PYO Apples, Pumpkins & more!  
CN Smith Farm, E. Bridgewater - Saturday/Sunday 9-4. Wed thru Fri 10-4
Pocasset Orchards, Dartmouth - Open Saturdays, 2pm-6pm

We are working together to bring a state-of-the-art, local USDA-certified/Custom modular or mobile slaughterhouse to Bristol, Norfolk, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes, and  Nantucket counties that will utilize the highest animal welfare standards possible.  Please complete this survey online or complete and return this paper survey.  We appreciate your response in assessing demand for service!

If you have taken the Explore Farming! course, and have decided that you want to start your own farming business, the Farm Business Planning Course is your next step. This course meets in the evenings once a week, and will be offered twice every year, beginning in October and in January.
For more info, visit: http://nesfp.nutrition.tufts.edu/training/farmbusiness.html

NEW MASSACHUSETTS FARM ENERGY GUIDES 

Local farmers looking to cut energy costs can now plug into a wealth of information contained in the series of guidebooks released by the Massachusetts Farm Energy Program (MFEP). A project of Berkshire-Pioneer Resource Conservation & Development, MFEP is celebrating the national release of Massachusetts Farm Energy Best Management Practices Guides, now available online at: www.berkshirepioneerrcd.org .    

 

VALUE-ADDED PRODUCER GRANTS (VAPG) - Deadline, Oct. 15th

The primary objective of the VAPG program is to help agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and/or marketing of bio-based value-added products. Generating new products, creating and expanding marketing opportunities, and increasing producer income are the end goals of this program.  Read more here...

The MassDevelopment/The Carrot Project Small Farm Loan Program is designed for small Massachusetts farms having difficulty obtaining credit for projects that improve their operations and increase their income, as well as for emergency needs. Preference will be given to farms that use or are moving toward organic methods. Funds may be used for capital investments that improve efficiency and quality, and those that expand farm production or sales. Other eligible expenses include farm operations or repairs necessary to maintain farm operations. The fund offers loans of $3,000 to $35,000, and terms of up to 5 years.  Read more here...