Photo at Westport Sea Farms in Westport

We are now less than 60 days away from SEMAP's 16th Annual Agriculture and Food Conference, presented virtually on Sunday, February 26! Join us for a day of engaging virtual workshops on topics ranging all across the food and agricultural space. Farmers, foodies, and agricultural advocates alike are all welcome.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Neftalí Durán, co-founder of I-Collective, an organization focused on promoting Indigenous peoples' impacts on the food system, teaching about Indigenous food practices, and uplifting Indigenous voices. We will announce more workshops and panels this month, which you can keep track of on the Conference webpage and across our social media pages.

Tickets are available on a sliding scale, with scholarship and super supporter options, so choose the option you feel best suits you. If cost is still a barrier, please reach out to shickey@semaponline.org for a complete scholarship.

We are also currently seeking sponsors for the event, as well for the rest of our programming for next year, to make sure we can continue to provide the support and opportunities farmers are looking for. If your business is interested in sponsoring SEMAP in 2023, check out the new sponsorship package on our website, and reach out jlehner@semaponline.org with any inquiries.

On Wednesday, January 18, join SEMAP and The Carrot Project in a workshop exploring the new USDA Micro Farm Insurance Program! Speaker Amanda Chang is well-versed in this program, which could be perfect for farms with up to $350,000 in approved annual revenue. Learn whether this program is right for you, understand your next steps, and network with other small farmers!

Then on Wednesday, January 25, we will be hosting Mieko Ozeki of Radiance Studios, LLC to discuss the most effective marketing strategies to adopt during the off-season. How do you keep your business on customers' minds when markets are closed and product offerings are sparse? This workshop specifically focuses on Facebook and Instagram presence.

Registration for both events is open now through our website. Head over to the SEMAP event calendar for more details and to sign up today!

Take a look at a few of the currently open grant, reimbursement, and award programs below, then check out a complete list on our webpage.

SEMAP is excited to announce that applications are now open for our Technology, Innovation, Excellence (TIE) Award for 2023!

SEMAP’s TIE Award program encourages local farmers to trial non-traditional equipment, implement novel farm systems, and address challenges farmers in the region collectively face. This program enables our local farms to explore new ideas locally and share their findings with the region's farming community to increase local knowledge, capacity, and resiliency.

Applications are due February 1, 2023, but the application takes only 15 minutes to fill out, so tell us about your idea or vision today!

Working to combat food insecurity throughout the Commonwealth, the Baker-Polito Administration announced the availability of $28.5 million in funding for the FY24 Food Security Infrastructure Grant (FSIG) Program. This funding will allow the Commonwealth to ensure equitable access to healthy, locally-produced food for individuals and families throughout the state.

In order to best support applicants within the state’s local food production and distribution system, the FSIG Program administrators will be hosting two virtual question and answer sessions on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, from 1:00PM to 3:00 p.m. and Thursday, January 5, 2023, from 4:00PM to 6:00 p.m. to answer potential applicant questions related to project ideas, as well as hear any feedback in response to previous rounds. Following these sessions, a Request for Responses (RFR) will be issued, seeking proposals from stakeholders.

MDAR's 2023 Farm Stress and Mental Health Awareness Training for all members of the Massachusetts agricultural community, beginning January 9, 2023. The peer-based training groups are customized for Massachusetts farmers and those that support them, including family members, our staff and MDAR partner organizations.

The Training programs are designed to enable participants to become allies in the Department's mental health outreach efforts. Those that take part in the training will learn how to recognize signs of stress a farmer and their family may be experiencing, and have the skill set and knowledge to engage and identify helpful resources developed by MDAR. The program's goal is to provide language, context and resources to enhance

mental health conversations.

Trainings will be available online and in person, with sessions available throughout the state over the coming months. Full details on every session and how to register can be found on the MDAR website.

The seven NOFA chapters are preparing to kick off their Winter Conference season this month, and you're invited! On January 10, the 2023 NOFA/Mass Winter Conference Keynote Speaker Ira Wallace of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange will join all the NOFA organizations to discuss the importance of food security and how seed saving continues to play an important role in feeding our communities. Representatives from each of the NOFA chapters will also join to discuss the food security work being done in the Northeast states.

If you're looking for more great workshops with NOFA, don't forget to register for the NOFA/Mass Winter Conference, January 14 and 15! Saturday will be hybrid, with in-person workshops at Worcester State University, and Sunday will be entirely virtual. Registration is available on a sliding scale model to allow all folks who would like to attend the ability to do so.

Check out this free article from Growing For Market magazine, featuring insight from Evan Quigley, a single-acre farmer at The Kitchen Garden Farm in Ontario, Canada. This article is a great resource for small-scale farmers, covering strategies for soil healthy, crop rotations, and other helpful tips from Evan!

From the article: "In 2018, Evan scaled back from three acres to around an acre and decided to farm solo without employees. "I realized that I needed to simplify my systems and be as efficient as possible,” he recalled. “There was no way I was lugging wheelbarrows of compost or hauling around a backpack sprayer every week to foliar spray.'"

With the new year finally upon us, it is time to start thinking about getting your farm, market, or other food business seen by consumers across the region. What better way than with a listing in SEMAP's Local Food Guide?

Every year SEMAP distributes over 10,000 copies of our Buy Fresh Buy Local Guide for the Southeastern Massachusetts region, as well as offering a digital version on our website. As we prepare our 2023 guide to print and distribute this Spring, now is the time to update your virtual listing and order copies for your business!

Check out SEMAP's virtual Local Food Guide to review your businesses listing, and to find farm stands, farmers' markets and more across Southeastern MA!

Kicking off our 2023 recommendation list is another insightful and thought-provoking podcast series from the folks at Farmerama Radio. This month, we are excited to share their program from a few years ago, "Landed," which explores and questions long-held assumptions about land ownership through and examination of the family farm structure, as told by seed researcher Col Gordon upon returning to his father's farm in Scotland.

The four-part series takes a close look at how we think about land ownership, succession, and access, and what that means for the viability of our agricultural system. While primarily focused on this structure in the United Kingdom, we think there are still many points that we can bring into our own thinking as we consider what sort of food system we want to build.

From FarmerAma: "This series isn’t about dismissing the small family farm, but rather, bringing it to life within its full ecological, cultural and historical contexts. It challenges us to learn from these to make our landscapes more sustainable and accessible for all."

We are always looking for new suggestions of resources to broaden our understanding and learning about what matters to farmers, and we especially want to hear from you about what you've read, heard or watched recently. If you have any thoughts or recommendations for this section going forward, send an email to jlehner@semaponline.org.

With the growing season hitting its peak this time of year, we want to make sure all of our readers and local eaters know what fresh finds you can find at your local farm or farmers' market. We hope this helps you plan recipes and get the most out of local food!

Throughout January, be on the lookout for...

And don't forget about year-round local products like meat, dairy, eggs, and seafood!

Have you checked out our Local Food Jobs page recently? You'll find local food and farm job listings relevant to Southeastern Massachusetts. Here are a few picks currently on the page. Want to share a listing? Email info@semaponline.org.

Farm Crew at Roots Farm in Tiverton, RI

Project Manager and Project Coordinators at Southern New England Farmers of Color Collaborative in MA, CT, RI

Seasonal Field Crew at Powisset Farm in Dover

Supply Chain Coordinator and Grants Coordinator at Massachusetts Farm to School, Remote (based in MA)

Food Access Coordinator, Western MA at NOFA/Mass, Remote w/ travel