Stories

Town farms – or poor farms – provided a support system for society’s poor in the 1800s through the mid-1900s in New England. Often on the outskirts of town, the poor farm provided a sense of purpose for paupers who then provided labor for the farm. Just such a poor farm was owned by the […]

Mike Kosinski is a third-generation farmer and the owner/ operator of North Country Harvest, a 390-acre grain operation in Westfield. Through his participation in the APR Improvement Program (AIP), Michael received technical and business planning assistance as well as a $75,000 AIP grant for infrastructure improvements. Mike used the funds to purchase a new grain […]

Brothers Randy and Brian Jordan are 5th generation farmers in Rutland, Massachusetts. Jordan Dairy Farms is home to 800 head of Holsteins and one Big Bertha, and became the first farm in Massachusetts to produce energy using anaerobic digestion, turning the organic matter in their cow manure into power. Each day, they produce enough clean […]

Not all farms in Massachusetts are found in idyllic rural settings. Thousands of people, many of them immigrants and low-income, tend less-than-one-acre farms and gardens in Springfield, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Boston, and other cities. There is an increased demand for local food in cities but many roadblocks prevent communities from gaining access to the land […]

Ten years ago The Food Project, a non-profit organization that engages youth in positive change, started growing food in Lynn with young people from the city and surrounding communities. At the time, there was little to no gardening space or local food available to low-income residents in this Gateway city. With teens leading the way, […]

Eden Pond Farm in Bernardston raises meat chickens, but because of the lack of facilities in Massachusetts, drives their birds to Rhode Island for processing, requiring either a full day away from the farm, or two round trips of 200 miles. North Plain Farm in Great Barrington raises pork and beef, and drives several hours […]

Marlene and Chris Stasinos farm 139 acres of land and operate a popular farm stand in Haverhill. They offer educational tours to local groups and are committed to sustainable farming practices. In 2011, looking for ways to keep their farm in business and meet customers’ growing demand for local meats, they added eight pigs to […]

A great example of local farms helping to reduce food insecurity is the 60-acre, permanently protected Food Bank Farm in Hadley. Skilled farmers from Mountain View Farm CSA of neighboring Easthampton lease the land in exchange for donating at least 100,000 pounds annually of fresh, chemical-free produce, which The Food Bank of Western Mass distributes […]

Dr. Megan Sandel, a pediatrician at Boston Medical Center, begins every patient exam by checking their vital signs: heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure. And then, just as importantly, she checks their Hunger Vital Sign by asking two simple questions to find out if the child’s family has had enough food. In cases where Dr. […]

The UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester supports several efforts in distressed, food-insecure neighborhoods to improve nutrition among vulnerable residents and increase access to healthy food. In collaboration with the City of Worcester and the Regional Environmental Council (REC), the hospital supports the Grant Square Community Garden in Worcester’s Bell Hill neighborhood. Established in 2010, […]