March, 2006

Despite the temptations of an unusually warm January and February, most local sugar makers resisted the urge to tap early and are just beginning to set taps in their trees for the 2006 maple syrup season. And while the weather is always unpredictable, one thing is clear: sugaring season will happen, and local sugar makers are ready.

While sugar making is a modern practice, it has ancient roots. Historians credit native people with first developing the maple sugaring process. Early settlers with their iron pans were able to increase production significantly. The syrup was cooked down to cakes of maple sugar, which were much easier to store and transport, and were an important part of the winter diet when food was scarce.

“We hunted and fished, yet sugar was our principal food source during the whole month of April. On the mountain, we ate nothing but our sugar…each man consumed a pound a day, desired no other food, and was visibly nourished by it.” [Alexander Henry, 1770].

Maple sugar played an important seasonal and year-round role in the diet of early Americans for generations.

In the 18th century the rising importation of slave-produced cane sugar put maple sugar makers on the defensive. Maple sugar makers and abolitionists joined forces, in perhaps the first 'fair food' movement, to tout maple sugar as a home-grown product made by free men. William Cooper, a Pennsylvania sugar maker, elaborated on the relative purity, both ethical and practical, of maple sugar in this missive:

“It is made by the hands of freemen, and at a season of the year when not a single insect exists to mix with and pollute it; whereas the West-India sugar is the product of the unwilling labour of negro slaves, and made in a climate and in a season of the year, in which insects of all kinds abound, all of whom feed upon and mix with the sugar, so that the best India sugar may be looked upon as a composition consisting of the juice of the cane – and of the juices or excretions of ants, pismires, cockroaches, borers, fleas, mosquitoes, spiders, bugs, grasshoppers, flies, lizards; and twenty other West-India insects. To these ingredients is added the sweat of the negroes, and when they are angry, nobody knows what else.”

Yum. Buy locally grown indeed! Fast forward a few centuries to today, with Local Hero sugar makers Keith and Jacqueline Dufresne of Williamsburg setting out an astounding 10,000 taps on about 200 acres of sugar bush in and around their farm. Their homegrown operation was inspired by Keith’s great-grandfather’s first efforts around the turn of the century in Hawley. While his great-grandfather boiled on a rustic stone arch, Keith and Jacqueline use more sophisticated equipment to get the sap into their sugarhouse. Keith’s home-made vacuum system coaxes the sap out of miles of tubing and into their large storage tanks. A reverse osmosis machine removes about 50% of the water from the sap before it enters their evaporator.

As with many sugar makers, Keith is a constant tinkerer looking for ways to make his process more efficient. But even though he has modified his evaporator to use a lot less wood, Keith and Jacqueline work long hours day and night during the season to make their syrup, which they sell wholesale and retail, along with candy and other maple products. Long hours, hard work, but a sweet reward.

In a recent interview in Farming:The Journal of Northeast Agriculture, Keith recalls how he got started, after his family had stopped sugaring for several decades: “My father Leon started fooling around with a couple trees in the yard, bringing the sape to work with him and boiling it on a hot plate. He could bring home little baby jars of the lightest syrup you’ve ever seen – it was beautiful. I was 10 years old and, of course, I was hooked.”

Learn more about Keith and Jacqueline’s Dufresnes Sugarhouse at their web site: http://www.berkshiremaple.com/. Learn more about the fascinating history of maple sugaring, including tips on making your own, in the book Sweet Maple, which was the source for the historical information and quotes in this article. [menu]

Riding the maple trail with Gary Schaefer and Barbara Fingold
By Mark Lattanzi

You’d think that if you spent your working days like Gary Schaefer and Barbara Fingold, owners of Bart’s Ice Cream do - surrounded by sweets and treats – you’d spend your weekends in some kind of macrobiotic recovery program, eating nothing but brown rice and greens. But you’d be wrong - at least during maple sugaring season.

Gary and Barbara love visiting sugarhouses. When I called Gary this week to talk to him about his passion he said, “We’ve only been to two so far!” Bear in mind that the sugaring season is barely underway and only two area sugarhouses were open last weekend. They don’t just love sugarhouses, they are obsessed.

“Our goal is to hit every sugarhouse serving breakfast in Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden County at least once during the season,” says Gary. “It’s my hobby. My goal is to do three a weekend until they’re all gone.”

Oof - that’s a lot of pancakes and syrup, even for a dedicated backyard sugar maker like me. But don’t think that Gary and Barbara have fallen off their collective beam. There is a method to their madness, which, when considered, doesn’t seem that odd at all.

“I really love pancakes, waffles, sausage, eggs,” says Gary. “And each place has its own unique character. You may think its just pancakes, but they are all different.”

OK, fair enough – local sugarmakers and their kitchen crews each serve up their own special twists to the traditional sugarhouse meal. You like blueberry pancakes? Corn fritters? Waffles? Pickles to cut the sweetness? There’s a sugarhouse out there for you.

“It’s so much fun. You get to meet and support the farmers and the people that run the restaurants. And you get to meet the customers. These people tend to be idiosyncratic – I mean, they’re willing to stand in the rain, sleet and snow waiting to eat sugar! It’s a real communal, community event.”

Clearly, Gary and Barbara are not alone in their obsession. And since many sugarhouses offer long tables for communal seating, you do get to rub elbows with your fellow diners and have the kind of old fashioned community experience that’s getting kind of rare these days.

“It’s also a rite of passage,” says Gary. “Sugaring season signifies that winter is on the wane and that the beautiful bud season is on the way, which leads to spring and then summer. And it’s an excuse to take a nice ride out in the country.”

Marking the passage of winter through maple syrup - now that’s a sweet sendoff for Old Man Winter! And spending time on local farms in beautiful locations throughout the Valley sounds like a great way to spend a March day.

So what kind of tips can a seasoned sugarhouse customer like Gary offer someone considering a trip this season?

“First of all, realize that you are not going to eat this way every day of the year, and just enjoy it. Do not eat before you go, and don’t expect to eat anytime soon after you leave,” says Gary.

“Either get there really early when they open or get there when they are winding down. If you go there at peak time – which is sometimes hard to predict because it depends on the weather – you are going to have to wait. So bring a book or the paper or be prepared to chat with your neighbors!”

“The worse times on Saturday are between 9-10 and 12-1. If you can’t get there when they open then head over mid-morning. But on Sunday that’s worse because of late risers and churchgoers. You’re usually pretty good going in 45 minutes before they are done.”

And a final tip or two from Gary: schedule a trip to the gym in between visits, and don’t plan on eating supper Sunday night!

To find a Local Hero sugarhouse near you, visit our online farm guide and enter 'maple' into the search engine. [menu]

News

Join the Local Hero Campaign today!
We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for membership in CISA’s 2006 Local Hero™ campaign!

Local Hero membership offers farmers, grocery retailers, chefs, nursery growers and landscape professionals access to the widely recognized and respected Local Hero™ brand. Join over 200 local farm and related businesses and share the benefits of being part of this exciting program. There are four membership options which offer choices to fit all businesses from a basic Farm Products Guide membership to a premium high-visibility multi-ad membership.

Local Hero members not only enjoy access to the powerful Local Hero brand but the behind the scenes networking and creative problem-solving offered by experienced CISA staff. Our goal is to help your business thrive!

Local Hero membership is available to farmers growing locally grown farm products and the businesses that buy and sell them (grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets, landscape and garden centers and garden designers) in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, western Worcester and eastern Berkshire counties.

To download membership forms for the 2006 Local Hero program, click here.

Have questions about the Local Hero program? Contact Campaign Director Mark Lattanzi at 413-665-7100 or mark@buylocalfood.com.
[menu]

Welcome Amherst College, new
Local Hero member!
Amherst College recently joined CISA’s Local Hero program as an Institutional Member. Amherst is the second college to join the campaign.

Charlie Thompson, the director of dining services at Amherst College, says, "The college has been trying to buy local products as often as possible. We are completely committed to the ideals of buying locally grown now and in the future." Thompson comments, "We have been buying local produce for close to 20 years through a local produce company, Squash Inc."

Squash Inc. – also a Local Hero member – is committed to the support of local agriculture and is the link that brings local farmers and end users together. Amherst College Dining Services has increased its purchase of locally produced items over the past six months, to include, honey, jam, beef, maple syrup and apples, among other items.

"College students are increasingly interested in having their dining centers use locally grown farm products," says Kelly Coleman, program coordinator at CISA. "Students taste the high quality of local products and appreciate connecting to farmers and the wider community. We welcome Amherst College and its students to the Local Hero program." [menu]

Holy Smokes - celebrity chef to visit Hatfield BBQ joint!

Local Hero restaurant Holy Smokes isn't just a great BBQ joint that uses locally grown food whenever they can - owners Lou and Leslie Ekus spearhead an annual fundraiser for the local agency Friends of Children that features food, fun and celebrity chefs!

This year, Chef Bobby Flay will appear at a special fundraising event at Holy Smokes on April 8th from noon to 1:30. There will be a buffet luncheon, signed cookbooks and time to chat with the Food Network star. Funds raised will benefit Friends of Children. Tickets are $125.00 and there are only 48 seats available for the luncheon. For more information click here. To book luncheon tickets, please call the Friends of Children's office at 586-0011

That evening, Bobby will also be the Challenger for the Friends of Children Iron Cook Event. For tickets the Calvin Theater's website. Tickets are going fast. [menu]

Join a local CSA for a share of the harvest this year
Pioneer Valley residents looking to find and join a local CSA should visit this site which has a comprehensive map and list of CSA farms in Franklin and Hampshire Counties. [menu]

Meet the candidates
UMass Extension is hiring a new director. There are two finalists for the position and the public has the opportunity to meet them at the following forums:

William Butler, Associate Director, University of Alaska Cooperative Extension
March 7
2:30 Room 168C of the Campus Center in Amherst
March 8
1:30 UMass Collaborative Service Center
33 South Street, Shrewsbury

Robert Schraeder, Interim Director, UMass Cooperative Extension
March 15
2:30 Campus Center, Amherst campus
March 16
1:30 UMass Collaborative Service Center
33 South Street, Shrewsbury

To see resumes of both candidates, visit: http://www.umass.edu/outreach/directors/ [menu]

Sheep and Woolcraft fair brings fuzzy family fun to Cummington this May
This year marks the 32nd anniversary of the Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. One of the oldest of all the New England sheep fairs, the Cummington fair is a fun and affordable way to spend a day with family and friends discovering one of the oldest industries in the world.

Shepherds, spinners, weavers, and other fiber artists come from all over the Northeast to demonstrate their skills and sell their handmade fiber products. But the sheep are the real stars of it all, and there will be hundreds of them attending, both meat and wool breeds. They will be joined by a host of other fiber animals, including angora rabbits and goats, llamas, and maybe even a yak or two!

Other festival highlights include sheep dog trials, spinning and weaving contests,
a fleece sale, fiber workshops, a shearing service, live music, and workshops for kids. Breakfast and lunch items will be available at the food booth, including the popular lamb bits. Admission is only $5 per car. Come help celebrate 32 years of growing our own Massachusetts sheep! More info at the festival website. [menu]

Local Hero farmer working section of land on Myers Farm in Greenfield
Bree-Z-Knoll Farm of Leyden has secured the purchase of 37 acres of prime agricultural land in Greenfield’s meadows area. Formerly the site of a planned office park, the land is now being used to grow corn for silage for the Facey family’s dairy cows. The Faceys rented the land on the former Myers Farm for 5 years and was able to purchase it after the Franklin Land Trust and state Agricultural Preservation Restriction program purchased the land from the current owner to preserve it from future development. [menu]

Starting a farmers’ market the right way
It’s easy for someone dreaming of starting a farmers’ market to get distracted by the possibilities of signs, banners, produce and promotions. But long before any farmers show up, it's important to plan for the market’s success. Learn all about it here. [menu]

NOFA Practical Farm Skills offered
Ever wanted to learn how to make traditional pickles? Cheddar cheese? Grow organic strawberries or work with draft horses? NOFA’s Practical Farm Skills workshops have all this and more! View the class list and register here. [menu]

Can consumers drive the ‘fair food’ movement?
This article explores the complexities of growing the 'fair food' movement - which requires that thousands of suppliers meet a varying list of ethical milestones, from workers' rights to environmental sustainability. Without the universal standards or government oversight of the organic lable, fair food challenges the ability of food retailers to make significant strides in offering more fair trade choices for consumers. Read more here. [menu]

Ten years of genetically modified crops failed to deliver the promises made by biotech giants
Ten years after the first significant planting of Genetically Modified (GM) crops, no plants with benefits to consumers or the environment have materialized, despite renewed promises by biotech corporations, according to a new report by Friends of the Earth International. The executive summary of the report is available here. [requires the free Acrobat reader]. [menu]

Consumers remain skeptical of GE foods
Meanwhile, a new survey by Cornell University shows that consumer skepticism about the safety of GE foods has increased slightly, with women and non-Caucasians being more concerned with GE foods' safety than men and Caucasians. Read the press release here. [menu]

How Federal policies make bad food cheaper than good food
In a word: corn. [menu]

Fossil food: consuming our future
“It takes about 10 fossil fuel calories to produce and transport each food calorie in the average American diet. So if your daily food intake is 2,000 calories, then it took 20,000 calories to grow that food and get it to you. That 20,000 calories of energy is embedded in the food. In other words, we use more than three times as much energy to obtain our food as to fuel our homes (nearly as much as we use to fuel our cars).” What can be done to reduce this calorie deficit? If you are a local food grower or eater, then you know part of the answer. [menu]

Workshops, Events and Announcements
Smith College Bulb show opens March 4
How about walking off that delicious maple feast among a dazzling display of spring flowers? Another Valley spring tradition begins this weekend - the Smith College Bulb Show! It's fabulous, fragrant and free (though they love donations!). Information here. [menu]

Find your garden within the New England landscape March 11-19
There is gigantic celebration of New England native plants at the 2006 New England Spring Flower Show in Boston. “Finding your garden within the New England Landscape” is a gem of an exhibit by New England Wild Flower Society and Landscape designer and member Hasso Ewing. 54 gorgeous species native to New England are artfully and naturally displayed at the March 11-19 exhibit at the Bayside Expo center in Boston.

“We want to share the richness of New England woodlands and also demonstrate the profound and beautiful connection between our natural landscape and what we enjoy and grow in our gardens,” said Tom Smarr, Horticulture Director of New England Wild Flower Society. “A small garden like this one shows how gardening with wildflowers enhances the environment and the home at the same time.”

In addition to the exhibit New England Wild Flower Society’s booth at the marketplace at Plant Promenade 8 features marvelous and easy-to-grow native species for sale. Visitors may enter to win a FREE Ladyslipper, Cypripedium Hilda, valued at $50.00 (no purchases necessary). Some favorites for purchase include rare native plants such as Showy Ladyslippers and New England asters, as well as the state flower of Massachusetts Epigea repens (mayflower) shooting stars, crested iris, Labrador violet, turtlehead, cardinal flower, Christmas fern, bluestar, winecups, and many more. At the booth on Thursday March 16th from 1-2:30 meet Carol Stocker signing her new book, The Boston Globe Illustrated New England Gardening Almanac. All proceeds from purchases and memberships support the award-winning plant conservation and education programs of the New England Wild Flower Society.

Beginning April 15, visitors to the Society’s nurseries will be rewarded with an enormous selection of 575 native plant species and cultivars for sale, and 1,500 mature native species on display including perennials, ferns, shrubs, and trees. See our Gardens and native nurseries at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham Massachusetts, and at Nasami Farm beginning April 21st at 128 North Street in Whately, MA. The New England Wild Flower Society celebrates the amazing complexity and diversity of the natural world and offers the largest native plant selection in the region. As the oldest plant conservation organization in the U.S., the Society hopes to educate and inspire all to use native plants in the landscape and to be aware of the importance of protecting native flora in the wild. We invite all to support our mission by becoming members and by purchasing plants and gifts. Visit www.newfs.org or 508-877-7630 for more information.

March 9th
Getting the Help You Need on the Farm: Employees, Interns, and Apprentices
A panel of women will share their experiences with many aspects of farm labor.
Panel includes Judy Gillan, Executive Director of the New England Small Farm Institute (NESFI), Lilian Jackman, owner of Wilder Hill Gardens in Conway, and others.
6:30 p.m. FREE. Location: New England Small Farm Institute, 275 Jackson Street in Belchertown. Directions to NESFI.
For more information, check the Pioneer Valley Women’s Agricultural Network page:

The Pioneer Valley Women’s Agricultural Network is funded by the USDA/RMA, Harry Chapin Foundation, and CISA, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture.
[menu]

March 11
Expand your Gardening Horizons: The Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association’s Spring Gardening Symposium. Featuring Ruah Donnelly, author of The Adventurous Gardener, speaking on “Plant Sleuthing in the Northeast.” Numerous workshops on topics such as: native ferns and perennials, yoga for gardeners, gardening magic with children, beyond tulips and daffodils: unusual bulbs for spring, feng shui in the garden, flowering shrubs - going beyond the ordinary, algae filtration systems, conifers for connoisseurs, grow Japanese irises confidently, multiplying your plants. 9 am to 1 pm; Frontier Regional High School, 113 North Main St. - South Deerfield, MA. $20. Preregistration is required as seating is limited. Info here or contact Rae Davis at margaretraedavis@msn.com or (413) 625-0168.

March 11
Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference
Please join us for the 16th MA Land Conservation Conference. It’s a full day of informative workshops and inspiring conversations with conservationists from across the Commonwealth. This year’s theme is Conserving Land & Community so there will be new workshops about conserving land that more fully integrates communities, artists and religious leaders as well as cultural resource protection and affordable housing needs.

The registration fee is $25 for members of the MA Land Trust Coalition or $35 for all other. You may bring your own bag lunch or pre-order one for $12. Please pre-register by March 6 we can not guarantee walk-in registrations. To register, print out this pdf.
Co-sponsored by the Mass. Land Trust Coalition & The Trustees of Reservations-Putnam Conservation Institute.

April 4
Climate Change and Agriculture: Promoting Practical and Profitable Responses. This day-long event is a Professional Development Workshop for Extension and Agricultural Service Providers, funded by Northeast SARE. The agenda looks at climate change and its potential impacts on crops and livestock. Insect and weed management, nutrient cycling, and biofuel sessions are also scheduled. For more info click here.

April 15
Food Production Workshop: Starting the Season. Located in Barre, MA.
Many Hands Organic Farm, a family organic farm, market garden, and center for organic activity, offers a series of one-day workshops in 2006. The first workshop offers basic information and skills necessary for a healthy and successful small farm or garden, including variety selection, seed starting and transplanting, and greenhouse maintenance. Planting and succession schedules will be given and discussed. Field work will cover siting, fertility and preparation of the soil, and planting various crops. For more info, click here.

April 22
Horses, Livestock and Heritage Breeds Day with Pesticide Safety and Equipment

The University of Massachusetts is sponsoring a Horses, Livestock & Heritage Breeds Day with Pesticide Safety and Equipment, part of its Small Farm and Garden Day series. This one day educational event will be held at the UMass Eastern Extension Center at 240 Beaver Street in Waltham. This all-day program will appeal to back yard gardeners and beginning or part-time farmers. The program will feature UMass Extension Educators and University of Massachusetts faculty. Instruction will emphasize how to manage livestock and small farms in a sustainable manner. The following topics will be presented: exploring the heritage breeds of livestock & poultry, managing pastures for horses and livestock, managing nutrients and manure on horse farms, west nile, encephalitis, lyme disease, and rabies, understanding hay quality for horses and livestock, proper use of lawn spreaders and pesticide sprayers, poisonous weeds in pastures, tips for proper use of pesticides (insecticides and herbicides).

Preregistration is required. You can register for individual sessions for $20 each or for the whole day for $50. For a registration form click here or call the 413-545-0895 to have a form mailed or faxed to you.

May 8
How to Prevent Injuries on the Farm. Diane Fisher-Katz, M.S.,M.D.T., a physical therapist from the Valley Medical Group, will be demonstrating and discussing how to prevent back, knee, shoulder and other joint injuries. Location: TBA. Scheduled for 6:30 p.m. For more information, check the Pioneer Valley Women’s Agricultural Network page in April.

The Pioneer Valley Women’s Agricultural Network is funded by the USDA/RMA, Harry Chapin Foundation, and CISA, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture.
[menu]

June 7-11
Place, Taste and Sustenance: The Social Spaces of Food and Agriculture. Boston, MA. The Joint 2006 Annual Meetings of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society (AFHVS) and the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS) include tours, workshops, opportunities to listen to and present papers and panels, chances to participate in roundtable discussions, and times to meet formally and informally with colleagues. For more info, click here. [menu]

Classified

Blue Meadow farm in Montague for sale 10+ acres, greenhouses, buildings and more. Visit this listing to see what is included.

Yenneveldt farm llamas is having a big spring sale on our llamas and alpacas. We are featuring 33 llamas and 4 alpacas for HALF PRICE. We are finding ourselves a little overstocked as our herd has grown to over 100 animals! Included are bred females, weanlings and yearlings as well as young males and herdsires. We have included both heavy wooled fiber llamas as well as light wooled packer stock. Our award winning herd features nationally known bloodlines such as El Fuerte, Sipan, El Gris, Richochet, Lion Of Bolivia, FVL Sirius, Penfrydd's Bombyx and more. Our llamas include full Chilean, full Bolivian, North American and Peruvian lines. We are very hands on with our animals, and they are the friendliest llamas you are likely to meet. We offer unstinting after purchase support, and all animals include free delivery within two hours, halters and leads, ILR registration and full medical records. This sale will include a nice selection of double registered mini llamas as well as full sized animals. Pictures and prices are up on our website at http://www.mtdata.com/~yenne/. If you'd like to visit, we can be reached at 413/624-3032 or email yenne@mtdata.com.

AmeriCorps-VISTA Position Available!
Youth Program Administrator for the Youth Horticulture Project, University of Vermont Extension- Southern Region. The Youth Horticulture Project (YHP) is a program of the University of Vermont Extension that helps at-risk youth experience success while they develop job and life skills through the growing, harvesting and marketing of vegetable crops. Programs include a farm-based job training program for teenagers, a mentoring program where teens lead elementary youth in garden and nutrition workshops, and a variety of school partnerships. As a team the youth grow vegetables, sell them at farmers' markets and provide them for donation to local food shelves and homeless shelters. Participants also engage in workshops aimed at teaching them a variety of social skills in addition to agricultural concepts. Participants develop critical life skills of communication, teamwork, leadership, decision-making and problem-solving through practical, hands-on agricultural and entrepreneurial experiences. All programs take place at UVM Extension's 2 acre educational farm in Brattleboro and at community sites in Windham and Bennington Counties.

Responsibilities: Lead young people in their work on the farm and in the community. Take part in educating youth from diverse backgrounds on the importance of a healthy, local agriculture as well as engaging them directly in an experience of enterprise and community service. Responsibilities will mainly include:
+ Recruitment of youth into the program
+ Volunteer recruitment, training and tracking
+ Organize volunteers and interns to lead on-site youth programs
+ Revise and strengthen program and materials to educate youth on food and farming issues, job readiness and personal development
+ Assist with aspects of program implementation
+ Help set up the educational farm site for sustainability of programs
+ Help administer youth programs; manage paperwork, site and program needs
+ Assist with fundraising and promotion
+ Help build program database

Qualifications:
+ Experience with working with youth from diverse backgrounds
+ Experience with or interest in production techniques of organic agriculture
+ Ability to work as part of a team or individually, a self-starter
+ Strong interpersonal skills
+ Knowledge of electronic technology desirable
+ Ideal position for individual seeking experience with program development

Beginning Date: March or April 2006

In exchange for their year of full-time service, VISTA members receive extensive professional development training, a living allowance and an educational award that can be used to finance higher education or help pay off student loans. Benefits with this position also include access to organic produce from the farm. All are welcome to apply, minimum age is 18.

Application: Send letter of interest, resume and names of two references to: Sara Coblyn Porth, UVM Extension, 11 University Way #4, Brattleboro, VT 05301-3669 or email to sara.porth@uvm.edu. An additional application to AmeriCorps will also need to be completed. This position will be based in Brattleboro but may require some travel to Bennington. This is not a University position and does not come with university benefits.

Part time store product demonstrator and farmers market sales rep wanted. Terry Grinnan of Saw Mill Site Farm Horseradish Products is looking for someone to fill this flexible, part-time position. Duties include preparing for and implementing store sampling events and set up, staffing, sales work and breakdown at farmers markets, as well as strategizing with the owners as to marketing opportunities, networking and public relations to build brand recognition, product awareness and sales volume. For more information contact Terry Grinnan, 413-665-3005.

Help Wanted at Atlas Farm for 2006 season
Atlas Farm is a small family farm located in South Deerfield, MA. We grow a wide variety of certified organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers and sell our products primarily at farmers' markets in Boston and Western Massachusetts. We also sell wholesale to area grocery stores and restaurants throughout the season. Currently we have 10 acres in production.

We are now accepting applications for the 2006 season. Applicants should be hard-working, reliable, self-motivated, and have a valid driver’s license and their own transportation. Farm work is fun and rewarding but also very physically demanding. Applicants should have the desire to work outside even in adverse weather and be able to work early in the morning. Hours listed below are average and may fluctuate slightly throughout the season.

Positions available for 2006:
Full-time Field Crew Leader (April through November, 50+ hrs./wk.)
Responsible for managing a field crew of 3-4 workers in a variety of farm tasks such as planting, cultivation, and harvest. Some tractor work is also included in this position and previous tractor experience is required, although additional training will be provided. Also responsible for helping to run one farmers’ market a week. The ideal candidate for this job will be hard working, reliable, and have experience managing others. Previous experience in vegetable farming is also required. Pay range: $12-15/hour

Full-time Field Workers (May through October, 50 hrs./wk.)
Assist with all aspects of production including planting, cultivating, harvesting and wholesale deliveries. Previous farm experience preferred but not required. Pay range: $8-10/hour

Part-time Farmers’ Market Assistant (June through November, 20-30 hrs./wk.)
Assist with sales 2-3 days a week at our farmers’ market stand in Boston. Responsibilities include stand set up and take down, vegetable display and customer sales. Previous retail or customer service experience desired but not required. Boston-area resident preferred, travel to the farm not required. Pay range: $8-10/hour

Part-time delivery driver (June through November, 8-10 hrs./wk.)
Make deliveries to Boston area stores with a farm truck Tuesdays and Fridays. This person will meet our truck at Copley Square in Boston, help unload for the farmers’ market, and make several deliveries in the Boston area, returning to Copley. Previous experience driving a 14’ or larger box truck required. Pay range: $10-12/hour

For an application or more information, please email gideon@atlasfarm.com or call 413-695-2728.

Apprentice Positions, Red Fire Farm in Granby, MA for 2006.
The farm is an expanding operation that grows about 25 acres of quality organic produce, flowers and plants on a 70-acre land base. Markets include a 350 member CSA, farm stand, farmers market and wholesale. Apprentices will learn farm skills including tractor operation, harvest procedures and will also take supervisory roles for certain aspects of the farm work. Participation in the bi-weekly CRAFT farm-training program is required. The position begins April 1 and continues until the end of Oct. / Nov. Interviews for 2006 are happening now, and hiring will occur in Feb. / March. Housing is available in the farmhouse. For more information about the farm see www.redfirefarm.com . Please contact Ryan for additional information at (413) 467-SOIL or redfirefarm@gmail.com.

Cook and Food Educator position is open at Red Fire Farm. The ideal candidate will have a sincere interest in local agriculture, food, vegetables, community education, and enjoy vegetarian cooking. The position involves developing recipes that use seasonal produce for publishing in our CSA newsletter, organizing and conducting cooking demonstrations at CSA/ Farmers Markets, preparing lunch meals for the farm crew on weekdays, helping maintain a kitchen herb garden located near the farm kitchen, and help with researching and developing new processed products. Compensation includes housing in the farmhouse, and a monthly stipend of $725. Contact Ryan at redfirefarm@gmail.com. 413-467-7645 and see www.redfirefarm.com.

Farm Crew Positions: Join our crew at Red Fire Farm for the 2006 growing season. We are seeking enthusiastic, hardworking folks to help us plant, hoe, harvest and perform other vegetable farming fieldwork in our organic vegetable fields in Granby, MA. Flexible schedules –full or part time. Hours available May until October. $6.75 per hour plus produce. Most years we have carpool arrangements from Northampton. This is a good position for college students on summer recess, and others interested in getting exposure and experience with organic vegetable farming. Contact Ryan at 413-467-7645 or redfirefarm@gmail.com for more information.

Farming opportunity. Hilltop market garden in Gill with two+ acres prepared beds, orchard, small CSA, hoophouse, dairy goats, interns, permacultural approach, etc... is seeking a full time, organic grower or trainee to collaborate with current owners on the maintenance, re-visioning and development of the farm. For further info visit our web site or email dbotkin@valinet.com

Goat boarding needed. Looking for full or partial board for 6 goats in the greater Northampton area. Please call Ruth Elgers at 413-320-5215.

For Sale: 1966 John Deere 3020 gas row crop tractor. Runs excellent. Good rubber. Good tin. Three point hitch. Live PTO. One set of remotes. $9500 or BRO. 413-498-2160.

Female llama for sale. Proven breeder, nice fiber, 4 years old, experienced with goats & sheep. BO. 413-498-2160.

Package For Sale: Bred female huacaya alpaca (with free breeding 2006) along with one female and one male cria. See details of package here. 413-498-2160.

Got Wood? If you have over 20 acres of forest land and would like to discuss your management options with a licensed forester, please call Shane at Cowls: 413-549-1403.

[menu]

To unsubscribe from this list send an email to jennifer@buylocalfood.com.

Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture
1 Sugarloaf Street, South Deerfield MA 01373
Tel: 413-665-7100  Fax: 413-665-7101
http://www.buylocalfood.com