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Keyword search: FARMING

By CHRIS LARABEE

SHELBURNE — When it comes to the future of Franklin County farms, there’s so many options: they can be placed under an Agricultural Preservation Restriction, donated to a local conservation agency or sold to the next generation.

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — A pair of western Massachusetts lawmakers made an urgent plea to their colleagues last week to allow smaller farms to access property tax benefits currently available only to their larger peers.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

HADLEY — Irate farmers, waving signs and pitchforks, gathered in front of Town Hall on Sunday afternoon as tractors rolled in and the Expandable Brass Band played at the start of an “Attack on Small Farms” protest.

By CHRIS LARABEE

BOSTON — As farmers prepare to head out to the fields for the season, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle sent a letter to the new U.S. agriculture secretary expressing concerns over uncertain federal funding and other actions taken by the federal government.

By CHINANU OKOLI

Applications are rolling in for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources’ new Farm Transfer Planning Assistance initiative that connects aging farmers and their successors with experienced planners to set retirement goals and figure out how management and assets will be transferred.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

As uncertainty swirls around Washington regarding the release of allocated federal funds, farmers in Franklin County are beginning to feel the freeze.

By EMILEE KLEINand MADISON SCHOFIELD

Brunch restaurant Jake’s in Northampton is scrambling for eggs.

By DOMENIC POLI

GREENFIELD — Just Roots, a local farming and food access nonprofit, will receive a nearly $250,000 state grant over the course of two years to expand and enhance its operations and technology.

By EMILEE KLEIN

SPRINGFIELD — Most Massachusetts farmworkers whose hard work puts food on the dinner tables for Massachusetts families have difficulty affording the produce they pick and process.

By CHRIS LARABEE

With help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), businesses across Franklin County will use grant money to increase their capacity and expand the local food supply chain.

By DOMENIC POLI

GREENFIELD — Just Roots, a local farming and food access nonprofit, has two new executive directors.

By CHRIS LARABEE

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is seeking information about weather-related losses in 2023 and 2024 from farmers across the state as it prepares to report damages to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will split up $220 million in relief funding among eight states.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

WASHINGTON — The recent roller coaster ride over a down-to-the-wire congressional spending bill ended on a high note for U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, who expressed victory that some $220 million in federal money will soon be in the hands of New England...

By CHRIS LARABEE

GREENFIELD — As Pioneer Valley farmers continue to contend with extreme weather year after year, The LAVA Center has announced a new short-form documentary highlighting the intersections of climate change and the food system.“Rising River’s Edge: The...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — After a national search, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) has found a new executive director right here in the Pioneer Valley.The agency announced on Dec. 12 that its board of directors had chosen Jennifer Core, a...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — New life may soon be coming to the vacant farmstand at the intersection of Routes 5 and 10 and North Hillside Road.Maple Valley Creamery, the Hadley-based dairy farm that also operates Maple Valley’s Scoop at the Silos, is eyeing the...

By CHRIS LARABEE

GREENFIELD — With more than 800 farms and hundreds and thousands of workers providing food to the region and beyond, farming is more than just a way of life here in Franklin County.To celebrate what Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Executive...