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By EVELINE MACDOUGALL

When Shelburne resident Elisha Poulin gave a public presentation recently about biodynamic farming and gardening, there were occasional quizzical expressions on the faces of some attendees. Yet I was primed to listen with an open mind, thanks to a comment made last fall by Greenfield resident Ryan Nestor, who I interviewed for a story about growing sweet potatoes.

By EVELINE MACDOUGALL

Anyone seeking a great way to dive into gardening season – or simply celebrate spring in a beautiful place – is invited to visit the Seeds of Solidarity Farm and Education Center in Orange on Saturday morning, April 26. At 10:30 am, they’ll host a free, one-hour program called Grow Great Gardens, after which attendees are welcome to take self-guided tours. The event coincides with their farm stand’s opening day.

By JACOB NELSON

In many ways, farming can seem like a romantic way of life. “Being outside, providing for yourself, providing for your community – and the health changes I saw in myself, eating fresh food from the land – it all resonated so deeply,” says Cara Zueger, who runs Free Living Farm in Petersham with her husband Michael.

By COLIN A. YOUNG

A recommendation from a task force the Legislature created a decade ago resurfaced last week before the Revenue Committee, which took testimony related to the machinations involved when a farm wants to use a portion of its land to generate both renewable electricity and supplemental income.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

Three Franklin County farms have been awarded $101,875 in land stewardship grants from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) to aid in maintenance efforts that will ensure the land remains farmable for future generations.

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

MONTAGUE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested four farmworkers associated with Red Fire Farm earlier this month as part of a six-day operation throughout the state, including a raid in Springfield, that resulted in the arrests of 370 allegedly undocumented immigrants.

By CHRIS LARABEE

SHELBURNE — When it comes to the future of Franklin County farms, there’s so many options: they can be placed under an Agricultural Preservation Restriction, donated to a local conservation agency or sold to the next generation.

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — A pair of western Massachusetts lawmakers made an urgent plea to their colleagues last week to allow smaller farms to access property tax benefits currently available only to their larger peers.

By JACOB NELSON

Spring is here, and with it are signs of new life on farms around the Valley. Leaves are beginning to bud on fruit trees, farmers are preparing soil for the coming growing season, and at Little Brook Farm in Sunderland, day-old baby lambs are bounding around the lambing barn.

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

BOSTON — The state Department of Environmental Protection is fining Falls Farm, which has property in Montague and Sunderland, for violating the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and Massachusetts Clean Water Act.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

HADLEY — Irate farmers, waving signs and pitchforks, gathered in front of Town Hall on Sunday afternoon as tractors rolled in and the Expandable Brass Band played at the start of an “Attack on Small Farms” protest.

By CHRIS LARABEE

BOSTON — As farmers prepare to head out to the fields for the season, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle sent a letter to the new U.S. agriculture secretary expressing concerns over uncertain federal funding and other actions taken by the federal government.

By CHRIS LARABEE

WASHINGTON — As federal dollars continue to be frozen for projects across the nation, a Pioneer Valley farm has joined a federal lawsuit demanding the government lift the “unlawful and indefinite freeze of congressional appropriated funds,” according to documents filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

COLRAIN — The sugarhouse at Hager’s Farm on Merrifield Lane sustained minor damage during a fire that was quickly extinguished Wednesday evening.

By ALEXA LEWIS and MADISON SCHOFIELD

When he started tapping trees for the 2025 sugaring season, Paul Zononi of Paul’s Sugar House in Williamsburg was shocked to find that the sap came at a trickle — and with only half of its typical sugar content.

By LISA GOODRICH

“When people think of farms, they tend to think of the summer, abundance, corn fields, and flowers. What people don’t realize is that farms function year-round, and there are many business models that allow farmers to grow products year-round or have products year-round to sell,” says Hannah Logan, Market Manager of the Greenfield Winter Farmers’ Market.

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — With the Planning Board’s special permit approval this week, Savage Farms will construct a nearly 90,000-square-foot potato storage building for year-round protection of the family farm’s crops.

By CHINANU OKOLI

Applications are rolling in for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources’ new Farm Transfer Planning Assistance initiative that connects aging farmers and their successors with experienced planners to set retirement goals and figure out how management and assets will be transferred.

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

As uncertainty swirls around Washington regarding the release of allocated federal funds, farmers in Franklin County are beginning to feel the freeze.

By EMILEE KLEINand MADISON SCHOFIELD

Brunch restaurant Jake’s in Northampton is scrambling for eggs.