Letter from the Executive Director

Greetings from Berkshire Ag Ventures, and I hope your new year is off to a great start.

As the winter has us spending more time indoors, that time affords us to be contemplative, I personally have been reflecting on the last year at BAV - its growth and its accomplishments. I am also reflecting on how fortunate we are to have such a wonderful community. We have incredible partners and supporters who lift up our work, helping us provide necessary resources to our farming community and strengthening our local food economy.

Overall, 2022 was an excellent year. BAV accomplished a lot, though we all know there is always more to accomplish. I reflect on the fact that we are still a young organization with only five years of nonprofit experience and yet, we have undergone a great deal of growth in the last year.

Here are a few thoughts on major accomplishments 2022:

• BAV invested nearly $650,000 into the local food system with $398,000 in low-interest term loans, $192,744 in bridge loans for grant projects, and over $58,000 in BAV micro-grants. BAV’s funding enabled farmers and ag organizations to protect farmland, build new greenhouses, expand growing seasons, re-establish local fiber processing, test agro-forestry solutions, adapt no-till practices, and educate our community – among so many other important contributions!

• We developed a strategic plan for Climate Smart Agriculture to guide work in this complicated area. In partnership with other area service providers, we intend to create risk assessment tools, mitigation strategies and project support to help farmers adapt to the local impacts of climate change.

• BAV secured over $750,000 for farmers and meat processors in our area, by way of the USDA Value Added Producer grant, the Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant and other USDA and Foundation grants.This would not have happened without BAV’s investment in external technical assistance providers and grant writing support for local farms. A service we look forward to growing.

• BAV made renewed commitments to diversity and inclusion, including participating in Soul Fire Farm’s Uprooting Racism in the Food System - training our Staff, Board and partners on issues caused by systemic racial injustices in the food system. We established a DEIB Board Committee, and our work will continue as we look for more opportunities in 2023 to integrate anti-racism action into our programs and community engagement.

All of this would not have been possible without BAV’s highly talented professional staff, a dedicated Board of Directors, a strong community of donors and wonderful partners. We are grateful for their time, generosity and friendship.

Looking forward to 2023, my time at BAV is coming to an end as the Interim Executive Director, a position that I’ve held for over two years, and enjoyed immensely. The search for a new Executive Director began this month, and we hope to have someone in place by the end of March to carry the organization forward into the future. 

I look forward to the next few years of growth and impact by this dynamic organization. It has been an honor to serve this mission.

Sincerely,

Glenn Bergman

Interim Executive Director

Executive Director Position & Application

Read the job description below, or on our website. We hope you consider joining our team!



Upcoming Winter Ag Events

Climate Smart Agriculture Info Sessions

Interested in making you farm more resilient? Concerned about climate change? Join BAV on February 9th, to learn about ways to enable your operations to be sustainable.

Berkshire Grown Winter Workshops

Registration for the 2023 Farmer & Producer Winter Workshops is open! Featuring four different and informative topics. All virtual workshops will be presented on the Zoom platform. Grazing School, held in April and an all day workshop, led by Sarah Flack will be in person. Co-sponsored by BAV!

Mumbet’s Freedom Farm - Four Elements: An Environmental Film Series

In collaboration with Random Harvest and local activists, Mumbet's Freedom Farm will be screening four films this winter showcasing important environmental issues we’re facing and the brilliant strategies we can use to combat the current climate crisis. We hope to see you there!

Support BAV and join us in building the future of food in our community.