News

Lindsay and Charlie Sayer have been farming in Brimfield for more than 10 years, where they have a small herd of cattle on 28 acres. They sell their meat at farmers markets across the state and have a home delivery community supported agriculture (CSA) program. Lindsay applied to the FSIG program to purchase a second […]

The Framingham Housing Authority (FHA) found out about the FSIG program from a city employee sharing the notice on their COVID food security collaborative email group. FHA used their $6,000 grant to partner with For the Love of K, a gardening nonprofit, to install 20 irrigated raised beds on one of their properties. The garden […]

In 2000, after years of experimentation, Island Creek Oysters finally began harvesting enough oysters to operate on a full-time basis. Today, Island Creek is a vertically integrated farm that includes a shellfish hatchery, a distribution company, retail shops and restaurants, and an international development NGO. Island Creek Oysters saw the FSIG grant opportunity and considered […]

Bree-Z Knoll Farm got its start in 1968 when Warren and Sandy Facey bought two cows for their three children as part of a 4-H project. Today the Leyden farm milks 120 cows on 650 acres, and is operated by their son, Randy, and his wife Angie. Bree-Z Knoll uses rotational grazing in the spring, […]

Valley Malt was founded in 2010 when Andrea Stanley started to talk with local farmers about the grains they were growing and began to select varieties of barley to malt for local brewers. In early 2012 they upgraded their equipment to a system capable of malting four tons of grain per week. For the past […]

Massachusetts lawmakers are beginning to debate how to best invest billions of dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). They need to hear from YOU about the importance of supporting a resilient local food system. Last year, the Food Security Infrastructure Grant (FSIG) program received more than $200 million in requests for funding from […]

Municipal agricultural commissions have a new role to play, thanks to an amendment to the law that gives local boards of health their authority, which was enacted earlier this year. Local boards of health must now submit any new regulation that impacts agriculture to the agricultural commission, should it exist, for review before it can […]

Funds from the most recent federal coronavirus relief package, the American Rescue Plan (ARP), will soon be available to municipalities. The program’s preliminary guidance cites food insecurity as one of the reasons these resources are being distributed, and states that funds may be spent “To respond to the public health emergency or its negative economic […]

Last week’s budget draft from the Senate Committee on Ways and Means reflects how effective all of your advocacy has been! The proposal included funding at the requested levels for priorities like the Healthy Incentives Program, Buy Local Organizations, MEFAP, the MA Food Trust, and others. Four amendments have been introduced that would further strengthen […]

Last week’s budget proposal from the House Committee on Ways and Means budget draft reflects how effective all of your advocacy has been! The proposal included funding at the requested levels for priorities like the Healthy Incentives Program, Buy Local Organizations, MEFAP, the MA Food Trust, and others. Three amendments have been introduced that would […]