BOSTON — There was an appearance from the Massachusetts Honey Queen 2023, tables full of farm and aquaculture products, speeches and even awards to select lawmakers.
For the first time since 2019, Massachusetts farmers celebrated Massachusetts Agriculture Day at the Statehouse.
“Farming Day is a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to our hard-working Massachusetts farmers and producers who provide us all with healthy, fresh and delicious produce and are a vital economic driver of our local economy,” said Gov. Maura Healey. “Our administration looks forward to working with our agribusiness community and finding additional ways to support their efforts to cultivate a resilient and equitable agribusiness.”
It was a day to celebrate and promote the 7,200 local farms spread across nearly half a million acres of the Commonwealth, stretching from the Berkshires to the coastal region. The farms produce everything from meat, milk, cheese, fruit and vegetables to herbs, oysters, fish and honey. And let’s not forget the Massachusetts cranberry and their pure maple products.
Most farms are small and family owned
Almost half of these farms are concentrated in and around four contiguous counties. Worcester is home to 21% of the state’s farms, with Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin sharing a further 28% of that.
“Farmers are critical to the Commonwealth’s food system, and it is critical that their voices are heard in the legislative process,” said Karen Schwalbe, executive director of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation. “By working with legislators and industry stakeholders, we can create policies that support and strengthen agriculture and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.”
These policies include supporting and promoting the state’s Buy Local programs, partnerships between school districts and farmers, and the Health Initiatives program, which gives participants who are eligible for SN` or WIC benefits a percentage of their produce at farmers’ markets spent food budgets reimbursed.
Legislators have tabled more than half a dozen bills to support local agriculture. A bill would fund HIP $24 million for the upcoming fiscal year. And the governor has included $25 million in her fiscal 2024 budget to fund the food insecurity infrastructure grant program, a pandemic-era initiative that supports the state’s smallholder farmers.
Commonwealth farmers contribute nearly $500 million to the state’s economy while facing some of the highest costs, with farmland valued at an average of $10,000 per acre, according to the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. The majority of farms in Massachusetts, between 80% and 95%, are small family businesses.
Three state legislators – Sens. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, and Anne Gobi, D-Webster, and Rep. Paul Schmidt, D-Westport – were recognized for their support of the profitability and sustainability of the state’s farms and received celebratory plaques their appreciate efforts. Tarr and Schmidt are farmers themselves.
Tarr’s Gloucester estate serves as an animal shelter and he has successfully legislated for the humane treatment of animals. One of his bills, dubbed The Beagle Bill, requires that healthy experimental animals be put up for adoption. There are many life science and pharmaceutical labs in Massachusetts that use Beagles for testing.
Among the most diverse crops in the US
“Massachusetts is world-renowned for our variety and diversity in crops and products, ranging from nursery-grown crops and horticultural products to dairy, aquaculture, maple, honey, livestock and a wide array of fruits and vegetables,” said Rebecca Tepper, Secretary of State for energy and environment.
“Our farmers have been cultivating the land for generations and maintaining and maintaining valuable open and green spaces,” said Tepper. “They have been at the forefront of implementing the latest renewable and energy efficient technologies to mitigate the effects of climate change, become more economically and environmentally sustainable, and contribute to a greener economy in the Commonwealth.”
According to a press release from the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Farming Day also serves as an opportunity to empower students, children and their families through education related to healthy eating, behavioral practices, farming, food and environmental science. Students from the local FFA and 4-H youth organizations were on hand to help ensure the day’s events ran smoothly.
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