Photo at Golden Hour Tulips in Berkley

Our Twilight Grower events for 2023 begin TOMORROW evening! Come join SEMAP and your fellow farmers at E.L. Silvia Farms in Dighton (not at the farmstand in Somerset!) for our first skill share, where we'll learn about orchard maintenance! Farmer Ed Silvia and Heather Faubert of URI Cooperative Extension will cover topics from pruning your trees, to pest and disease management, and more!

There will also be time to try your hand at pruning on site, so be ready for a hands-on experience!

Can't make it tomorrow night? Not a problem! Our Twilight Series will continue throughout the summer and fall, as we continue to bring farmers together to learn from one another and connect with each other during the season. Check out these upcoming workshops, which you can register for now!

All SEMAP Twilight events are free to all, but we ask that folks register in advance whenever possible. Use the buttons below to sign up for these workshops, and be on the lookout for the rest of our Twilight Schedule, coming soon!

If you can’t answer these questions, perhaps come to this Tractor Safety CRAFT! The discussion will be led by Brian Huckins, tractor guru, tinker and smith, and master of what not to do on a tractor. Without demonstrating the bad safety habits, Brian will talk about the best ways to keep you and others safe as you operate a tractor. He’ll cover the layout of a tractor – all the knobs and do-dads, how not to flip over, proper usage, and general good operator practices

Tractor Safety, Powisett Farm, Dover

Date: Wednesday, May 10, 4-6pm,

Address: 39 Powisset St, Dover 02030

Host: Tim Laird, Farm Manager, Powisett Farm

Presenter: Brian Huckins, Huckins Forge, Northborough

CRAFT Liaison: Chris Yoder, Vanguarden CSA, Dover

Find the full schedule of CRAFT visits for 2023 on their website.

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.

The Neighborhood Farm in Westport is excited to share their online farm store for the 2023 season! Featuring over 200 varieties of crops, the store is a great way to shop for exactly what you're looking for, and has more options than any one market day would. CSA shares are also still available as well!

Pickup options for online orders are available at Westport Grange, Tiverton Farmers' Market, Wayland, Needham and Jamaica Plain. Check out the store on their website and get your orders in today!

The Spring Issue of Edible Southeastern MA is out now! Be sure to get your copy at your local grocer, restaurant, market, brewery, and more. Edible is great source for stories covering all things local food, from backyard gardens, to soil health, local plant sales and so much more!

An excerpt from this issue's Grist from the Mill: "The abundance of Southeastern Massachusetts is at your fingertips, whether it’s on the road, in your garden, or at the kitchen table. Winter is now in the rear-view mirror, and it’s time to harness that pent-up energy and get active. With a spring in your step, explore new places, unique tastes, and sustainable practices, and 'Get Yer Ya-Ya’s out.' ‘Tis the season!"

This info session with MA Ag Innovation Center walks agricultural producers interested in value-added food products through the food business roadmap, outlining things to consider on your journey. These sessions are held monthly on the fourth Wednesday, with the next one coming up on May 24.

The MA Ag Innovation Center (MAAIC) at the Franklin County

Community Development Corporation is a network of business-assistance providers across the Commonwealth helping farms and other value-added producers launch and scale new product ventures. They can provide support with product development, cost analysis, branding and marketing, sales and distribution and more!

The newly-formed Joint Committee on Agriculture is holding its first legislative hearings this month, looking at several bills that would greatly impact farmers and farming in Massachusetts.

The next hearing will be held on May 8, and is scheduled to feature discussion on the following bills, plus several more:

If you wish to provide testimony, you can do so virtually, in-person or in writing. Persons seeking to provide virtual verbal testimony must pre-register via this form by Thursday, May 4 at 5 p.m. Once registered, you will receive an invitation to join the hearing one day prior to the hearing. Please note there is a time limit of 3 minutes per person for verbal testimony. In-person and written testimony can be provided without pre-registration. Written testimony should be submitted to jointcmte-Agriculture@malegislature.gov

NOFA/Mass and NOFA RI are proud to be Core Partners in the Northeast Transition to Organic Partnership Program. This cooperative agreement is sponsored by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and will continue through October of 2027.  

NOFA/Mass and NOFA RI will be connecting paid mentors to mentees for one year. The mentorship program is expected to commence in the 4th quarter of 2023. NOFA staff will assist with helping mentee farmers to navigate the organic certification process. They also welcome partner non-profit or public organizations to work with them to provide community building opportunities, technical assistance, train-the-mentor support, workshop and field day activities covering topics including organic production practices, certification, conservation planning, business development, regulations, and marketing.

If you are a Massachusetts farm, please indicate your interest in participation on this form. Folks outside of Massachusetts should use this region wide interest form. 

The time has come - all across Southeastern Massachusetts, farmstands are opening their doors, filling their shelves and offering delicious local produce, meat, eggs, dairy and more! Farmers have been hard at work all winter and spring until now to be ready to offer you the best local foods they can, and are now ready to share it all with you!

Here's just a sample of some of the farmstands that have opened over the past few weeks:

Looking for more farms near you? Check out our virtual Local Food Guide on our website, with listings for farms all across our region! Also, keep your eyes out for this year's Local Food Guide, coming to farmstands and markets in Southeastern Massachusetts soon!

The Family Food Pantry - Damien's Place in Wareham is currently raising funds in to support their move into new building to better support families in need. For 30 years, Damien’s has been an active participant in the fight against hunger and food insecurity for thousands of individuals and families. Due to an increased need in their community, the current facility no longer meets the needs of the organization, and they are looking for your support to build upon their work and provide even more for their neighbors.

A successful Capital Campaign will allow them to provide:

With your support, The Family Pantry-Damien’s Place can grow into the next phase of our history and help change people’s lives, as well as all those in need in our surrounding communities.

This month's recommendation is bringing us back to the world of podcasts. With longer days outside ahead of us, hopefully this gives you something you can take in while you work. Just pop in your headphones and enjoy!

The Leading Voices in Food is a project of the Sanford World Food Policy Center at Duke University, covering issues all across the food system. Topics range from regenerative and sustainable agriculture, food access and SNAP, equity, nutrition, policy, food safety and much, much more. Episodes are posted on a weekly basis.

With over 200 episodes already available, we wanted to offer a few suggestions for shows to start with. Here are some of our top picks:

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.

This series came to our attention during the 21 Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge last month, put together by Food Solutions New England. This is a great project, providing the space and opportunity to reflect on the bigger, systemic issues in food and agriculture, and ground ourselves and our work in the acknowledgment of some difficult yet important truths.

Fresh crops are herein Southeastern Massachusetts! As farmstands and markets begin to open, and CSAs begin to distribute, keep your eyes open for some of our favorite local foods, including:

And don't forget about year-round local products like meat, dairy, eggs, and seafood! We hope this helps you plan recipes and get the most out of local food!

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 jlehner@semaponline.org

Education Assistant and Kitchen Assistant at Round the Bend Farm in Dartmouth

Assistant Livestock Manager at Powisset Farm in Dover and Weir River Farm in Hingham

Urban Agriculture Manager at Groundwork Lawrence in Lawrence

Summer Farm Crew Leader at Roots Rising in Pittsfield

Multiple Positions at National Young Farmers Coalition