Hi there!

Hope all is well with you and your farms this fall.

As days are getting shorter and we find ourselves working in the dark a little sooner than we expected, fall and winter workshops or events might start to feel a little more possible to attend. In this newsletter, a few workshops and events that could be of interest, highlighting disaster preparedness, and local food system resiliency.

Our Winter Workshop topics are starting to come together. A few topics include: SNAP / HIP best practices and methods of implementation in different spaces, grant writing skill-building for farmers, body ergonomics and movement for wellness in farm labor, and more! Stay tuned for updates in our coming newsletters.

Some updates in this month's farmer newsletter:

Thanks!

Ian Brunell

Program Manager, Business Members

Bard College at Simon Rock's 10th Snnual ThinkFood Conference:

The Center for Food Studies at Bard College at Simon’s Rock presents the 10th annual ThinkFOOD conference on Saturday, November 4. ThinkFOOD will give you new perspectives on food, farming, and resiliency. They will offer interactive sessions with practical takeaways and new ideas from experts in the Berkshires and beyond.

Ashley Randle, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) will give the keynote address.

Choose from in-person or Zoom sessions. Consult the workshop schedule for details.

Tickets are $25 for access to all sessions, $15 for half day, or $10 for keynote only; lunch tickets are $10. Discount tickets available; please email for details.

Email thinkfood@simons-rock.edu

Click here to register: Register to attend the Conference

This natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.

Primary Counties Eligible: Berkshire, Bristol, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Worcester

Primary Counties Eligible: Berkshire, Bristol, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Norfolk, Worcester

For more information on Flooding Relief click here.

For more information of Frost Loss Relief click here.

The MA Farm Resiliency Fund was created by the United Way of Central Massachusetts (UWCM) with the intention of both responding to the recent storm impact in western and central Mass, as well as having long-term potential to respond to how climate is affecting our farms.

The Massachusetts Farm Resiliency Fund is accepting applications for the Second Round of funding focused on supporting Central and Western Massachusetts farms that sustained major losses during the flooding and heavy rains of July, 2023.

Only farms with unaddressed needs greater than $80,000 or who did not apply in the first round are eligible to apply. “Unaddressed need” is defined as a farm’s sustained loss, minus funding received to address those losses.

You can access the application here: MA Farm Resiliency Fund Application to Request Second Round Funding - United Way of Central Massachusetts (unitedwaycm.org).

Please email liveunited@unitedwaycm.org with any questions.

Are you concerned about potential flooding on your farm and what you can do to prepare? Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County is hosting a workshop on how farmers and livestock producers can better understand and mitigate their flood risk. Participants can expect to learn how to use FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps to assess their flood risk, the real definition of a “100-year flood,” insurance implications for structures in floodplains, and flood damage mitigation strategies. Topics also include climate resilient farming resources, local disaster preparedness information for livestock producers, emergency plans for how you can prepare for the worst, as well as post-disaster recovery support available. Presenters include floodplain and livestock management experts from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County, the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program, and the Ulster County Departments of Emergency Services and the Environment.

Questions should be directed to Kathryn Brignac at email klb339@cornell.edu

The Farm Disaster Preparation program will help farm owners plan for and manage possible disasters. This program focuses on practical pre-disaster education and preparedness regarding farm equipment safety on the road, fire or structure collapse, storm and wind damage, criminal activity, farm chemical risks, and biosecurity. Farms that complete the training will receive a certificate to provide to their insurer and may be eligible for a credit or discount toward the farm's annual insurance premium. The value of the credit or discount will vary according to individual policies and policyholder circumstances but can be up to a 10 percent discount.

The Farm Disaster Preparation Certificate is directed to all sizes of farms and all types of products. Dairy and livestock farms are especially encouraged to participate in the program due to their additional concerns regarding animal agriculture. The person representing a farm should be the insurance policyholder; other key farm personnel are welcome.

The certificate program will be held on Tuesday, October 17, and Thursday, October 19, 2023, from 6:00-9:00 PM via Zoom. You must attend both sessions to receive the certificate. Space is limited, and pre-registration is requested by October 13. There is a $35 fee per farm for this program. For more information about the training contact Lynn Bliven at 585-268-7644 ext. 18 or email lao3@cornell.edu. To pre-register: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/FarmDisPrepCertTrn2023_202.

Course Instruction Team: Lynn Bliven, Ag & Natural Resources Issue Leader CCE Allegany County; Stephen Hadcock, Ag. Entrepreneurship and Market Development Team Leader, CCE Capital Area Agriculture and Horticulture Program; and Jim Carrabba, Agricultural Safety Specialist New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH).

A Day of Workshops on Regenerative Design, Land Stewardship

Join experts in the field of ecological design to learn about their varied approaches to building resilient landscapes and communities. This day-long symposium on Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will explore the breadth of what regenerative design and land stewardship means, featuring a range of speakers with experiences as diverse as landscape design, community outreach, pollination systems restoration and farming. Participants will have the opportunity to work hands-on with the day’s speakers to design their own projects.

For details, keynote speakers, and registration, visit: https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/rooted-place

(Snow date: December 12^th, 5:00pm - 7:15pm)

The Stationery Factory (North Room)

Organized by American Farmland Trust and Land For Good, this in-person workshop will be a deep dive into everything you need to know about leasing farmland in Berkshire County. The workshop will feature speakers from Land For Good, Three Maples Market Garden, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Conservation Works, and The Legal Food Hub. 

This event and dinner are FREE. Advance registration is required. The event is limited to 40 farmers, so reserve your spot now by registering here! Reach out to Jamie Pottern, jpottern@farmland.org, 413-240-4621 with any questions.

This workshop series is part of the Land for Farmers project, supported by Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grant #2021-49400-35642 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Many thanks to Berkshire Natural Resources for their additional financial support.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the opening of the financial assistance application process for eligible farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021. Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) directs USDA to provide this assistance. Since the law’s passage, USDA has worked diligently to design the program in accordance with significant stakeholder input.

“The opening of the application process is an important step in delivering on our commitment of providing financial assistance to those who faced discrimination in USDA farm lending, as swiftly and efficiently as possible,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “USDA will continue to work with our national vendor partners and community-based organizations to make sure eligible farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners have clear information about what is available to them, how to apply, and where to obtain assistance with their questions at each step of the way.”

The program website, 22007apply.gov, is now open. The website includes an English- and Spanish-language application that applicants can download or submit via an e-filing portal, information on how to obtain technical assistance in-person or virtually, and additional resources and details about the program.

Farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination by USDA in its farm loan programs prior to January 1, 2021 and/or are currently debtors with assigned or assumed USDA farm loan debt that was the subject of USDA discrimination that occurred prior to January 1, 2021, are eligible for this program.

You can read the Press Release Here.

The Berkshire Mobile Farmers Market Pilot Program launched in September for a 10 week Pilot Season to bring fresh, locally-grown food to areas in our community of low income and/or low access to fresh food. Shoppers will find a variety of seasonal produce at the market, as well as other food staples such as eggs, meat, dairy products, bread, maple syrup and honey. We are now four weeks into the pilot!

All products are locally sourced, and shoppers' payments are on a tiered/sliding scale to make shopping at the market affordable for all. A customer’s payment tier is based on their self-disclosed information – they can choose to pay either retail price, use SNAP/HIP, or pay nothing at all (using the market as a food pantry). We are striving to make shopping at the market a stigma-free, welcoming experience for all shoppers.

Berkshire Grown joins with Berkshire Bounty, the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, and the Southern Berkshires Rural Health Network as well as the Berkshire United Way and Community Health Programs in this collaboration. Each partner addresses a distinct aspect of food production, storage, purchase, and distribution.

For farmers selling to the Berkshire Mobile Farmers Market, they receive higher direct-to-consumer sales income, lower delivery costs, no marketing costs, and stronger social connections in the Berkshire community.

To keep in touch with the Mobile Market's Progress, sign up for the newsletter on the homepage of The Berkshire Mobile Farmers Market

Interested in having the Berkshire Mobile Farmers Market sell your products? Contact Alyssa VanDurme alyssa@berkshiregrown.org.

That Berkshire Grown has a local and regional events calendar that lists various events, workshops, webinars, and the like? We try to keep tabs and share information about any farming and food related happenings that could be of interest to our farmer members.

Farmers are also welcome to submit an event to us to have it listed on the calendar. It is visited also by non-farmer members looking for food and agriculture-related happenings.

ACCEPTING FARMS NOW!

Join The Livestock Institue and its Education Committee in gathering data on regional livestock farms! TLI is offering FREE baleage and soil testing for livestock farms in MA, RI and CT.

To sign up, email Sarah at sarah@thelivestockinstitute.org

More information and fact sheets can be found at the TOPP website.

Please feel free to contact me at ian@berkshiregrown.org