plants (and saving their seeds!).
Every year, the Shelburne Falls Farmers' Market hosts a special Autumn market event. This year, the market will be held on the weekend before Thanksgiving on Sunday, November 19th from 11am-3pm at the Buckland Shelburne Elementary School. The Shelburne Falls Autumn Farmers' Market will feature items from local farms, eateries, artisans, and churches. Items offered […]
The People’s Pint on Federal Street will hold its annual Thanksgiving for the People on Thursday, Nov. 23, from noon to 5 p.m. The pay-what-you-can event will feature a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for the whole community. All profits will benefit the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and other local charities. Donations have been made by […]
Join Tucka Saville of Anarchy Apiaries and Julia Coffey of Mycoterra Farm to discuss how they built their niche food system businesses.
Tucka will discuss the challenges and successes of building and sustaining apiaries in both the Northern and Southern climates of the East Coast. She works with both Anarchy Apiaries in New York and Florida, and with French Hill Apiaries in Northern Vermont.
Julia has built Mycoterra Farm from a garage based mushroom grow room to a large scale mushroom production facility in Deerfield, MA. Julia will share her journey with us, and her scalable model for success.
At this drop-in information session you can get your farm, farm stand or farmers’ market authorized for SNAP (food stamps) and receive your USDA FNS number the very same day! USDA, Department of Transitional Assistance and Department of Agricultural Resources staff will be on site to walk you through the process and assist with your application. You will also learn about SNAP processing equipment options and the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) benefit. NOTE: Registration for the conference is not required if you wish to only attend the retailer sign-up event.
Where: Mass Farm Bureau Annual Meeting: Thursday, November 30, DROP-IN hours between: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Sheraton Framingham Hotel, 1657 Worcester Rd., Framingham, MA 01701