Dear Friends,

Local farms and local food have powerful multiplier effects. We talk about this a lot at BAV; it’s a cornerstone of our economic development work. Within the local food system, value-added products like local cheese and local fermented foods support local dairies and local vegetable growers, respectively. The multiplier effect works on wider scales, too. Supporting local farms ultimately means more local jobs and more tax revenues. When you buy from local farmers, you support businesses and employees you may not think about: tractor repair shops, farm and feed stores, bookkeepers, and web designers, to name a few.

Buying from local farmers and food producers is a smart and supportive investment in our communities and economies — now more than ever.

Recent cuts to local food purchasing programs are harming farmers and some of our most vulnerable community members, while also undermining the powerful impacts that ripple out from these purchases. With essential sales channels gone at the stroke of a pen, farmers are pivoting to make up for lost revenue. Farmers are good at pivoting — though we wish they didn’t have to — and here at BAV, we are working to help connect our farmers with new markets for their products.

One of the ways we’re doing this is through a new focus on building farm-to-institution partnerships in our region. We're reaching out to colleagues across New England who work in this space. And we're taking steps to bring farmers, food distributors, and food service personnel together, as we did during last month's "Farm to School" info session focused on local K-12 schools. Ultimately, this work will result in new connections and support for our farmers — expanding markets and putting more local food on the menu at schools, colleges, hospitals, and correctional facilities in our service area.

Against the tide of bad news and painful cuts, this feels like hopeful and impactful work. And it’s work whose impact just came into sharper focus. We were heartened to read about a new “net-cost tool” developed by Cornell University researchers that helps quantify the positive multiplier effect on business activity and tax revenue resulting from local food purchasing by institutions. We welcome this measurable proof of what many of us have known and witnessed all along — local purchasing pays off! 

We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter and we wish you a good late spring season.

Warm regards,

Rebecca Busansky

Executive Director

Photo: Square Roots Farm at the Pittsfield Farmers Market

CELEBRATING THE MARKET MATCH FUND!

It was a raw and rainy Saturday — yet still the perfect day to spend at the Pittsfield Farmers Market! BAV was thrilled to table last Saturday, May 10, on the opening day of the outdoor farmers market season. We were in great company: the market was humming with the amazing Roots Rising youth crew, a wonderful array of vendors, loyal market customers undeterred by the weather, and BAV donors and friends. We had so much fun celebrating the magic of community generosity, farmers markets, and BAV's Market Match Fund!

We raised a grand total of $42,800 for the Market Match Fund during our April community campaign, so there was lots to celebrate!

Thank you to all who stopped by our table to chat, enjoy hot coffee and bagels, and share what you love about the Market Match Fund and the Pittsfield Farmers Market. Special thanks to the Gilson Family Foundation for sponsoring our celebration, and to Roots Rising for hosting us!

Top photo: Emma Kron and Rebecca Busansky from BAV with donor Mary Spina at the BAV table. Photo collage (clockwise from top left): Full Well Farm booth; visitors to BAV's table; Roots Rising youth crew; Windy Ridge Farm booth; outside the Roots Rising booth; Pittsfield Farmers Market in chalk.

NEW STAFF: WELCOME, EMMA!

We are happy to welcome Emma Kron to the BAV staff team as our Program & Development Associate. Emma joined BAV last month, just in time to jump in on numerous events and projects! As a livestock farmer and lifelong 4-H'er, Emma brings a wealth of farming experience and expertise, as well as formidable organizational and event management skills. Welcome, Emma!

WE'RE HIRING: DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR OPENING

BAV is hiring! We are seeking an experienced Development Director to lead our fundraising efforts. This role is an opportunity to join a dynamic organization in a leadership capacity and work with people who are dedicated to helping local farmers thrive!

Interested candidates should refer to our position description for details. To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to our hiring team at jobs@berkshireagventures.org. We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

IN THE NEWS

"I can live my values and feed my neighborhood."

—Meg Bantle, Full Well Farm

Check out this Fabulous 413 podcast featuring sixth-generation farmer Meg Bantle, founder and co-owner of Full Well Farm in Adams, MA, and a BAV Board member. Full Well is a no-till organic farm that grows flowers and

vegetables for its CSA, the North Adams and Pittsfield farmers markets, food access sites, and other local customers.

In the Fabulous 413 piece, Bantle talks about the history of her queer-led farm, the impact of federal cuts, and the critical importance of HIP, SNAP, and BAV's Market Match Fund. "Especially this year with HIP benefits being cut and budgets being expectionally tight, BAV's Market Match program is so beneficial, so important — it's really going to help people stretch their SNAP dollars in these times." Listen to the full segment here!

MAY & JUNE: "ROUND UP" FOR BAV AT

We are thrilled to announce that Berkshire Agricultural Ventures is the "Round Up" recipient at Guido's Fresh Marketplace during May and June! Shoppers can round up for BAV at both the Pittsfield and Great Barrington locations. And if you visit the Pittsfield store before May 28, check out the tabletop at the end of the Wellness aisle: BAV was invited to set up a display to share our organization's work!

Thanks so much to the Guido's community for their generosity and support!

OUT & ABOUT

Dan Carr spoke about farmer challenges and hopeful local initiatives as a panelist for last month's "Fighting for Food, Home, and Earth: What Do We Do Now?” discussion in Great Barrington, MA. The panel was organized by the Berkshire Community Land Trust and featured MA Deputy Climate Chief Jonathan Schrag and Bob Climo of GB Bagel & Deli, in addition to Carr, with community leader Erik Bruun moderating. The discussion focused on local resiliency in the areas of housing, food, and farming.

BAV was the "Every Penny Counts" recipient at Wild Oats Market in Williamstown, MA, during March, with over $2,200 raised from the Wild Oats community during that month in support of our organization! Audrey Hackett was delighted to accept a check from General Manager Netse Lytle, pictured here. BAV thanks the Wild Oats team, especially Lytle and Marketing & Owner Relations Manager Amy Carey, for their incredible in-store promotion of BAV's work with farmers and food producers.

More than 20 Berkshire-area farmers, food distributors, and food service personnel gathered in Pittsfield, MA, last month for a "Farm to School" info session organized by BAV and featuring Mass Farm to School, Marty's Local, Berkshire Grown, and Myers Produce. As part of BAV's new initiative to strengthen farm-to-institution partnerships, the session was designed to help build relationships between farmers and food service providers at local schools. BAV staff members Jake Levin and Emma Kron coordinated the info session.

BAV co-hosted "Meet Your Greens" in Salisbury, CT, last month. The gathering was organized by the Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, with support from BAV and several area land trusts. The event brought together those working or volunteering in the conservation field for networking and conversation, including BAV's Climate Smart Agriculture Program Manager Ben Crockett.

As part of BAV's role in the New England Grazing Network (NEGN), Ben Crockett recently attended the network's annual strategic planning session at Wolfe's Neck Center in Freeport, ME. Working alongside fellow grazing professionals and service providers, Crockett and his NEGN colleagues discussed plans for an upcoming regional winter conference and how the network can continue to meet the needs of graziers throughout New England.

ICE PREPAREDNESS POSTERS FOR FARMS

Are you a farm business seeking to educate, prepare, and protect your workers in the event of an ICE visit? BAV will be making weather-resistant copies of the ICE preparedness posters pictured here available at no cost to our farmers and partners. (Click on the images to enlarge.)

These posters were developed by BASIC (Berkshire Alliance to Support the Immigrant Community), a local group whose mission is to bring justice, equity, and accessibility to the immigrant community in Berkshire County.

BASIC has a wealth of free resources available for individuals and organizations, and offers free peer coaching on local organizations' ICE preparedness plans.

You are welcome to download these posters for digital use. In addition, if you are interested in obtaining a printed copy of these posters from BAV for your farm operation, please contact us at info@berkshireagventures.org and we will arrange to get them to you!

SUPPORT BAV!

We all have a stake in local agriculture. Farmers, food producers, and our rural communities need our support more than ever. Please consider supporting BAV's work to strengthen our local food systems. Thank you!