Forest Conservation and Management Strategies for Climate Mitigation| 12:08PM / Friday, November 03, 2023 | |
 SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Tom Ryan, a forester with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), will present at the November Berkshire Green Drinks event on Thursday, Nov. 9, in person and online via Zoom. The in-person gathering begins at 5:15 PM at Big Elm Brewery Sheffield Taproom, 65 Silver Street. The presentation and Zoom meeting start at 6:00 PM. Ryan will touch on several areas within forestry, including an overview of the current state of our forested landscape, a summary of state forestry programs and the existing land use designations for DCR state properties, conservation options for private landowners, forest-climate adaptation and >> Read More |
Simon’s Rock to Host the Tenth Annual Think Food Conference| 08:20AM / Sunday, October 29, 2023 | |
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.—Simon's Rock will host the tenth annual ThinkFOOD conference on campus on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. This year's conference theme, hosted by the Center for Food and Resilience, will feature panels and workshops on the theme "Making Local Farming Work." This year's keynote speaker will be Ashley Randle, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. A fifth-generation dairy farmer, Ashley Randle was sworn in as the twenty-first Commissioner by Governor Maura T.Healey on March 6, 2023. She is the first woman to lead the Department and assumed the role after having served as Deputy >> Read More |
BAV Expands Local Meat Processing Support Program| 10:41AM / Tuesday, October 24, 2023 | |
GREAT BARRINGTON — Berkshire Agricultural Ventures (BAV) announced two milestones in its mission to bolster the regional food supply chain. The opening of the BAV/AgriForaging Food Safety Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Hotline and a visit by the USDA to both Plymouth Meats, a regional meat processor in Terryville, Conn, and to BAV's headquarters in Great Barrington, showcased the organization's commitment to promoting sustainable and resilient meat processing practices across the Berkshire-Taconic region; just one portion of BAV's work towards bolstering the local food economy. BAV has partnered with AgriForaging Food Safety to introduce
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Berkshire Agricultural Ventures Holds Inaugural Climate Smart Agriculture Event| 04:03PM / Saturday, October 07, 2023 | |
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Agricultural Ventures (BAV) announced its inaugural climate smart agriculture event, "Harvesting Hope: Building Climate Resilient Farms in the Berkshire-Taconic Region." The event took place Thursday, Sept. 21, at Berkshire Botanical Garden's historic Center House. A panel of local farmers, climate experts, BAV's knowledgeable staff, and concerned community members, gathered and engaged in a dialogue about climate change and its impact on local agriculture. "Harvesting Hope" was scheduled during Climate Week NYC, which coincided with the United Nations' Climate Ambition Summit. Though >> Read More |
Berkshire Green Drinks: Beyond Recycling| 12:05PM / Wednesday, September 06, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Andrew Ferrara, program manager of Berkshire Environmental Action Team's Zero Waste Initiative, will speak at the September Berkshire Green Drinks event at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, September 12, online via Zoom. According to a press release: Learn about current projects and groups working to reduce waste in Berkshire County that go beyond just recycling. Get an inside look into the many recycling programs BZWI offers to the community, including conventionally not-recyclable items like toothbrushes and bread tags. Learn why special recycling programs are not the answer to our waste crisis and how BZWI plans to move beyond recycling as a solution by >> Read More |
Tree Identification Walk in Lower Bowker's Woods| 04:13PM / Friday, August 11, 2023 | |
 STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) will lead a free tree identification walk on Sunday, Aug. 20, at 9:30 AM. Participants will meet at the trailhead of Lower Bowker's Woods, a Laurel Hill Association property located near Stockbridge. The walk will last between 1.5 and 2 hours. Anybody is welcome to join, but the number of participants is limited. Registration is required to join. Register at this link: https://tinyurl.com/August2023-BEAT-Tree-ID Participants will learn key characteristics of common trees in western Massachusetts and get tips to help identify them by species. The 1-mile trail meanders along the Housatonic >> Read More |
Berkshire Agricultural Ventures Welcomes Communications and Development Associate| 09:00AM / Thursday, July 27, 2023 | |
 GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Agriculture Ventures (BAV), a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting local agriculture and resilient food systems in the Berkshire-Taconic region, announced the appointment of Patrick Grego as its full-time Communications and Development Associate. "We are thrilled to welcome Patrick to the Berkshire Agricultural Ventures team," said Rebecca Busansky, Executive Director of BAV. "We are excited to work with him to help share the stories of our farmers and amplify our work in the food system. His enthusiasm provides great promise in advancing our work to create a thriving local food economy." Grego >> Read More |
Berkshire Agricultural Ventures Welcomes New Board of Director Member| 09:12AM / Thursday, July 06, 2023 | |
 GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Agricultural Ventures (BAV), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting local agriculture and a resilient regional food system, announced the appointment of Martha Page to its Board of Directors. With her experience in nonprofit, government, and private sector management, Martha brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to further strengthen BAV's mission and impact across the Berkshire-Taconic region. Page joins the Board following her successful tenure as the Executive Director of Hartford Food System Inc, where she spearheaded innovative initiatives to address food security, promote equitable access to >> Read More |
Berkshire Agricultural Ventures Expands SNAP Program With Grants| 03:31PM / Wednesday, June 21, 2023 | |
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Agriculture Ventures (BAV) has awarded over $140,000 in grants to support SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Access Program) matching programs at ten Berkshire-area farmers markets. This financial assistance plays a role in bolstering food equity and ensuring that all community members have access to fresh, local, and nutrient-dense food, especially at a time when SNAP benefits nation-wide have been cut to pre-pandemic levels, according to a press release. Through BAV's Market Match Fund, an economic development and food access program, funding is provided to farmers markets to enhance the effectiveness of SNAP benefits throughout >> Read More |
Berkshire Grown Hires Director of Development| 08:51AM / Tuesday, June 20, 2023 | |
 GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Grown announced the hiring of our first Director of Development, Stephanie Bergman. Bergman brings more than 20 years expertise in the nonprofit field, with extensive experience developing, implementing, and funding programs that meet critical community needs. "Berkshire Grown's commitment to farmers and local food strongly aligns with my personal values and I am looking forward to collaborating with the staff and board to ensure that all in the community have access to the food grown and produced here," said Bergman. "There are some amazing new initiatives the organization has developed around supporting >> Read More |
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