This week, I traveled throughout the Second District during my 12th annual district-wide farm tour. I visited 13 farms in 2 days to talk to farmers about the challenges they face and how I can continue to help them succeed. I’m always so impressed by the fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, flowers, livestock and more that … Read more
By TAMMIE SLOUP FarmWeek Standing on a cranberry bog, a group of Illinois Farm Bureau Young Leaders felt the earth ripple as a peer jumped up and down. “Whoa, the ground is moving,” one nervously announced. Bogs are a type of wetland, characterized by a spongy, mat-like substance on the water’s surface, making it possible … Read more
Mass Appeal Aug 3, 2022 / 01:46 PM EDT (Mass Appeal) – For centuries, since the first settlers came to the Pioneer Valley, this has been farm land. Unfortunately, farming isn’t what it once was and there are very few family farms left in our area. We were fortunate enough to visit the Barstow family … Read more
By Gillian Follett | Special to The Republican Denise Barstow Manz is hoping to increase awareness of the Pioneer Valley’s dairy farms one scoop of ice cream at a time. Since 1806, generations of her family have been operating Barstow’s Longview Farm. Today, its farm store supplies fresh dairy, meat, baked goods and other products. Still, … Read more
Karly Dunn, Home Grown Springfield| View Author Bio Visiting Barstow’s Longview Dairy Farm and Bakery transformed my perspective on what “local” really means, not only as a former Springfield Public Schools student, but now as a student advocate and proponent of healthy, happy animals. Growing Up in the City Dairy is a timely topic on the minds of … Read more
Dairy Foods June 21, 2022 Kathie Canning Turning waste into energy For many dairy companies, manufacturing waste is an unfortunate reality — it is simply discarded, adding to the collective wastewater or landfill burden. Waitsfield, Vt.-based Cabot Creamery, however, knew it could do better. So the cooperative partnered with Vanguard Renewables, Wellesley, MA, about a … Read more
A Look Back: June 11 By JIM BRIDGMAN For the Gazette Published: 6/10/2022 7:05:26 PM 200 Years Ago ■Eliphalet Williams and H. T. Hooker have entered into co-partnership and will transact business under the firm of Williams & Hooker. They have taken the brick store belonging to Judge Lyman, next door to Warner’s tavern, and … Read more
By STEVE PFARRER Daily Hampshire Gazette Published: 5/27/2022 5:09:10 PM ‘I love Paris in the springtime,” Ella Fitzgerald once sang, and why not? A glass of wine in a cafe, flowers and budding trees along the Seine, the Eiffel Tower before the summer crowds take over — and perhaps the prospect of love itself, especially … Read more
MAY 16, 2022 Modern Farmer Anne N. Connor The sustainable technology presents an opportunity to turn cow manure and food waste into renewable energy and added income. But biodigesters are not always easy to operate, and they can be costly to replace. Small dairy farms in Vermont teeter chronically on the brink of insolvency. Nearly … Read more
Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation February 14, 2022 A series of videos showcases the various ways farmers in Massachusetts are supporting soil health and sustainability. The videos feature produce and other crop growers, a dairy farmer and a researcher from the University of Massachusetts who works with the state’s farmers. Along with a 27-minute video, the … Read more