“Our day is about collaborating — in particular the collaboration of farmers,” said Barbara Zheutlin, executive director of Berkshire Grown, to an impressive group of participants who gathered at Sky View Farm in Sheffield to kick off the day-long farm tour.
The Massachusetts Healthy Incentives Program provides a dollar-for-dollar match for SNAP dollars spent on fruits and vegetables purchased at participating farmers markets, farm stands, mobile markets and community supported agriculture programs statewide.
"The concept of eating healthy shouldn't be unique but sadly it is. If we treat people equally regardless of their economic status, it becomes habitual and I think we can have a healthy Massachusetts."
--- State Rep. William ‘Smitty’ Pignatelli
Farming at Climbing Tree is particularly labor-intensive given its hillside location, but there is a significant upside: the view. The farm looks out on a small lake, forests and the mountainous terrain of Massachusetts.
To battle the volatility of milk pricing, the Turners have turned to a number of strategies. Carla and Paul have the sugaring operation, which provides an additional livelihood for them.
After he finished his English degree at Williams College, Kim Wells fulfilled his dream with the purchase in 1982 of what is now East Mountain Farm in Williamstown. Today, his pasture-raised beef, chicken and pork have many fans in the region.
The Harvest Supper represents community and strengthens the bonds between chefs and farmers who have just finished a hard and rewarding season together.
-- Daire Rooney, chef at Allium in Great Barrington
According to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, roughly one in eight people continues to experience hunger in this part of the Commonwealth, an eye-opening fact. Furthermore, one in five children lives in food-insecure households.
