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By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

With the start of October right around the corner, some squash and pumpkin farmers in the Pioneer Valley and North Quabbin are bearing the burden of Phytophthora capsici — a soil-based disease described by one farmer as being “like the plague” for...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON – Mindful of how difficult it is to grow much of anything in the outdoor climate of Massachusetts, never mind growing a crop that is legal here but still entirely prohibited at the federal level, the Cannabis Control Commission traveled to...

By CHRIS LARABEE

After a frantic emergency response to save animals and equipment on July 10, 2023, David Fisher and Maggie Toran assessed their farm field as memories of Hurricane Irene came flooding back.At their horse-powered, community-supported agriculture (CSA)...

By TANISHA BHAT

Ben Clark, the owner of Clarkdale Fruit Farms in Deerfield, received $120,000 from the $20 million Natural Disaster Recovery Program created last year after he lost the entirety of his peach crop and 70% of his apples and pears due to sudden cold...

By GREG VINE

PETERSHAM – Lin Chen, the new owner of what was known locally as Rice’s Roots Farm, displays a wide smile when discussing his plans for the 228-acre site in Petersham.Doing business under the name Global Roots Farm, LLC, he hopes to serve the North...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Climate change’s impact on farming, as well as emerging areas like urban agriculture, soil health and pollinators, are a focus for the University of Massachusetts Extension Agriculture Program, which continues to help farmers adapt and...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

The owners of a Shelburne farm have permanently protected 100 acres through the Agricultural Preservation Restriction program, ensuring that the fertile land won’t be turned into a large, upscale housing estate or put to other uses.“That’s what’s...

By CHRIS LARABEE

Farming is already a tough field to make one’s living. Throw in three consecutive years of extreme weather and personal burnout and you’ve got a recipe for what is shaping up to another difficult year for valley farmers, as they prepare their fields...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — Prohibiting PFAS from consumer products sold in Massachusetts remains an objective for Sen. Jo Comerford, who sees a recently advanced legislative bill to protect soil and farms from such contamination as an important first step to...

By GREG VINE

PETERSHAM – Around two dozen people offered ideas for potential uses for Rice’s Roots Farm on East Street during a meeting on Sunday.University of the Wild founder Larry Buell and local grower Andre Pierre are trying to put together a plan to purchase...

By GREG VINE

PETERSHAM — Residents are invited to attend a meeting this Sunday to discuss food security and “brainstorm potential ideas of how to develop and use the Rice’s Roots Farm on East Street for some form of community farming,” according to a release about...

By CHRIS LARABEE

With $10,000 donations already sent to hundreds of farms around western and central Massachusetts, farmers have praised the joint efforts of the state and private donors for supporting the Farm Resiliency Fund.The initial round of funding went out on...

By JAMES PENTLAND

Picking apples is one of the rites of fall, with crisp, sunny mornings beckoning families out to the orchard to help gather in the season’s brilliant red and green bounty.This year, though, pick-your-own opportunities will be limited because so much...

By DOMENIC POLI

You’re unlikely to hear any squealing from local pig farmers about the impending enforcement of voter-approved pork regulations, as they say they’re already in compliance with the law aimed at improving the living conditions of swines raised for...

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — As more rain pounded the region on Sunday, Gov. Maura Healey and other state officials visited Deerfield on Monday afternoon to hear firsthand accounts of the damage — including disease-related impacts that could be seen in the future —...

By BELLA LEVAVI

DEERFIELD — As farmers assess the impact of last week’s flooding on their livelihoods and the future of the season’s crops, federal lawmakers visited the area on Saturday to see the damage firsthand.U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. Jim...

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — As they continue to assess the damage caused by Monday’s torrential downpours, local farmers were joined on Wednesday by legislators and state officials who got a first-hand view of the devastation across the Pioneer Valley.In Deerfield,...

By CHRIS LARABEE

BOSTON — With a background in showing cattle at fairs and working on the family farm in South Deerfield, the state’s new agriculture commissioner has a Franklin County flair to her.South Deerfield native Ashley Randle has been tapped by the...