We are thrilled to celebrate the 11th year of the Local Farmer Awards for capital improvements on farms throughout Western Massachusetts. These grants are made possible by our generous funders: THE HAROLD GRINSPOON CHARITABLE FOUNDATION in partnership with BIG Y, the MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING AGRICULTURE, the IRENE E. & GEORGE A. DAVIS FOUNDATION, and sponsors Ann & Steve Davis, Charles & Elizabeth D'Amour, Audrey & Chick Taylor, Barbara Deslauriers, PEOPLESBANK, ANDREWS, DENUCCI GROUP AT MERRILL LYNCH, EASTERN STATES EXPOSITION, HP HOOD LLC, BAYSTATE HEALTH, 3 COUNTY FAIR, SMITH COLLEGE, COUNTRY BANK, FRANKLIN FIRST FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, and BANKESB.
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.
Examples of How Local Farmer Awards Have Been Used
Everyday Farm (Gill, MA) used grant funding to help purchase a Grain Bin for Laying Hens. They reported:
“This grant allowed us to more than double our laying hen flock, going from 300 to 700 laying hens!”
Quabbin Hill Farms (Pelham, MA) used grant funding to help purchase a Greenhouse Heating System. They reported:
“We were able to start plants 6 weeks earlier and will expand our growing season by approximately 2 months. This allowed our farm to participate in three farmer’s markets per week, and increase our profits by around 200%.”
Award Recipients
The team of funders has now supported 788 projects across more than 320 farms, investing $1.78 million in local agriculture. We remain deeply grateful to these farmers who bring fresh food to our tables, care for the land they steward, and continually strive to improve their farms.
Interested in where they work? Find links to maps of the Local Farmer Award Recipients in the right side of this page.