Berkshire Grown

WESTERN MASS FARMER AND AG COMMISSION GATHERINGS - AGENDA
Saturday, Dec 12, 2009 – Deerfield Town Hall
Saturday, Jan 9, 2010 – Hancock Shaker Village
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. / $10 Fee Includes Lunch, Coffee, Materials
(free registration if you attend only afternoon session)

8:30 – 9:00 Registration and Coffee

9:00 – 9:15 Welcome and Overview – Commissioner Scott Soares

FOR AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONS AND FRIENDS

9:15 – 10:45 Roundtable for AgCom Members – Successful AgCom Projects, Excise Tax Waivers, Right to Farm Signs, Farm-Neighbor Disputes, Promotion of Farm Products, & How to Stay Up-to-date on Who is Doing What – Kathy Orlando, Sheffield Land Trust, Moderator (Hancock), Phil Korman, CISA, Moderator (Deerfield)

10:45 – 11:00 Break

FOR ALL FARMERS AND AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONS

11:00 – 12:30 Current Laws and Issues – Food Safety, Standard Farm Practices, Crop Insurance, Dairy Loan Program, Chapter 61A, & many others – MDAR General Counsel Bob Ritchie, Asst Commissioner Nathan L’Etoile, Rep. Denis Guyer, Cris Coffin, AFT

12:30 – 1:15 Buffet Lunch and Informal Discussion

FOR ALL FARMERS AND AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONS

1:15 – 3:30 Sources of Funding, Technical Assistance & Information for Farmers
Panel and Displays by Various Federal, State, and Private Agencies: Grant
Programs, Incentives, Loans, Farm Energy, Farmland Protection, Others.

Sponsors: MDAR, TTOR/Highland Communities Initiative, Berkshire Grown, CISA, Berkshire-Pioneer RC&D, Conservation Districts, Mass Farm Bureau, American Farmland Trust, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Sheffield Land Trust, Franklin Land Trust, Franklin Council of Governments, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, Deerfield Agricultural Commission, Hancock Agricultural Commission, Pittsfield Agricultural Commission, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service