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Dear Friends,
As I reflect on the year gone by, I am so grateful for all of our farmers who work hard every day to tend their land, nurture its growth, and feed our community.
This month, the dedicated team here at Berkshire Agricultural Ventures wants to create space to give thanks to the incredible individuals - our farmers, food workers, entrepreneurs, food business owners, market staff, restauranteurs, food processors, and everyone in between - who make our mission of creating a thriving and equitable local food economy possible.
It is such rewarding work and we could not have done it without your support.
Sincerely,
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Rebecca Busansky
Executive Director
Express your gratitude today by supporting BAV.
Join us in supporting our farmers and help secure the future of local food in our community.
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"It is the season of Thanksgiving and we are so excited to have had our Creamery Expansion and Modernization project selected for funding. So, speaking of gratitude, we are bursting at the seams!
A special thanks to Dan Carr and the whole gang at BAV. Your support as an institution has been instrumental to the success of our application.
We are exceedingly grateful for BAV’s support in linking us up with grant writer Kara Weinstein and financial consultant Rose Wilson, and for creating affordable pathways to project financing.
Absent Dan and BAV’s support, surely we would not have been able to successfully compete for this amazing grant program, for this Chaseholm Farm Creamery shall be forever grateful. Thank you, BAV and Co.!"
Rory Chase
Chaseholm Farm Creamery
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"I am very grateful to have worked with Rory Chase, a masterful cheesemaker from Chaseholm Farm Creamery in preparing his grant proposal for the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) Existing Dairy Processor Expansion Grant.

It was recently announced that they were awarded the grant! This grant will enable them to expand their processing area and install a modern modular soft cheese production line, increasing their yield by 100% over three years. I am so happy to see dairy processors like Rory do well and expand their production because it means more local markets for local dairy farmers."
Dan Carr
Community Outreach &
Technical Assistance Manager
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"I am grateful to have had the opportunity to create and manage BAV’s Market Match Fund. This year we increased the Market Match Fund’s impact, thanks to BAV’s community of supporters.
It has been a joy, and an energizing learning experience, to connect with so many who are passionate about improving local food access in the Berkshires.
I am deeply grateful to the program’s Advisory Committee and all of the market managers I’ve worked with to make the program possible.
And of course, I am grateful for all our farmers. Without them there would be no farmers markets - without them there would be no food."
Ciana Barnaba
Community Relations &
Resource Development Manager
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"I have been grateful to work on the meat and poultry Food Safety and HACCP Hotline. It is an innovative solution to a problem we've heard about over and over again: creating clarity and transparency around food safety and HACCP solutions in an accessible manner.
I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly a wide range of people are utilizing not just the hotline, but our entire
resource guide for livestock farmers and meat processors."
Jake Levin
Local Meat Processing Support Program Manager
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"I enjoy the opportunity to connect with folks who do the hard work of providing food for our region.
I think of taking a seed and planting it into the ground as the ultimate act of faith. I'm grateful to work with people who take that leap of faith and plant those seeds in the ground and have faith that their work will provide them with a good living and their neighbors with healthy food."
Shannon Smith
Director of Finance & Lending
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"I am extremely grateful to Alison Basdekis of
Shaker Creek Farm for letting me run a soil moisture sensing experiment in her ginger & turmeric planting during the 2023 growing season as part of BAV's Climate Smart Agriculture Program.

Alison is a skilled and thoughtful farmer who understands the strength of communities and the importance of sharing her farm experiences with peers. I lucked out connecting with Alison, and am grateful for her patience and dedication to farming."

Ben Crockett
Climate Smart Agriculture Program Manager
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"I am so grateful to be able to meet so many incredible farmers who are passionate about connecting with the land, feeding people, and who are so intentional in their implementation of sustainability practices.
The more I learn about our community and the wonderful work being done all around us, the more grateful I become."
Patrick Grego
Communications & Development Associate
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"I am grateful to my colleagues at BAV, whose work serves as a critical hub and an essential resource for the farmers in our community. Their unmatched dedication and expertise are key to helping our farmers thrive, which in turn provides healthy food for our community - something I value immensely. And, of course, I am grateful to our hard working farmers!
I am also so grateful for our community of supporters. Their generosity enables us to fulfill our mission each day and make it all possible."

Bonnie Stevens
Director of Development
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Farming and Agricultural Issues Discussed at ThinkFOOD Conference
"'I think it’s important to continue to raise public awareness of local agriculture, not just amongst young people, but amongst all the people in our community,” Patrick Grego, the Communications and Development Associate for Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, said.'"
Read Full Story in the Berkshire Edge
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BAV Celebrates Milestones in Local Meat Processing Support
"BAV has created a number of new resources to make navigating the local and regional meat processing supply chain easier."
Read Full Story in Morning Ag Clips
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Upcoming Events Around The Berkshires! | |
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The Nuts-and-Bolts of Farm Leasing: Securing Access to Farmland in Berkshire County
Tues, Dec 5th | 5:00 pm - 7:15 pm
The Stationery Factory | Dalton, MA
Are you a Berkshire County farmer operating on leased land? Looking to finally get a handshake lease in writing? Are you a landowner (individual, non-profit, or public entity) who leases or hopes to lease your land to a farmer? Want to understand the different types of lease arrangements, what makes a strong lease, and who should be reviewing your lease?
Learn more and sign up
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Winter Session: Exploring the Small Farm Dream
Wednesdays | Jan 17 – Feb 14
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location TBD
This course offers guidance and resources to help make informed decisions about what’s involved with owning your own farm so you can decide whether or not to take the plunge and how to proceed in the first stages.
Learn more and sign up
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Land For Good & MDAR's Farm Succession School
Wednesdays | Jan 31, Feb 28, March 27
9:30 am - 4:00 pm
Pittsfield, MA
This three-day winter course is an opportunity for senior generation farmers – with or without identified successors – to talk with peers, learn from advisors, and get support on the challenging process of farm succession and transfer planning.
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Wholesale Readiness Program for Food Entrepreneurs
Multiple dates | Jan 12 - May 17
9:00 am - 10:30 am
Virtual
Are you an early-stage, but established food entrepreneur selling a consumer packaged good or value-added product in the northeast? Are you primarily selling direct to consumer and ready to begin selling to stores (or more stores!) in your region?
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Opportunities in Agriculture | |
Riska Brook Orchard is Hiring an
Orchard Manager!
Located in Sandisfield, Massachusetts, Riiska Brook Orchard boasts 1,600 trees spanning over approximately 30 acres.
Position Summary:
Riiska Brook Orchard is seeking a dedicated Orchard Manager with a strong biological understanding of orchard management practices and a creative problem-solving mindset.
Learn more and apply
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Heart & Soil Collective is Hiring a Program Coordinator!
Heart & Soil Collective is a nonprofit farm located in Lanesborough, MA.
Position Summary:
Heart & Soil Collective is seeking a part-time Program Coordinator to help design and facilitate educational experiences to support the expansion of our food security programming.
Learn more and apply
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Support BAV today! 
Join us in supporting our farmers, and help secure the future of local food in our community.
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