We are thrilled to be celebrating our 6th year of the Local Farmer Awards! Launched in 2015 in partnership with
Big Y and our generous sponsors Ann and Steve Davis,
Friendly's,
Farm Credit East,
HP Hood LLC,
People's Bank,
Springfield Sheraton Monarch Place,
Baystate Health, and
Eastern States Exposition, the Local Farmer Awards fund physical infrastructure improvements to farms. 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.
With the collaboration of local agricultural Buy Local organizations,
Berkshire Grown and
CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture), the Local Farmer Awards program is announced in December.
Examples of How Local Farmer Awards Have Been Used
Harvest Farm (Whatley, MA) used funds for a greenhouse reconstruction project. David Wojciechowski says
“The Local Farmer Awards are extremely important to small businesses that might not be in a position to expand without the help of these awards. They enable growth throughout the Valley.”
Bardwell Farm (Hatfield, MA) used funds to purchase an eight-foot Unverferth Perfect II field cultivator. Harrison Bardwell says
“We now do not need to reply on others to borrow equipment to get fields prepped. We are happy to have a quality tool on the farm to make the field operation of our farm run smoother!”
Award Recipients
The team of funders has now given nearly 250 awards and has exceeded a half a million total dollars of investment in local farms. We all continue to be thankful and appreciative that these farmers bring fresh food to our tables, care for the land they farm, and desire to continue to improve their farms.
On December 4th, 2019, local Farmer Award Applicants gathered to celebrate their awards and contributions to the local farm culture.
See photos from this event.
Interested in where they work? Find links to maps of the Local Farmer Award Recipients in the right side of this page.
2019 Local Farmer Awards Slideshow by
Michelle Roberts
Special Thanks to Our 2019 Partners and Sponsors!
Learn more about how to join these sponsors in
supporting the Local Farmer Awards.