Small businesses that need to offer affordable, quality health insurance to employees can learn about cost-effective options from the Sustainable Business Network’s health insurance partner, the Massachusetts Health Connector for Business, during this informative webinar session. Representatives from the Commonwealth’s health insurance exchange will detail how small businesses can find plans that provide great benefits […]
This remote workshop is intended for beginning growers who have never worked with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) or Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) before, or for producers who are familiar with these programs but have questions about the process and/or programs available. We will hear from Bailey Albert and Jack Loomis, FSA and NRCS […]
Do your visitors oooh and ahh over the views or the tranquility of your farm? Have you ever considered opening certain areas of your farm to the public to enjoy for greater appreciation of agriculture and nature? Join us for Low Infrastructure Agritourism: Picnicking and Walking Trails to learn more! Continuing our low infrastructure agritourism education series, this webinar will give you information about developing walking trails and offering picnic opportunities on your farm using what you have available. Join our speakers, who will share their experiences with picnicking and walking trails on the farm.
Vera Simon-Nobes is the Coordinator of the Farm-Based Education Network / Vermont Farms Agritourism Project at Shelburne Farms in Vermont. Janis Reinke is the co-owner of Frog Hollow Farmstead, also in Vermont, where she grows heirloom produce and heritage breed animals. Finally, Rick Kralj, Penn State Extension Educator will discuss food safety considerations.
The past few years have posed unprecedented employee management challenges for local farms – from rising wages and employee shortages to the added demands of the pandemic and weather extremes. As your 2023 season ramps up, Presenter Ellen Polishuk of Plant to Profit will share insights to help you respond to these challenges, based on […]
Greetings from Gould Farm, a therapeutic farm community in Monterey, MA (western Massachusetts). We're hosting a virtual info session on April 5th at 12:00 PM EST for young farmers and gardeners interested in applying to our year-long volunteer program. Volunteers work on our farm, garden, bakery, kitchen, residential, and forestry teams alongside adults who are working to recover their […]
Register here! Leading scholars and practitioners of agritourism have joined forces to form the Global Agritourism Network (GAN). This network of agritourism stakeholders (farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural producers; researchers; educators; community planners; government entities; agricultural service providers; development organizations; tour operators; hospitality operators; event planners; among others,) aims to enhance the capacity of agritourism […]
We are at capacity! Click here if you would like to be added to a waitlist. CISA members and supporters, please join us in Holyoke on April 11th for a special evening. We'll be honoring CISA's 2023 Local Hero Award recipients, sharing the highlights of the past year, and, most importantly, gathering together for […]
Who is Vandana Shiva? How did this woman from an obscure town in India become Monsanto’s worst nightmare: a rebellious rock star in the global debate about who feeds the world? Among those engaged with organic food and farming, climate change, biodiversity, seed sovereignty, globalization, and social justice, Vandana Shiva is an icon of a […]