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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 CHRIS LARABEE

Just over a month since Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) benefits were cut by a minimum of 50%, local businesses and advocates for the initiative are hopeful that it will be restored, as farmers, vendors and stores are seeing the effects of reduced benefits.

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 EVELINE MACDOUGALL

Stepping into an animal enclosure after dusk on Friday the 13th, I moved slowly among feathery shapes that appeared grey in December’s early darkness. The full moon, low in the sky, was the only light source; the atmosphere was eerie and wholly...

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 JACOB NELSON

The Christmas season, for people who celebrate, tends to be full of traditions. Maybe it’s watching the same corny holiday movies every year. Maybe it’s making Grandma’s special cookies, a yellowing index card with her faded cursive handwriting...

By CHRIS LARABEE

NORTHFIELD — In the spirit of Shakespeare, the public is invited to an informal performance of “The Winter’s Tale,” as the Valley Players bring their “Bard in the Bar” reading series to The Brewery at Four Star Farms.Folks are invited to join the...

By SHERYL HUNTER

The Franklin County Community Chorus will raise its voices together in song and welcome in the holiday season when it holds its annual winter concert on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m. at the Greenfield High School. The chorus will deliver a program of...

By JACOB NELSON

In South Deerfield, the North Main Street bridge over the railroad tracks has been closed for repairs since May. “I was joking that we’re probably the only ones on this street happy about the detour,” laughs Kelly Kicza.That’s because cars have been...

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — With folks confined to their homes in the early days of the pandemic, but still looking for local produce, Julia Coffey and her team at Mycoterra Farm branched out to bring products to their doors in the form of Mass Food Delivery.While...

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...

By MARA MELLITS

Fifth-generation farmer Melissa Griffin’s life is anything but traditional.She operates Clessons River Farm in Buckland with her husband, Adam Griffin. She is also a classical trumpet player who studied trumpet performance at the University of...

By JACOB NELSON

Jared Duval built his farm around Massachusetts’ innovative Healthy Incentives Program (HIP). Since 2017, HIP has helped tens of thousands of lower-income households buy fresh produce grown by local farmers. By most accounts, it’s been a wild success,...

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

Wondering where you can find farm fresh eggs near you? If so, you may find just what you’re looking for on Egglister, a new web app with a map of farm stands in Franklin and Hampshire counties that are selling fresh eggs. The tool comes from data...

By CHRIS LARABEE

A big change will be coming to families who take advantage of the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP).Beginning in December, all families using HIP benefits, regardless of their household size, will see their monthly incentives reduced to $20, which is,...