Since taking the position of Executive Director in late September, I've had the great fortune to visit many farms and meet farmers and growers from Bristol, Plymouth and Norfolk Counties. The positive energy is palpable. It seems everyone in local agriculture is excited about SEMAP, what we are doing, and where we are heading, and I want to thank all of you who have welcomed me and provided words of support and encouragement. Looking toward to 2015, I'm sure great things are ahead for us.

Truly, one of my favorite parts of this job has been outreach. That outreach has taken various shapes (visits to farms and markets, attending Farm Bureau and other stakeholder meetings, potlucks, etc.), but one facet of that outreach I particularly enjoy is writing the monthly SEMAP Spotlight. It's given me an opportunity to drill down and highlight what makes agriculture in Southeastern Massachusetts: its great variety. Whether speaking with folks from Dufort Farms in Rehoboth or Chris Smith from C.N. Smith Farm in East Bridgewater, I've learned that there's a great diversity of experiences (and, obviously, products). Despite that great diversity, these farms and other successful ones across our region have at least one thing in common: they develop a fierce, longstanding loyalty within their customer base. Whether it's direct sales at the farm or at markets, people come back. They bring their children, and then their children come back. The cycle continues.

That's why, for this month's Spotlight, I'm hoping you can help me. I wanted to talk about Christmas trees but, the more I've spoken to people, the more I realize that buying the season's Christmas tree is a family tradition for so many. It's like Sunday dinner. You go to the same place to buy it (at roughly the same time of the month), decorate it with the same music and eat the same holiday cookies while you're doing it. Holidays are about building memories, so I want to know where you buy your Christmas trees and I want you to share your Christmas tree memories. It could be trees shipped down from Nova Scotia and sold at local farms and stands. It could be a cut-your-own from Southeastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island. Either way, please share with us via Facebook and, more importantly, share the memories, joy and spirit that make the holidays so special.

-Jason

• "Crop:  Garlic Scapes, Grade:  B  2014 Review:  We weren't aggressive enough harvesting scapes once the harvest began, subsequently quality diminished and we left some scapes out of our marketing plan and in the field.  2015 Ideas:  Start "scaping" when scapes are still immature, a week earlier than past years to ensure that we harvest a bulk of the scapes in their prime.  Include Garlic Scape Pesto recipe in CSA newsletter."   

I like the paper trail this creates, b/c it's easy to reference from one season to the next and hold ourselves accountable for implementation of the best ideas...

Each fall I spend a bit of time searching for a couple of good winter reads, which will expand our field on knowledge on the farm and hopefully provide a few good ideas for the new season.  This year I'm spending time with 3 books: 

• Jean-Martin Fortier's The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower's Handbook for Small-Scale Organic Farming.  Jean-Martin & his wife have made their living on a micro-farm outside Quebec (~1.5 acres) for the past decade and I was eager to follow up on some of his efficiency tips which he has described in past issues for Growing For Market. Although the information in this book will be most suited to other small, intensive producers there are plenty of ideas which may translate across scale and/or fit into one aspect of your operation.
• Reading Fearless Farm Finances:�  Farm Financial Management Demystified , published by MOSES (Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Services) just a few years back, is providing a valuable opportunity to review our farm's accounting and record keeping systems.  Fearless Farm Finances is a nice complement to Richard Wiswall's The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook and includes some great real world examples from highlighted farms.
• The 3rd book on the list for this winter, is hot off the press and written by SEMAP board member Andy Tomolonis, Organic Hobby Farming: A Practical Guide to Earth-Friendly Farming in Any Space.  Small scale hobby producers are abundant in Southeastern Massachusetts and Andy's book provides a valuable overview of common practices and considerations, especially well worth the read for folks who are entering farming from other careers and/or fitting farming work around their full-time job.

The Online Farm Guide  

Farmers: Keep your farmfresh.org listing up-to-date! The online farm guide, farmfresh.org, is a go-to for anyone looking for local foods, beverages and farm fun. Eaters: Visit www.farmfresh.org to find local food near you.   

The Beginning Farmers Network of MA has resources for beginning farmers, including an ever-expanding calendar of events statewide, helpful tips from guest bloggers, a jobs board, and a referral network. Get in touch or check out the BFN/MA site today to find the help you're looking for. See links to Young Farmer Nights (RI & MA super fun farm visits!) and New Entry's brand new publication, An Entrepreneur's Guide to Farming in Massachusetts.