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The Vine - February 2018
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A Message from the Executive Director
 
With a whiff of spring in the air and plants again filling greenhouses, it's also time for SEMAP's Ag & Food Conference.  A full day of workshops - 30 different ones to choose from - and an exciting keynote by Irene Li of Mei Mei in Boston talking about local sourcing for her incredibly popular restaurant.  Held at the Bristol County Agricultural High School, we have the amenities for some really exciting workshops - think indigo dying, basic beekeeping, winter greenhouse growing and cut flower production.  We hope you will join us this Sunday, February 25th at Bristol County Agricultural High School.

The late winter is turning out to be busy, not only for farmers but agriculture overall.  There are a series of "Listening Sessions" for the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program.  Continue reading on the SEMAP website.

Sincerely,
Karen Schwalbe
Executive Director

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Ag & Food Conference, Feb. 25th, 9am-5pm at Bristol County Agricultural High School in Dighton

We have a total of 31 WORKSHOPS on topics including:

Value-added products, accounting & bookkeeping, cut flower production, cover cropping, composting, exotic crops, poultry health & feed, butchery demonstration, textile up-cycling (bring your own T-shirt), connecting your farm to early education, crop insurance, risk management, winter vegetable production, insect/disease/weed solutions, growing crops for immigrant communities,  wool processing, animal & public health regulations, plant-based nutrition, farm employment law, land access, DIY greenhouses, beekeeping basics, meat rabbits, Lyme Disease treatment, corn milling, and crop-specific discussions on head lettuce & pumpkins. Our Children's Track includes a lesson on both keeping bunnies and honeybees, and a tour of the Bristol Aggie campus.

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Ag & Food Keynote: Irene Li
Irene Li operates Mei Mei Street Kitchen & Mei Mei Restaurant in Boston, leading the industry in local & ethical sourcing and fair employment practices. She is an Eater Young Gun award winner and three-time James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef semi-finalist. 


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Ag & Food Seed Swap, Giveaway & Reminder

Bring a bag or packet of your favorite seeds, properly labeled with variety, and swap for another bag of seeds at the Conference! We will have a table set up in the Gym (main room). Seeds must be non-gmo, and please indicate if they are organic or not on the bag. Heirloom varieties are highly encouraged!

Bring your own re-usable coffee mug or water bottle to the Ag & Food Conference on Sunday and get entered to win a gallon of Organic Gem liquid fish fertilizer (3-3-3). Just show your mug or bottle to someone in the registration room to be entered to win!

Bring a T-Shirt! If you'll be attending Rhonda Fazio's "Design 2 a Tee: The Art of Upcycling" workshop during Session 1, you'll want to bring your own used T-shirt!

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Meatworks On Track to Open June 1st
The walls are up, plumbing is in, concrete will be poured in the next two weeks, and there's a roof on the building (seen on the right). This means the Meatworks animal processing facility is on track to open for June 1st bookings.  Contact Amado for more details and to schedule your animals for June through December 2018.
 


 
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SEMAP Co-Hosting Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training on March 20th
Mark your calendar for an upcoming workshop with representatives from UMass Extension & MDAR. Participants will learn about produce safety best practices, key parts of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements, and how these requirements will be enforced in MA through MDAR's Commonwealth Quality Program (CQP). There will be time for questions and discussion, so participants should come prepared to share their experiences and produce safety questions. The workshop will be held on March 20th at the UMass Cranberry Experiment Station in Wareham. Learn more here.
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Farmland Still Available in Marshfield & Westport
The town of Marshfield is seeking one or more farmers to utilize and steward up to 7.3 +/- acres of town owned conservation land in agricultural use at  Mounce's Meadow, off Union Street near the North River.  Proposals/applications are still being accepted for a limited use license to farm up to 7.3 acres on an annual basis. T o obtain a complete description of the land, enhancements, general requirements, and the application form please email bgrafton@townofmarshfield.org  or  agcom@townofmarshfield.org. View a map of the property here.

The Westport Land Conservation Trust (WLCT) has issued an RFP for a parcel of land comprising approximately 31.17 acres and located near 122 Blossom Road in Westport, MA 02790. The parcel will be conveyed subject to an Agricultural Preservation Restriction ("APR"), as explained in the request for proposals. WLCT seeks to sell this property to an owner who is committed and able to manage agricultural operations and protect the conservation and agricultural resources on the property (as outlined in the APR).  Learn more here.

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Gnudi Night,  Wednesday Feb. 28th, 7pm
Join Edible South Shore & South Coast and Rye Tavern's Chef Swain as he shares his tips to making this simple yet popular pasta. Gnudi are similar to gnocchi but lighter, more delicate, and made with fresh ricotta, semolina flour (instead of potato), and are easy to flavor. Learn more here.

The demo will take place at KAM Appliances, 1176 Washington Street, Hanover, MA 02339
Wednesday, 2/28/18, 7:00pm - 8:30pm, $20
Email Events@edibleSouthShore.com to Register.


 
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Grass Fed Beef Sale at Round the Bend Farm This Thursday Feb. 22nd, 4-7pm
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LOTS of Job opportunities available!

Farmers: Keep your farmfresh.org listing up-to-date!   The online farm guide,  farmfresh.org , is a go-to for anyone looking for local foods, beverages and farm events. Click "Add / Edit Your Listing" on the bottom left of the page.

View farmers markets across Bristol, Plymouth, & Norfolk Counties .

Find land to farm, service providers, farmer education, farm funding, information on land transfer, and more!

The Beginning Farmers Network of MA has many resources for beginning farmers See links to Young Farmer Nights and New Entry's publication, An Entrepreneur's Guide to Farming in Massachusetts.
  
This online version of our Local Food Guide contains SEMAP member farms and local food businesses, as well as a list of farmers markets in our region.



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Upcoming Events
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Thank you to our Ag & Food Sponsors!



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