New grants extend CISA's work
CISA was recently awarded two grants to extend its work to build markets for local farmers. We’re grateful for the support and excited to be planning for expansion in two of our key programs in 2007!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a $61,275 grant to CISA to increase the availability of fresh produce at workplaces throughout western Massachusetts. CISA's program, Farm2Firm, will strengthen the connection between farmers and workplaces, building on work already underway at MassMutual Financial Group, Bay State Health Center, Springfield College, Franklin Medical Center and other sites. Employees sign up for shares of the harvest and farmers deliver the food to the workplace. Coupling local farmers with local businesses is a win-win partnership. Consumers receive fresh nutritious food conveniently delivered to their workplace while helping to sustain the local economy, a healthy environment and the livelihood of local farmers they know and trust. Congressman John Olver and his staff were very helpful in gaining this funding for CISA; we are grateful for their support.

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources recently awarded CISA $50,000 to expand the Local Hero campaign to Hampden County. The funding was gained through a collaborative effort of CISA and the three other buy local groups in the state (Berkshire Grown, Essex Buy Local and SEMAP) along with a lot of help from area state representatives and senators and the support of the MDAR. We worked together to create a new line item in the state budget for MDAR that specifically supports the work of buy local groups.

We’re thrilled that our collaboration succeeded in creating a $200,000 pool of funding to help buy local activities across the state. In our region the funding will support staff in their effort to work more closely with Hampden County farmers and grocery retailers. CISA’s goal is to increase sales of locally grown food in Hampden County and to promote the Local Hero message through Hampden County media.

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The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and CISA want citizens to know that locally grown spinach sold at Massachusetts farmer’s markets, farmstands and supermarkets has not been implicated in the recent E. coli outbreak. The outbreak has been sourced specifically to bagged spinach from California. The outbreak points to the inherent risks in a food production system which concentrates production in a single region and then distributes the product nationwide, spreading any problems to citizens across the country.

There’s an assurance that comes from looking a farmer in the eye at the farmers’ market or farmstand, or driving by the fields where your food comes from. Massachusetts farmers aren’t anonymous and they take their responsibility to the consumer seriously. They have the highest standards to provide product week by week to returning customers.

“The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources has asked growers to voluntarily label their spinach to make it clear that the product has been grown locally,” said Douglas P. Gillespie, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR).

If consumers have any concerns, cooking fresh spinach can destroy bacteria. Bacteria in spinach, including E. coli, can be killed by cooking at 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds.

Other voices on spinach contamination:

From a recent LA Times article: “The bacterium that has sickened people across the nation and forced growers to destroy spinach crops is so pervasive in the Salinas Valley that virtually every waterway there violates national standards.”

First Annual North Amherst Community Farm Harvest Festival
Join Local Hero member Simple Gifts Farm and the founders and supporters of this unique community farm as they celebrate their first year of farming, Saturday September 30, 2-7 p.m. Food, games, hayrides, music, locally grown food and more. Rain or shine. Free admission! Info: http://nacfonline.org/

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Festival de la Cosecha returns to Nuestras Raices this Saturday
It is time for the 13th annual Festival de la Cosecha (Harvest Festival) of Nuestras Raices, Sept. 30th, 12pm-6pm, featuring traditional Spanish music from Conjunto Tipico Sabor Campesino, demonstrations of Paso Fino horses, canoe rides on the Connecticut River, pony rides and children's activities, tours of our farms and nature trails, and, of course, lots of farm-fresh food ($6/ticket). Please share this invitation and join us for a celebration of the year's harvest and progress! At Nuestras Raices Farms, 24 Jones Ferry Rd., Holyoke. Call Hilda Colon, (413) 535-1789, for more info.

Put your best foot forward
Show your wares at the Pioneer Valley Women’s Agricultural Network meeting, October 23, 6:30 p.m. Are your product labels and marketing materials supporting your sales or undermining them? Do you wonder if your approach to merchandising is sales-friendly? Join other women farmers as they offer marketing, communications and display tips. Bring your products and materials to share and evaluate with others. Dinner available for $9.00; pre-registration required. Frontier Regional High School cafeteria, 113 N. Main Street, South Deerfield. To register for dinner, call CISA at 413-665-7100 or email jennifer@buylocalfood.com.

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Let’s twist again!
Ewe have got to check this out! The Second Annual Fiber Twist is Saturday, October 28. The Fiber Twist celebrates all things fiber: the sheep and fiber farmers, spinners, dyers, weavers and other fiber artisans found throughout Franklin County. Tour local farms scattered throughout the scenic hills and valleys of Franklin County. Visit the Marketplace and fiber demonstrations at Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA), 10 Memorial Street, Old Deerfield, from 10:00 to 4:00. Info, schedule and map: http://www.fibertwist.com/

Corn mazes sprouting in the valley
Mike’s Maze hits the ‘blogosphere’; Randall’s Farm celebrates 2nd corn maze
This year’s Mike's Maze at Warner Farm in Sunderland, featuring a great portrait of the beloved culinary pioneer Julia Child (a Smith College alum and longtime MA resident), has been picked up by food blogs as well as NPR! Congratulations to Mike and Will and the hardy crew of maze tenders who created and staff this year’s production. According to Mike, “the Maze features our familiar canons de pomme de terre (potato cannons), a new rayon solaire de la mort (solar cooker), a new trebuchet de tomate (tomato trebuchet) and other culinary non-sequiturs. Pony Rides and cute kids (goats) are a new addition at the maze this fall thanks to Sandra Roberts and Happy Days Pony Rides!” The maze is open weekends and Columbus day through Oct. 29. Get all the details here: http://www.mikesmaze.com/index.html

Just down the road in Ludlow, Karen Randall reports that their 2nd Annual Corn Maze is up and ready for visitors. It’s three acres and more challenging than last year’s maze. Visitors are brought by wagon up to the maze where there are games, pumpkin picking and scarecrow making. The maze is open weekends and Columbus Day 10-4. Come celebrate their donkey, Columbo’s, 25th birthday, on Columbus Day weekend! For more info call 413-589-7071.

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Celebrate Autumn in Sunderland!
The Sunderland Fall Festival will be held at the Town Ball Fields on October 14th, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Join them for a road race, hayrides, music, food, Morris Dancers, historical tours and much more! Sponsored in part by CISA. Info here.

CiderDay returns November 4-5
Apple lovers, ciderheads and anyone else interested in experiencing the Franklin County apple harvest should attend this year’s 12th annual CiderDay. Sample hard ciders from across the country, Canada and Europe in the world’s largest cider tasting. Learn about growing apples organically. Enjoy a savory and sweet locally grown dinner in the Historic Hall Tavern of Old Deerfield; created by Chef Craig White from the Bement School. Press your own cider at the New Salem Orchard and more! Info here: http://www.ciderday.org/

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How about A Little Lunch Music?
Ever thought about singing in a unique women’s choir? The newly renamed Kuumba Women’s Choir (formerly A Little Lunch Music) donated a space in the choir to CISA for us to auction at the Feast. The winner was unable to accommodate the activity into her schedule so it is available again. The choir meets Tuesdays at the Northampton Community Music School from 12:15-1:15 and is led by Evelyn Harris, formerly of Sweet Honey in the Rock. No experience required. If you would like to purchase this experience, please contact Jennifer at the office, 413-665-7100. We are offering this $300 class for the first person who contributes at least $100. To learn more about the class, visit: http://ncmc.net/programs/vocalConnection.html

NEWS

Foxfire Fiber wins big at Big E
This just in from Barb Parry of Foxfire Fiber: "We have exciting news on the wool front: our border leicester fleeces took blue ribbons in both the Border Leicester division and in the handspinning division at the Eastern States last week. Then one fleece went on to receive Reserve Champion for the entire fleece competition (over 160 entries). We are ecstatic and really proud of our girls!

That's Barb at left with one her Border Leicesters. Learn more about her farm and her luscious yarns here: http://www.foxfirefiber.com/.

Free pesticide disposal opportunity for farmers
Saturday, September 30, 2006

Agricultural operations can dispose of pesticides for free at a collection event in West Springfield this coming Saturday (September 30). The disposal costs will be paid by the Department of Agricultural Resources through a grant from EPA. The West Springfield event will be one of the final Department funded opportunities for farmers to dispose of waste pesticides at no cost. The Department will not be funding pesticide disposal programs in 2007. You must pre-register to participate by contacting Michael Pattavina at 413-263-3234.

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New farmers market proposed for South Deerfield
Max Hartshorne, owner of GoNomad Café in the center of S. Deerfield, is working on getting a farmers market in town for Saturday mornings in 2007. The proposed market would be located next to the town common and has space for 11 vendors. If you are interested in learning more, you can find Max at GoNomad Café most every day.

“100-mile diet” meal part of Harvest and Art Festival at Grace Church on the Common in Amherst
Grace Church announces a Harvest and Art festival with a local theme. On Saturday, November 4, it will sponsor a pot-luck “100 Mile” meal at 5:30pm, consisting mainly of food from no further than 100 miles away. For the 100 mile meal they will be using foods raised and harvested within a 100 mile radius. “We are called to be mindful about supporting local farmers to invest in sustainable farming, while we save energy to protect our environment.” If you are planning to come, please call the Grace Church office at 256-6754, so they know numbers for seating for the meal. The Harvest and Art Festival will also feature an art show, folk dance (after the dinner; childcare provided) and Liturgies of Thanksgiving on Sunday, with thoughts for those who have little or nothing to eat. Learn more about the 100-mile diet concept here: http://www.100milediet.org/

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Locally grown straw
Looking for good quality straw that won’t sprout in your garden or on your farm? Call Local Hero member John Devine at his farm in Hadley. He has baled straw for sale and is selling it for $4 each, cash or check only. Call 413-549-6953.

Pumpkin carving party and fundraiser for White Brook Middle School Garden
This past August, some 30 days before the 1st day of school, the White Brook Middle School Garden Program abruptly lost its funding. Over the last 2 years, garden educators Hope Guardenier and Kristen Getler have worked with school administration and teachers to successfully integrate the garden into the school's academic curriculum. The 1-acre garden has served hundreds of children as an engaging, enriching outdoor classroom that facilitates learning of science, social studies, math and language arts. It is currently subsisting on a shoe-string budget to teach garden classes every other week. The money is dwindling....but their will and optimism remain strong!

The party is Friday October 27, 4-6 pm, White Brook Middle School Garden, 200 Park Street, Easthampton. Help the WBMS Garden get out of this pickle and come carve a pumpkin! Pumpkins will be available for $5 apiece and all proceeds go to the Garden Program. Creatively carve, tour the garden, enjoy cider in the crisp fall air from 4-5:30pm. From 5:30-6 we will have a lighting of the jack-o-lanterns in the garden and enjoy this magical sight! Pumpkins go home with you.

Please contact Kristen Getler at 413.320.1121 or kgetler@hotmail.com for additional information and find out how you can support our efforts to keep the WBMS Garden growing.

SMALL BITES
Paw paws, shipovas and more
Learn about uncommon fruit for the northern farm and garden in this interesting article.

USDA says shut up and eat your Frankenrice
The USDA has finally reacted to the contamination of the U.S. long grain rice supply by an unapproved, genetically engineered variety of rice created by the Bayer Corporation. Recall? Guess again. “USDA plans to rush through 'market approval' of a genetically engineered rice that Bayer itself decided was unfit for commerce. Why? To free Bayer from liability." Source: organicconsumers.org.

So many nematodes in the neighborhood…
Learn how soil microbes are the key to fertility and productivity on the farm and in your garden.

Wal-Mart’s aggressive growth strategy troubles US organic farmers
A Cornucopia Institute report asserts that Wal-Mart’s organic strategy will offshore organic production to Third World countries at the expense of income for US organic farmers and quality for consumers.

Fast food chains going organic
A recent report indicates that two chains featuring organic items are growing at rates well above the national average for fast-food restaurants and attributes that success to the fact that consumers are increasingly choosing to spend their dollars on healthier and more ethically produced foods.

Who cares where their food comes from?
You do. Surveys show 86 percent of consumers support a law that would require foods to have a label identifying their country of origin. Congress responded to consumer pressure way back in 2002 and passed a Country of Origin law (COOL). Unfortunately, except for fish, this law has never been implemented.

BAMCO brings organic, local and sustainable food to college cafeterias.
Thanks to industry pioneers such as Bon Appétit Management of Palo Alto, institutional food service is not so institutional anymore.

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Workshops, Events, Announcements

Organic research grants available
Deadline December 15
The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) funds research on organic farming and food systems and the dissemination of these research results to the greater agricultural community. Proposals must involve farmers or ranchers in project design and implementation and take place on working organic farms or ranches whenever possible. Additionally, proposals should articulate how the proposed research project will foster the improvement or adoption of organic farming systems. OFRF requests proposals which have objectives that are realistically achievable with a modest level of funding. The average grant awarded in OFRF's last full year of grantmaking was $10,360. OFRF will not fund a project for more than $15,000 per year. Info: http://www.ofrf.org/research/application.html

November 9-10
A commitment to place: Northeast Policy Summit
Early bird registration deadline is September 30!
BWI Airport Marriott Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland

Hosted by the Northeast Ag Works! Project and the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG). Help advance a Northeast agenda for the upcoming Farm Bill! Registration and event flyer available here: http://tinyurl.com/rndsk

Pumpkin Harvest Festival at Annie’s Garden Center and Amherst Nursery
Enjoy entertainment, refreshments, hayrides through a pumpkin patch and picking your own pumpkins at this festival October 7-8 from 10-5. The festival is located right next to Annie’s. For more info call 413-549-8873.

Cranberry celebrations
Take a trip out east to observe one of the most fascinating harvests in New England.

October 7 and 8
Cranberry harvest celebration
Join the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association and A.D. Makepeace Company for the third annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration, featuring cranberry bog tours, helicopter rides, wagon and pony rides, cooking demonstrations, juried crafters and artists, musical performances, games for children, and much more. Rain or shine on Saturday and Sunday, October 7 and 8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Tihonet Pond (158 Tihonet Road) in Wareham, MA. Admission is free; parking available for a nominal donation to local organizations. Visit http://www.admakepeace.com or call 508-322-4028 for more information.

October 14 (rain date October 15)
Falmouth cranberry harvest & farm festival
John Parker Road Bogs (between Rte 28 & Sandwich Road), East Falmouth, 10 AM to 3 PM on the bog. Free to all. For more information, call 508-457-1809 or e-mail: beautifullouise@adelphia.net

Planning a Local Future for Farms and Farmland
Is your town looking for ways to help support its farms and protect its farmland? Are you a member of a local Planning Board or Agricultural Commission or an interested citizen interested in ensuring a future for agriculture in your community?

If so, you may be interested in attending one of a series of workshops being offered this fall by American Farmland Trust and local Agricultural Commissions to discuss planning a local future for farms and farmland. Members of town Agricultural Commissions, Select Boards, Planning Boards, Conservation Commissions, and those interested in learning about promoting the future of agriculture locally are all invited to attend. The workshops will review the legal and regulatory landscape in which farms operate and explore specific actions and steps that towns can take to retain farms and promote farmland protection, including planning and zoning tools to support agriculture as a land use and a business. Attendees will be provided written materials from a guide for municipal officials being developed by American Farmland Trust in collaboration with the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation. Light refreshments will be served.

Workshop Schedule
October 24, 7:00 pm: Whately Town Hall, 218 Chestnut Plain Road
November 2, 7:30 pm: Northfield Town Hall, 69 Main St.
November 8, 7:30 pm: Deerfield Municipal Offices, 8 Conway St, South Deerfield
November 20, 7:00 pm: Hatfield Town Hall (This date is still tentative)
November 30, 7:00 pm: Sunderland Town Offices, School St.

For more information, please visit http://www.farmland.org/programs/states/Massachusetts.asp, or contact Jesse Robertson-DuBois at American Farmland Trust at 413-586-9330, ext.21.


High Tunnel Farm Tours
Innovative farmers educate agency personnel and other farmers about the design and management of high tunnels
November 8, 2006, 12:00 noon to 3:30 pm
High tunnels are greenhouse-like structures that offer farmers an inexpensive means to extend growing and marketing seasons, intensify production, and reduce weather-related risk.

This free tour is offered to educate extension educators, researchers, agricultural marketers, farmers’ market managers, and other agricultural service providers, as well as farmers, about the real world uses and designs of high tunnels. Learn how two experienced farmers are using high tunnels to grow early tomatoes, early carrots, winter spinach, and a wide range of other fall and winter salad crops.

The tour will visit Red Fire Farm in Granby and the Hampshire College Farm located on the Hampshire College campus in Amherst.

Reservations are strongly encouraged. Please contact Billie Best at 518-271-0744 or billie@farmandfood.org. Please bring a bag lunch or eat prior to the tour. Dress for the outdoors as part of the presentation at our first stop will be in an unheated barn.

This tour, sponsored by the Regional Farm & Food Project, is made possible by a grant from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program. A DVD video featuring case studies of high tunnels on six farms, and a high tunnel decision-making manual will be released by the Regional Farm & Food Project at the end of November.

Saturday, October 28, 9AM-1PM
Teaching for Change, Farming for Profit
Seeds of Solidarity Farm, Orange, Mass

"Can you combine education and farming and draw a reasonable income?" This workshop is appropriate for those farming who wish to bring educational programs to their farm, or those thinking of starting a combined farm/education center. Topics covered will include the pros and cons of starting a non-profit organization, farm-based events and festivals, apprenticeships for education and labor, relationship-building with customers, schools and community. The workshop format will be interactive and help guide participants through the process of thinking through their goals using examples from Seeds of Solidarity Farm (a for-profit family farm) and Seeds of Solidarity Education Center Inc. (a non-profit educational organization) and the North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Festival. Deb Habib and Ricky have 12 years of experience combining non-profit education and for profit farming ventures. Visit www.seedsofsolidarity.org to see more about Seeds of Solidarity Farm. NOFA Members: $25 Non-members: $30. Registration available by mail or online at http://tinyurl.com/l83ql For more information: contact Tom at seedpotato@yahoo.com.

Celebrate Clean Energy Month: October 2006

A number of activities are happening across the region to raise awareness about clean energy technologies, strategies and options.

Pioneer Valley Clean Energy Plan Strategy Sessions: A Call to all Clean Energy Champions! Join your neighbors to discuss strategies for clean energy use in the region at one of these sessions:

Tuesday, October 17 in Northampton, location to be determined
Wednesday, October 18 in Springfield, location to be determined
Thursday, October 19 in Greenfield at the Greenfield Middle School 7:00 pm-9:00 pm with refreshments at 6:30 pm. The meeting will be facilitated by Lynn Benander, of Co-op Power.

Info: Contact Bill Labich of the FRCOG, blabich@frcog.org or 774-1194 ext. 107

Would you rather participate online? Join the “Clean Energy Planning Forum”, a month-long, community-wide online discussion about energy issues facing the Pioneer Valley. It begins October 1 and includes a cross-section of community members, members of the media, business leaders, teachers, religious leaders and local leaders such as council officials, school board members, and state representatives. A special forum is available for farmers to participate in.

The goal of the Clean Energy Planning Forum is to give everyone a greater voice in decisions that affect the community, increase civic participation, and help to encourage more input into solutions to our energy challenges. Creating a shared vision for a sustainable energy future for our region will create a path for us to follow so we can focus our resources and get more done.

To get started click here http://forums.e-democracy.org/pioneer-valley and sign up to participate.

CET’s Fall Workshop Series
The Center for Ecological Technology (CET) is celebrating Clean Energy Month and our 30th anniversary with workshops that give National Grid residents affordable ways to reduce their energy use, increase their energy efficiency and lower their electric bills. Pre-registration is encouraged! Contact Tomasin at tomasin@cetonline.org or 413-586-7350.

Saving the barn
Preserve MASS Barns conference November 11
Join barn owners and preservationists on Nov. 11th at Storrowton Village, Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield for this annual conference. Details are still being worked out; follow this link to see the latest information.

New England Farmers' Direct Marketing Conference and Trade Show
Successful Strategies for Growing Your Farm Business
February 28 - March 1, 2007 Sturbridge, Mass.

This unique marketing conference is for New England farmers interested in learning new marketing ideas or fine-tuning strategies for business success. Over the course of two days, there will be over 20 workshops with a wide range of marketing and business planning topics to be covered. Agri-tourism, farmers' markets, internet marketing, value added and testing feasibility are just some of the workshops planned. A half-day workshop especially designed for farmers' market managers is also planned.

The morning of February 28 will feature nationally recognized agri-marketing expert Jane Eckert. Raised on her family's apple orchard outside of St. Louis, Jane earned a degree in business and went on to executive marketing positions for eighteen years. As the former Vice President of Marketing of Eckert's Country Store and Farms in Belleville, Illinois, she developed the property into one of the most successful retail and entertainment farms in America. Today it is a top tourist attraction that draws over 500,000 guests annually.

Honored with the 2004 Outstanding Leadership Award from the North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association, her professional approach to promotion, advertising, public relations and merchandising gave Eckert's a strong brand identity widely recognized and respected throughout the region.

A full trade show will provide farmers with information on the latest products and services. Specialty food producers from across the Northeast have also been invited to take part in the trade show to showcase unique local products perfect for roadside stands.

The conference is sponsored by all six New England State Departments of Agriculture and Harvest New England, in cooperation with:
• Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)
• Cooperative Development Institute
• Essex Buy Local
• Federation of Massachusetts Farmers' Markets
• Massachusetts NOFA
• Massachusetts Roadside Stand Association
• University of Maine Cooperative Extension
• University of Massachusetts Extension
• University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
• Rhode Island Center for Agricultural Promotion and Education
• Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP)
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

More information will be coming in the next couple of months.

The Food Less Traveled: How Good Local Food Contributes to Healthy People and Healthy Communities
2007 NYS Farmers’ Direct Marketing Conference
January 18-20, 2007 Owego, NY

This year’s conference planning committee is working on workshops and sessions that will provide knowledge, resources and tools to help farmers to increase their farm’s ability to impact their farm’s health, their consumers’ health and their community’s health.

The conference will feature pre-conference workshops, as well. These workshops will spend the day covering a topic of importance to farm direct marketers. These workshops include:

• Employee training;
• Food service for farm markets;
• Start-up bakery;
• CSA’s
• Livestock Marketing.

In addition to the full three days of workshops and sessions, the Farmers’ Market Federation of NY will be holding a special market manager training program sponsored by USDA’s SARE program. The NY Small Scale Food Processors will be hosting their annual meeting at the 2007 Conference. The trade show will run January 18 and 19 (Friday and Saturday) and will offer a wide variety of products for the farm direct marketing industry. You’re sure to find the packaging you need, the seeds you’ve been searching for, the perfect gift items for your stand or the special gourmet food item that will make your cashier register ring!

For more information, call the NYSFDMA office at 315-475-1101 or email diane99@dreamscape.com OR call the NY Farms! office at 607-659-3710 or email nyfarms@clarityconnect.com.

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CLASSIFIED

Land for rent. 15 organic acres in Buckland close to Shelburne Falls. Large barn available. Owner will help skilled operator with start up expenses. Water available. Very low rent/barter possible. Call Michael 413 625-8300.

Farm for Sale: Prime farmland, 20 acres along the CT River in a quiet country setting. 1800+ feet of road frontage. Hay fields, crop fields, fenced in pastures for rotated grazing or separation of animals. Barn with new additions & viewing room, outbuildings, retail shop (built 2003), 2 car garage. Wonderful classic New England Colonial Farmhouse with large wrap-around porch and many renovations since 2001 including windows, electric service, well and much more! Plenty of room for an in-law apartment! Large front yard and backyard. Appliances included. Currently an agri-business. Northfield, Massachusetts. Call or email for more information or to be directed to on-line site with pictures and more information. 413-498-2160. Chee Chee Mamook Farm. alpaca0410@yahoo.com

For Sale: Registered Gelding Alpacas. Moving, must sell. View pictures and descriptions on www.cheecheemamook.com. All reasonable offers considered. Chee Chee Mamook Farm. alpaca0410@yahoo.com

GRASS-FED, NATURALLY RAISED LAMB available in October. Custom-cutting available for your recipes. Call Barb Parry (413) 625-6121 or email barb@foxfirefiber.com to reserve. Springdelle Farm, 135 Reynolds Rd, Shelburne Mass.

Registered Nubian Buck kid for sale, excellent genetics, born June 17. Call (413) 628-0026 or email sanghafarm@yahoo.com for more information.

Part time farm help needed for small family CSA & market farm. Pay based on experience call (413)628-0026 or email sanghafarm@yahoo.com.

FARM FOR SALE
FOR SALE SUMMER/FALL 2006
TO COOPERATORS, FAMILIES, OR INDIVIDUALS:

THE BENSON PLACE - A 38-ACRE HILLTOP WORKING WILD BLUEBERRY FARM 35 MINUTES WEST OF GREENFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

TOTAL COST:
$525,000
OR
$400,000 WITH A
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL PRESERVATION RESTRICTION (BLUEBERRY BUSINESS AN ADDITIONAL $25,000) CONTACT DAVE GOTT OR TED WATT, 182 FLAGG HILL ROAD, HEATH, MA 01346
413-337-5340 * BENPLACE@GIS.NET, http://WWW.GIS.NET/~BENPLACE

The Benson Place is a 38-acre unsprayed, low bush, wild blueberry farm located on uniquely beautiful land in the Town of Heath, a small rural community 20 miles west of Greenfield, Massachusetts. Nearby are two neighboring blueberry farms and several hundred acres of town-owned, wooded conservation area. Current improvements on the property include a two bedroom ranch house with attached garage and storage sheds, a one room cabin, and a modern barn which houses blueberry sorting equipment and a walk in cooler.

Although a managed habitat, the fields comprise a unique, ridge-top, native blueberry barren. The abundance of berries attracts black bears, ravens, coyotes and other species, and the fields support interesting native species including wood lily, ladies tresses orchid, and the Northern Harrier during October migration. Farm roads are open year round to passive recreational use by the public and have been since 1999.

Sixteen of our acres are in active blueberry production. We lease an adjacent 20 acres of fields and annually harvest up to 14 tons of fruit, which are retailed primarily at the farm. Additional farm enterprises include the production of blueberry spread and the hosting of community events.

The berry business includes complete harvesting, sorting, storage, and sales components plus current membership in a food processing facility and two marketing organizations. An annual festival during the height of the harvest has been held for the past four years, and weddings plus farm tours have also been successful events. Over the past five years, average annual yield of fruit has been 8.06 tons, average annual gross sales has been $27,000, and average annual gross income (which includes crop insurance payments) has been $33,440. Areas for potential business growth include increased yields, organic certification which could enable higher prices, expanded production/marketing of blueberry spread, educational programs, social events, and overnight stays. Transitional farm management support from the current owner is an option.

We seek to insure the future of the blueberry farming operation and conserve the wild feeling of the property, possibly through the use of farm oriented covenants and individual, family, cooperative, or community ownership. Prior to sale, we intend to place an Agricultural Preservation Restriction or a conservation restriction on the parcel, leaving 3 unrestricted acres for existing building expansion and/or additional construction. Our neighbors, who lease blueberry acreage to us, are open to placing a conservation restriction on a good sized portion of their property as well.

We seek a sale to a party or parties sharing our community, conservation, and agricultural goals to preserve beautiful land, offer an affordable farming opportunity, and welcome visitors. Our requested sale price is $525,000. If we can work out with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to establish the APR referred to above, approximately $125,000 will be eliminated from the sale price. The cost of the blueberry business is negotiable and probably in the range of $25,000. This includes equipment, inventory, the customer database, and the business's reputation. The building in which farming related activity takes place is included in the property sale price above.

Four Acre organic Farm in Amherst, Massachusetts, for rent to the right individual or group. Great growing area and great flower gardens. 19 room farm house, with four bathrooms, subdivides into four units easily.$2500 per month plus utilities. Cheapest rent around to right group, with great growing potential. Contact DonnaSchaper@gmail.com if interested.

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.

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