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APRIL 16, 2026 | FREE

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EASTHAMPTON

Derby shares draft feasibility study for new complex

Easthampton is currently in need of a new senior center, and while no plan for one is set in stone, proposals are currently being discussed. Page 2

Easthampton faces $3.8 million deficit for FY27

Easthampton is now facing a $3.8 million deficit for its fiscal year 2027 budget, and its government will likely ask the town to vote for a Proposition 2 1/2 override. Page 3

NORTHAMPTON

Day of Service tree planting returns April 18

The Rotary Club of Northampton is celebrating its annual Day of Service with another tree planting event on Saturday, April 18, from 9 a.m. to noon at JFK Middle School. Page 4

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY

FARM Bill to support commonwealth’s farmers

By Trent Levakis tlevakis@thereminder.com

The state is now one step closer to giving farmers what they need to better thrive in their respective environments.

The Massachusetts Senate recently passed the FARM Bill, which is agricultural legislation aimed at supporting Massachusetts’s 7,000 farms, making it easier for families to buy fresh and nutritious food, and protecting the state’s food supply for the future.

The bill will now head to the House of Representatives for consideration before it reaches Gov. Maura Healey’s desk.

Formally known as S.3029, An Act Fostering Agricultural Resilience in Massachusetts, this legislation is a step forward in supporting Massachusetts farmers and growing the state’s agricultural economy. The bill builds on a recent special commission report focused on making the state’s agricultural operations sustainable for the 21st century.

“Today, the Senate advanced urgently-needed legislation to support the farms, producers, and fisheries that are the foundation of our local and regional food systems. In Western and north central Massachusetts, where agriculture is core to our economy and identity, we know that when we lose farmland, we lose far more than fields — we lose livelihoods, food security and community. This legislation reflects the recommendations of the Special

events. She filed the FARM Bill that recently passed the state Senate. The legislation will

of the state’s House of Representatives.

Commission on Agriculture in the 21st Century — a body that I was proud to co-chair,” said state Sen. Jo Comerford, who filed the bill. “With the FARM Bill, Massachusetts is stepping up — investing in the next generation of farms and fisheries while ensuring more local, nutritious food

reaches Massachusetts families.”

The Northampton Democrat told Reminder Publishing it was a seismic moment for her to see this legislation pass, as many of the policies have been incubated and advocated for over the last seven years by her and other State House colleagues. She add-

ed that while everyone wishes the process could move more quickly, she is grateful that so many policies have moved forward all at once.

“I represent more than 400 farmers in this district. It’s a very

State Sen. Jo Comerford speaks at a press conference at a Hatfield farm in 2023 after extreme weather

now go in front

Reminder Publishing file photo

See FARM BILL on page 5

STRM: Revitalize CDC’s #GreenNFit Day returns April 25

By Dennis Hackett dhackett@thereminder.com

SPRINGFIELD

— Volunteers from all around the area and beyond will work on restoring homes by participating in Revitalize Community Development Corporation’s #GreenNFit Day on April 25.

On the latest episode of “So That Reminds Me” hosts Tyler Garnet and Ryan Feyre sat down with Revitalize CDC’s President and CEO Colleen Shanley-Loveless and Vice President of Community Engagement Ethel Griffin to talk about Revitalize CDC’s #GreenNFit Day on April 25.

Shanley-Loveless explained that Revitalize CDC was founded as an all-volunteer organization in 1992. When Shanley-Loveless was hired in 2009, the organization went from all volunteers with a budget of under $100,000 to growing “significantly” with a staff of 20, now. She said that Revitalize CDC’s work initially began with home repairs.

“The board of directors had realized there was such an overwhelming need in the community, so we focused on doing home repairs, modifications and rehabilitation on the homes of low-income families with children,” she

said. “It could be veterans, seniors and people with special needs.”

Currently, Revitalize CDC has a nutrition program, a healthy homes program and a digital equity and navigation program.

“Once people become a part of it, they don’t leave. We have a 24-member board and just yesterday another organization came to our office and said, ‘we would like to place somebody on our board,’” Shanley-Loveless said.

Revitalize CDC’s #GreenNFit Day, which takes place the last weekend in April, is a day when the organization and its volunteers gather to work on homes in different parts of the city.

Beginning in 2013, Shanley-Loveless said the program moved to the Old Hill neighborhood, where volunteers worked on almost 200 homes each #GreenNFit Day for the next seven years before moving into the North End after a COVID-19 related pause.

“We have 20 homes this year, we are kind of spread out across the city — East Springfield, Mason Square area. We’re also going to do a spring cleanup on the Boys and Girls on Carew Street, and then we’re also going to be working on the Boys and Girls Club Family Center, which is on

Acorn Avenue,” she said.

Griffin said the planning process for the next year begins a week after each #GreenNFit Day.

“We’ll start back with the planning process for the following year, determining where we are going to be; we’ll determine the application process for them. It’s a good thing we don’t wait to the last minute,” she said.

Griffin said the event goes on rain or shine. Each year, she said the American International College, Springfield College and Western New England University football teams participate. Shanley-Loveless added that the event receives support from businesses, churches, other schools and peo-

ple “from Maine to Florida.”

She added that the volunteers love showing up each year for the event.

“It’s a really diverse group of volunteers all coming together. I remember one time a volunteer said, ‘You get more from this than you’re actually giving because it makes you feel so good,’” she said.

Some of the work volunteers do include replacing bathtubs with showers, replacing steps, replacing carpets, adding handrails for stairs and much more.

While Revitalize CDC does similar work in Holyoke and Chicopee, #GreenNFit Day is focused on homes in Springfield. Shan-

ley-Loveless added that the organization’s nutrition and healthy homes programs, along with its lead inspection and remediation work are available in 11 of Massachusetts’s 14 counties.

Shanley-Loveless touched on how important the GreenNFit event is for helping people in need.

“Everybody needs a little help now and then, and we’re happy to be there to bring some joy and improve people’s quality of life in helping to make their homes safer,” she said.

To listen to the full conversation, head to thereminder.com/ our-podcast or search “So That Reminds Me” on your favorite podcasting platform.

Derby shares draft feasibility study for ‘Park Street Campus’ facility

By Trent Levakis tlevakis@thereminder.com

EASTHAMPTON — Easthampton is currently in need of a new senior center, and while no plan for one is set in stone, proposals are currently being discussed.

Mayor Salem Derby has publicly shared what he is calling a “draft” feasibility study that proposes a shared complex building on Park Street that includes a new senior center, Parks and Recreation Department offices, an equipment storage garage and a

shared gymnasium space.

The proposed “Park Street Campus” facility was born from an effort to respond directly to the city’s more pressing municipal space needs, according to the study. Derby told Reminder Publishing that he’s looking to create a shared space that meets the facility needs of both the Council on Aging and Parks and Recreation Department.

More specifically, the “draft concept” study released by Derby details a 42,000- to 48,000-square-foot facility, some

pros and cons of the proposal, and comparisons to similar complexes around the region and state. The estimated cost of the proposed project ranges from $22 million to $34 million, with an estimated monthly tax increase of $27-$36 a month for the average Easthampton household. The estimated timeline of the project is four and a half to five years.

“As I looked at these projects and, thinking about impact to the community, I thought, if we could find a way to combine these two projects, where we can give the

Senior Center a great new stateof-the-art facility, and we could address some of the needs that are pretty prevalent in the community around recreation. When Pepin closed, we lost a gym, and so youth basketball has been struggling to find space. It’s really hard for them to have a recreation program without a gym,” said Derby. “There’s always constraints on gyms in communities like ours, and there’s always a need. We live in New England, so having a place where you can go indoors during the winter to play pickleball, to play basketball, to play volleyball, to do indoor recreation activities, that’s kind of a need.”

The study details a connected two-way building for the two city groups, a central lobby, a cost-effective parking field, the equipment garage and a trail link to Nonotuck Park. Derby said the idea is for the Senior Center and Parks & Recreation to share the recreation complex space, adding that it would provide a place for seniors to get active during the day and allow for city-wide recreation activities in the evenings and weekends.

Derby said that while he was

happy to have shared this information publicly at the Senior Center Building Committee’s March 30 meeting, he is not anticipating pursuing the draft proposal any time soon based on the city’s current financial outlook. Derby explained that, like many communities in the area, Easthampton is facing a difficult financial situation in the upcoming budgeting process. He added that it was unclear if an override or a debt exclusion is what the public wants at this time.

“I need to be as fiscally responsible as possible and show the community, I’m not trying to throw money away while I’m asking people to increase their taxes — even though I don’t think that a project like this is throwing it away, some people may think it’s extravagant,” said Derby. “I think probably with the timing on it, the best timing is to wait probably until like [20]‘29, ‘30, when the debt exclusion of the [Easthampton] High School ends, so that might be a good time to step in and say, ‘hey, is this something the community wants?’ It

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Volunteers of a previous Revitalize CDC #GreenNFit Day.

Reminder Publishing submitted photos

EASTHAMPTON

Easthampton faces $3.8 million deficit for FY27

By Tina Lesniak tlesniak@thereminder.com

EASTHAMPTON

—

so many other towns in Western Massachusetts, the city of Easthampton is now facing a $3.8 million deficit for its fiscal year 2027 budget, and its government will likely ask the town to vote for a Proposition 2½ override. At the April 8 Easthampton City Council meeting, Mayor Salem Derby shared that when the final pieces of the budget were put together the day before, the city discovered it had a $7 million structural deficit for the next year.

Derby noted that he was “still in a little bit of shock” after hearing the final numbers. The deficit mostly stems from rapidly rising health care costs. As part of the Hampshire County Insurance Trust, the city faced a 20% increase of its health care costs in July 2025, followed by another 20% increase in October 2025. It is also expecting a 12% increase this coming July. Earlier in the meeting, when the council approved a resolution

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gives us time to evaluate the validity of having a combined campus and for people to mull it over and weigh the options.”

The draft idea stemmed from the city’s ongoing work with the Senior Center Building Committee, which was formed last March following the formation of an Ad Hoc Senior Building Com-

asking for Medicare for All in Massachusetts, Derby said that “the weight the health care system puts on the city is immense.”

“It’s literally happening across the state,” said Derby, noting that the towns of South Hadley, Westhampton and Southampton are local towns facing very similar issues.

Derby explained that, after seeing the numbers, he reached out to City Council President Koni Denham and Finance Committee Chair Thomas Peake, as well as city department heads, to share the news and to start to work collaboratively to address the situation.

After talks, Derby and city employees were able to bring the deficit down to the current $3.8 million by planning to shift $2 million from the stabilization fund and other planned changes. After this transfer of money from the stabilization fund, there would be roughly $1 million left in it. For FY26, the city had to move $4 million from it.

Although Derby did not discuss specific cuts that would

mittee in 2023.

In February, the committee designated a city-owned, wooded parcel of land on Park Street near Mountain View School as its top choice for a new senior center during a February meeting.

The Ad Hoc group produced a 33-page report that was largely referenced by the current Building Committee during the decision-making process.

Council on Aging director and member of the Senior Cen-

need to be made, or when they would need to be made, he did note that, “There is not much fat to be cut. Revenue’s just not keeping up with expenditures.”

Derby called for a “collaborative approach” to make the case to residents that the city needs to keep its teachers and public safety officials and that the override request would be “as modest and efficient as possible.”

Peake noted that he’d been thinking for years that the financial situation was “not going to be sustainable long term.” He asked to be included in meetings that Derby planned to have with the Department of Revenue on April 9 to discuss a possible override.

While some other councilors, such as City Councilor James Kwiecinski, who noted the economic news was “sobering,” asked a couple of questions about the budget, many asked questions about a FIFA grant that Derby also announced at the meeting.

The $100,000 matching grant offers funds for the city to

ter Building Committee, Cynthia Tarail, told Reminder Publishing that the Building Committee was set to request funding for a feasibility study for a standalone senior center on the Park Street property, until the mayor shared his financial outlook. Although no senior center plan is set in stone yet, Tarail said Derby has been very cooperative during this effort.

“That was a completely new idea of the mayor’s that did not come from the departments of the

host watch parties for the 2026 World Cup this June and July. It requires matching funds from the city, but Derby assured the council that no city funds would be used and it would all be “inkind donations” or sponsorships. Councilors expressed concern about how these donations were procured, with Denham and City Councilor Kiam Jamrog-McQuaid asking to see copies of the grant application. Denham said she wanted to

Council on Aging, or the Parks and Rec. Department, or the Council on Aging Board. It was really driven by the mayor,” said Tarail. “And concurrently, the site that is city-owned property at Park Street, the Building Committee took a vote, that out of all the city-owned properties that we could have access to, that was the best choice of all the city-owned properties in Easthampton. That was happening concurrently while the mayor was chewing

draw Derby’s attention to Sec. 2-7 of the City Charter, which discusses the council’s ability for oversight on projects and access to information. Denham said, “I hope you will do that” after saying she’d asked but had not yet seen the application. Derby said he’d be willing to speak to councilors outside of the meeting about the grant. Derby shared that the process had been OK’d by the procurement officer.

on this idea.”

Tarail said the community can take the time to sort through what options work best for all parties while the city deals with its current budget situation.

“It sounds as though we can continue talking about, does the city of Easthampton want or need a combined facility or a standalone senior center. But money toward developing that is

Mayor Salem Derby talks about the matching grant that allows the city to

He also shared that the city is facing

Operations Director: Curtis Panlilio

Executive Editor: Chris Maza

Managing Editors: Dennis Hackett, Ryan Feyre

Staff Writers: Sarah Heinonen, Deb Gardner, Amy Porter, Trent Levakis, Cliff Clark, Tyler Garnet, Peter Tuohy

Graphic Design Manager: Beth Thurber

Graphic Design Department: Leigh Catchepaugh, Lorie Perry, Sophia McClellan, Susan Bartlett, Jim Johnson-Corwin, Molly Arnio

Sales Manager: Scott Greene

Account Executives: Matt Mahaney, Paula Dimauro, Lisa Nolan, Jeanette Grenier, Paul Poutre, Andy Shaw, Laura Tassistro

Classified Account Managers: Roxanne Miller-Longtin, Evan Marcyoniak, Shannon Spada

Sales Support: Carolyn Napolitan

Financial Department: Nancy Banning

Circulation Department: Nate Halla

NORTHAMPTON

Day of Service tree planting returns April 18

By Trent Levakis tlevakis@thereminder.com

NORTHAMPTON — The Rotary Club of Northampton is celebrating its annual Day of Service with another tree planting event on Saturday, April 18, from 9 a.m. to noon at JFK Middle School.

As part of a Rotary International focus on protecting the environment, the Northampton Rotary Club has been working with the city’s DPW, Urban Forestry Commission, local non-profit Tree Northampton and the Northampton Public Schools for these Day of Service tree planting efforts. The groups are now prepping for the fifth annual event.

The Day of Service isn’t just limited to Rotarians; anyone interested in planting trees is invited to contact Day of Service Chair Barbara Devlin at bdevlinmn@gmail.com. A rain date is set for Sunday, April 19.

“We are delighted that volunteers to date include Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, City Council President and Ward 7 Councilor Rachel Maiore, Ward 2 Councilor Debra Klemer, Ward 1 School Committee member Alena Bartoli, At Large School Committee member Robbie Saner Sullivan, and Chief of Police John Cartledge, along with Rotary members and other student, parent and community volunteers,” said Devlin.

Since starting this concerted effort around tree plantings in the city, Tree Northampton and the Rotary Club have planted 30-40 trees during each annual Day of Service, including stops at Ryan Road School, Jackson Street Elementary School and JFK Middle School. This year’s planting will bring the total trees planted at Northampton schools during the five-year run to 150-200.

“Thank you to the Northamp-

ton Rotary for your interest in protecting the environment through a partnership with the city. We are thankful for Rotary’s help planting trees at JFK Middle School, three elementary schools, and two residential areas over the past four years and are very excited to be working with the club again in 2026,” said Susan Lofthouse, vice chair of the Urban Forestry Commission. “The additional trees on the grounds of JFK Middle School will benefit the students and staff for decades to come.”

Northampton Rotary Club

Treasurer Julee Clement told Reminder Publishing that the club has partnered with the city to plant trees at its schools, and the efforts have yielded positive results in terms of more tree shading at schools, better protection of the environment and exceptional community turnout at each event. Clement said they are returning to JFK Middle School this year to provide more trees to the school’s property.

“That first year at Jackson Street, that was a huge part of what the kids said around the playground, that it was too hot, and so they were really appreciative that it was going to bring more shade. In addition to that, it’s also to help the environment,” said Clement. “Getting more trees is Tree Northampton’s objective, so we accomplish both, but for the kids, it really is about the shade for them, and so they’re happy to help and happy to do it.”

Clement said that the Rotary, Tree Northampton and the schools help identify the need for trees across the schools. After that, the Rotary Club connects with the city’s school communities and educates the public about its mission. The tree planting

take some time and do it right.”

events are a part of that mission.

“We do it in cooperation with the schools. We put out a release through the school to get students and parents to help. Each year, that’s been really successful. We’ve been at the Ryan Road School, we’ve been at Jackson Street, and a lot of the students and their parents came out, which is really nice because they take a lot of pride in that they attend there. We’re able to get a lot of help, too,” said Clement. “It’s always fun. The first year, we were at Jackson Street, and I’ve gone by there by myself since and looked at the tree I planted, and I think that’s part of this whole idea, that you feel kind of great when you go back and see a tree five years later doing really well.”

Clement said an event like this is a good reminder of the importance of a collaborative community, adding, “it’s just one hand helping the other.”

“The more we get the word out about what Rotary does and what we do, whether it’s helping the community or helping students, an event like this, tree planting, actually sort of entwines us back with the schools

to get the word out about Rotary,” added Clement. “Our club is actually going to be 100 years old next year, but there’s a lot of people who don’t know what Rotary is or what Rotary does. We get asked that question all the time, even though we try to tell people what we do. We’re a service organization, and specifically in Northampton, our mission is to help youth and seniors.” Clement said that those looking to learn more about the Northampton Rotary Club or to get involved can visit northamptonrotaryclub.org. Monetary contributions to support the tree planting project may be directed to the Northampton Rotary Foundation, Inc., PO Box 505, Northampton, MA 01061. “You don’t have to have any experience planting trees. It’s not a heavy lift. We have teams that plant the trees. There are shovels; they bring in other supplies for us,” said Clement. “It’s just a matter of kind of showing up that day and helping, but it’s not a heavy lift for anybody to do. Even the kids get into the shoveling; they think it’s fun. Many hands make light work.”

not forthcoming any time soon,” said Tarail.

In the meantime, Derby hopes the draft concept for a community campus can be good information to reference moving forward.

“The reason I decided to share my proposal was because I felt like a standalone senior center wouldn’t necessarily have a really great chance of passing. I was thinking, if we could broaden the appeal and get more people invested, that’s going to be a win if we’re trying to pass it,” added Derby. “We’re going to step back,

Tarail said when she became director of the Council on Aging in 2021, she inherited the mission of moving the Senior Center into a more modern facility. She said discussions about the best path forward will continue.

“I’m speculating that there won’t be any more new conversation about the new senior center given the budget situation until that moves forward to whatever steps it’s going to move forward,” said Tarail. “However, in terms of the people who are responsible to think about the needs of older adults, which would be the Council on Aging department and board, and the people responsi-

ble for thinking about recreation needs, which is the Parks commission and department, we are going to continue speaking to each other, both as internal city employee departments, in terms of possibly meeting together and talking about these issues, because it takes a long time to do any kind of assessment.”

The existing Senior Center location at 19 Union St., which was a post office before, has long been criticized due to its age and lack of space. Tarail said she, her team and the members of the Senior Center are grateful for the space they do have compared to what some other communities are left with, but there is still very much a need for a new location.

Tarail said she hears issues from seniors about the lack of parking on the site and the lack of accessibility for those with limited mobility. There is also

a lack of space, heating and no air conditioning in the downstairs classroom.

“Then of course, the maintenance and repair and renovation issues that we, the city, keep up with as best we can, but there are major issues here that would cost the city so much money to fix that it doesn’t make sense if you’re going to build a new center,” said Tarail. “But at the same time, if we’re going to be here for say another 10 years, you’re talking lead paint, inefficiencies around utilities, leaks, moisture, the lack of heating and cooling downstairs. There’s just so many things about the building itself that we can deal with on a dayto-day basis, but like so many old buildings in Massachusetts, if you defer certain kinds of more intensive repairs, replacements, renovations, then it’s going to catch up with you.”

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Jr.

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The upcoming Day of Service on Saturday, April 18, will be Northampton Rotary’s fifth iteration of the tree planting event.

Photo credit: Rotary Club of Northampton

By Sarah Heinonen sheinonen@thereminder.com

NORTHAMPTON — The Hosmer Gallery on the second floor of Northampton’s Forbes Library is awash in colors and textures. Nine women have put their heart and soul — and thread — into a fiber art exhibit, “Bits and Pieces.”

Sally Dillion, Rebecca Fricke, Barbara Kline, Martha May, Martha Robinson, Florence “Flo” Rosenstock, Margaret Stancer, Eileen Travis and Nancy Young are The Fiberistas. They range in age from mid-50s to mid-80s, but the one thing they have in common is a love of fiber art.

“There’s nine of us and we work in a variety of different mediums,” Rosenstock said. The “Bits and Pieces” exhibit includes art created by quilting, sewing, felting, crochet, soft sculpture, collage, fabric discharge and printing, cyanotype and pho-

FARM Bill

Continued from page 1

agriculture-centered place in the world, and when I got into the legislature, not only did I begin meeting and visiting farmers, growers, producers, I also heard from their advocates. From researchers. From entities like UMass Extension, which is really central to farms’ well-being. I talked with agency folks, like at [Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources], and so we began to file a series of farm bills, some of which have already passed in the Legislature,” said Comerford. “We began to file different kinds of bills, everything from helping the next generation of farmers, to the bill that was ultimately passed, which is really dedicated to helping farms stay in operation given the economic pressures of farming, which are pretty acute, honestly. So, it’s really from the bottom up; it’s the roots of my district and farms. This is a way for me to do my job in representing people, by really filing something that is both being called for, but also would be useful to the well-being of the folks I work for.”

The FARM Bill will help owners of small farms grow their businesses by removing hurdles and making agritourism ventures possible, such as corn mazes and “pick your own” berry and fruit operations. Comerford explained that many farmers rely on additional agritourism ventures as other ways of collecting additional revenue for their main operations.

“This year, we said you can do agritourism on protected land,

to silk screen and mixed media. Rosenstock said, “I like making things with my hands. I’m fascinated by color.” Her medium of choice is quilting, but she also likes to dye her own fabrics. Occasionally, she will create fiber sculptures with felt and paper In 2001, the Fiber Arts Center opened in Amherst. When it closed seven years later, a handful of the people who enjoyed the center decided they would carry on in the form of The Fiberistas. Over the years, some members have moved away, and others have joined the group.

The goal of the “Bits and Pieces” exhibit was to use materials the artist already had, scraps from other projects that would otherwise go to waste. The exhibit consists of about 50 pieces of art. Many of them were created for the exhibit, but some pieces are older and simply have not been on display before.

and that was a recognition about the fact that many farms have microbusinesses to survive. Nobody is surviving just by selling their produce or their eggs or milk. They’re surviving because they have a corn maze or sell value-added products, or they have a store, and this is just trying to break down the barriers to that,” she said.

The bill also makes it easier for residents to access healthy food, making permanent the Health Incentives Program to help families afford fresh produce, and the Farm to School program — which brings local ingredients into schools. By codifying these programs, the Senate is continuing its reaction to federal actions that threaten food access as a part of the Senate’s Response 2025 initiative.

A further Response 2025 priority requires that state emergency planning efforts prioritize the security of the local food supply chain, given federal cuts to emergency planning.

“It’s important to codify these in law because it says these are serious endeavors and we’re going to have language in that is now statutory language. It makes them much more central in the budgeting process, and we also tweaked some of the language, so it helps in the implementation and regulatory process,” said Comerford.

“By putting HIP into the bill, we hope that it won’t be a question of how we fund it going forward.”

She added, “Similarly, the Farm to School program is really critical for districts. It’s reaching this education of the land, it’s teaching nutrition education to students. All these things are really, really, really important, and

Since the group’s founding, they have staged an array of exhibits in Northampton and Amherst, including at Art in the Orchard, an outdoor art show that is on display for three months of the year. Rosenstock said

this is an opportunity for us to enshrine that into law.”

The FARM Bill additionally requires regular reporting about the distribution of local produce through food banks, universal school meals, Meals on Wheels, the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program and other food assistance programs. This data will help assess the damage from federal actions such as the elimination of the USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which purchased food from historically underserved Massachusetts farmers and provided it to underserved communities.

The legislation includes key provisions to help farmers remain viable and expand their operations. New farm buildings and structures would receive a fiveyear property tax exemption under a local option program added to the bill. The bill also expands opportunities for farmers to participate in agritourism, makes the Food Security Infrastructure Grant program permanent and eases the water permitting pro-

making fiber art that will stand up to the weather is particularly challenging. Nonetheless, Rosenstock loves having her work on display. She said, “It’s wonderful to get people’s feedback — and may-

cess for cranberry growers.

“Farming is an impossible business in Massachusetts, which is why I do believe the state has a role to play,” said Comerford.

“The dominant reason why farmland stops being farmland has to do with the economics of it. Families sell land because they can’t make a living on the land often, or they’ve had an opportunity to really recoup some losses from previous years. I call that the downward economic pressure of farming.”

Comerford added that the state Legislature is set to pass another provision in the bill, a food donation tax credit, where farmers can receive up to $5,000 through a refundable tax credit for donating produce to a nonprofit entity.

“This is at the intersection of food insecurity and farming, trying to make farming viable economically and trying to get more fresh local produce into the hands of people who need it,” added Comerford. “It’s responding to federal cuts to food security programs, and it’s responding to the need for farms to stay farming.”

be sell a piece — but it’s mostly having people see and appreciate the pieces.”

“Bits and Pieces” will be on display until April 29.

Overall, Comerford described this bill as a four-pronged approach that focuses on closing the margins faced by farmers, getting MDAR and UMass Extension to have a more robust ability to assist in the preservation of farmland in the state, helping the next generation of farmers be in a position to succeed and having the state become more focused on preservation of farmland.

“Between 2017 and 2022, we lost in Massachusetts 27,000 acres of farmland, twice the national rate. It should be a red alert signal for every one of us who cares about both maintaining farms for food security, or maintaining farms for economic development reasons, or maintaining farms for climate reasons. You name it, farms do it,” added Comerford. “No bill does everything that should be done, and that’s really important to say. This isn’t the first, and it won’t be the last FARM bill that I file, or my colleagues file.”

To learn more about the recently passed FARM Bill, visitmalegislature.gov.