Recognizing that farming is essential to our community, Local Farmer Award partners, the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation and Big Y awarded 47 local farmers from the Berkshires to the Pioneer Valley $2,500 to make physical infrastructure improvements to their farms. Along with the generous support of sponsors, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and MGM Springfield, farmers have already put to great use the $2,500 award for projects for farm improvements. This represents a 42% increase in awards from the 2015 inaugural year.
With the collaboration of local agriculture advocacy organizations, Berkshire Grown and CISA (Community Involved in Sustained Agriculture), the applications selected for the Farmer Awards were announced in December. One hundred twenty-eight farmers submitted applications describing their improvement projects. The award recipients are diverse: 32% have been farming for more than 20 years with 23% for five years or less; and over 40% of the farms have sales of over $100,000 while another 30% recorded sales of less than $49,000.
A winner from 2015 and 2016 Julia Coffey of Mycoterra Farm in Westhampton, MA says "we are thrilled to be a Local Farmer Award recipient. The projects that these awards have helped fund are making our farm more viable." This year Coffey is purchasing equipment required for outfitting a commercial kitchen that will allow them to begin to manufacture value-added food products with unsold fresh mushrooms. Jennifer Salinetti, owner of Woven Roots Farm in Tyringham, MA will be installing a permanent vegetable wash station which will directly impact their productivity; Gideon Porth of Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA will be installing a pump system for a new well to increase the supply of potable water for the farm's packing house and greenhouses which will double their current watering abilities.
Mr. Harold Grinspoon, founder of the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation who launched the Local Farmer Awards in 2015 says, "Farmers don't typically ask for help. They are genuinely appreciative of these awards and use the money in creative ways for projects to help their businesses." Charlie D'Amour, President & COO of Big Y adds, "Through our partnership with the Grinspoon Foundation we are providing one more way to help local growers thrive in our community."
The goal of the Local Farmer Awards is to strengthen farmers' ability to compete in the marketplace so that our region benefits from the environmental, health and economic advantages of local farming. A farmer appreciation event is held yearly for all applicants and awardees to honor and recognize our farmers and promote the importance of local farming.
Below is a complete list of the 2016 Recipients of the Local Farmer Awards:
| Name of Farm |
Grantee Location |
Farm Membership |
| Caretaker Farm |
Williamstown, MA |
Berkshire Grown Member |
| Chaseholm Farm Creamery |
Pine Plains, NY |
Berkshire Grown Member |
| Climbing Tree Farm |
New Lebanon, NY |
Berkshire Grown Member |
| Equinox Farm |
Sheffield, MA |
Berkshire Grown Member |
| Hosta Hill |
Housatonic, MA |
Berkshire Grown Member |
| Jennings Brook Farm |
New Ashford, MA |
Berkshire Grown Member |
| Justamere Tree Farm |
Worthington, MA |
Berkshire Grown Member |
| Mill River Farm |
Great Barrington, MA |
Berkshire Grown Member |
| MX Morningstar Farm |
Copake, NY |
Berkshire Grown Member |
| New Leaf Farm |
New Lebanon, NY |
Berkshire Grown Member |
| North Plain Farm |
Great Barrington, MA |
Berkshire Grown Member |
| Woven Roots Farm, Inc. |
Tyringham, MA |
Berkshire Grown Member |
| Amherst Nurseries |
Amherst, MA |
CISA Member |
| Atlas Farm |
Deerfield, MA |
CISA Member |
| Bear Swamp Orchard and Cidery |
Ashfield, MA |
CISA Member |
| Book & Plow Farm |
Amherst, MA |
CISA Member |
| Boyden Bros. Maple |
Conway, MA |
CISA Member |
| Bridgemont Farm |
Westhampton, MA |
CISA Member |
| Enterprise Farm |
Whately, MA |
CISA Member |
| Freeman Farm |
Heath, MA |
CISA Member |
| Fungi Ally |
Hadley, MA |
CISA Member |
| Good Bunch Farm |
Conway, MA |
CISA Member |
| Grace Hill Farm |
Cummington, MA |
CISA Member |
| Headwater Cider |
Hawley, MA |
CISA Member |
| Hettie Bell Farm |
Warwick, MA |
CISA Member |
| Intervale Farm |
Westhampton, MA |
CISA Member |
| Joe Czajkowski Farm |
Hadley, MA |
CISA Member |
| Just Roots Inc. |
Greenfield, MA |
CISA Member |
| Kosinski Farms |
Westfield, MA |
CISA Member |
| Lyonsville Farm |
Colrain, MA |
CISA Member |
| Mayval Farm |
Westhampton, MA |
CISA Member |
| Moon in the Pond Farm |
Sheffield, MA |
CISA Member |
| Mycoterra Farm |
Westhampton, MA |
CISA Member |
| New Lands Farm |
Westfield, MA |
CISA Member |
| Park Hill Orchard LLC |
Easthampton, MA |
CISA Member |
| Paul's Sugar House |
Williamsburg, MA |
CISA Member |
| Red Barn Honey Company |
Northampton, MA |
CISA Member |
| Riverland Farm |
Sunderland, MA |
CISA Member |
| Seeds of Solidarity Farm |
Orange, MA |
CISA Member |
| Simple Gifts Farm |
North Amherst, MA |
CISA Member |
| Stonegate Farm |
Conway, MA |
CISA Member |
| The Kitchen Garden |
Sunderland, MA |
CISA Member |
| The Little White Goat Dairy |
Orange, MA |
CISA Member |
| Warm Colors Apiary |
South Deerfield, MA |
CISA Member |
| Warner Farm |
Sunderland, MA |
CISA Member |
| Wild Rose Farm |
Hatfield, MA |
CISA Member |
| Wilkes Farm North |
Hatfield, MA |
CISA Member |