Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces $3.6 Million in Grants to Support Farmers

 Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces $3.6 Million in Grants to Support Farmers

Programs include initiatives to improve food safety, composting, cranberry bog renovation, and climate resiliency on farms

 

BOSTON – Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $3.6 million in more than 100 grant awards through several programs, including the Agricultural Food Safety Improvement Program (AFSIP), the Agricultural Composting Improvement Program (ACIP), the Cranberry Bog Renovation (CBRG) Program, and the Climate Smart Agriculture Program (CSAP). These grants, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), provide funding to local farmers. The funding supports farmers in meeting strict food safety standards, improving soil health and management through composting, sustaining cranberry growing operations, and adapting to changing climate conditions. It also enhances their contributions to the state’s carbon reduction and climate change mitigation goals.

 

“Our farmers face countless challenges, so it’s critical that we support them with the resources they need to succeed,” said Governor Maura Healey. “These four programs help ensure a safe, local food supply, grown by dedicated farmers who prioritize sustainability, providing us all with healthy, responsibly-produced food.”

 

“From the Berkshires to Barnstable County, our farms are significant economic drivers and the backbone of our local food system. Their success benefits us all,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. “Programs like these help improve and strengthen Massachusetts farms in the short and long term.”

 

The Agricultural Food Safety Improvement Program (AFSIP) allows produce and aquaculture operations to purchase modern storage, refrigeration, and washing equipment to meet stringent food safety standards on their farms. It enables growing operations to access wider markets, meet buyer demands, increase local food consumption, and protect public health by reducing food safety risks.

 

The Agricultural Composting Improvement Program (ACIP) funds equipment and projects to improve agricultural composting practices and facilitate the use of compost as a valuable soil amendment on farms. MDAR also provides technical assistance to farms conducting agricultural composting and encourages farms to utilize compost as a soil amendment or manure management tool.

 

The Cranberry Bog Renovation Grant Program (CBRG) provides reimbursement to cranberry operations that implement projects that improve both bog design and production while preventing, reducing, or eliminating negative environmental impacts that may occur from cranberry production. By funding these projects, the program enhances the cranberry industry's overall financial and environmental sustainability.

 

The Climate Smart Agriculture Program (CSAP) incentivizes voluntary adoption of conservation, soil health, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate-smart agricultural practices. The funding allows agricultural operations to accomplish climate mitigation solutions and ensure economic resiliency as they adapt to a changing climate. The program is broken into two categories: Environmental and Energy. Projects include high tunnels to allow farmers to extend the growing season for their crops, equipment to facilitate no-till planting that helps preserve soil carbon, photovoltaic arrays to allow for on-farm renewable energy generation, and reverse osmosis machines to help maple syrup producers significantly reduce energy consumption.

 

"Climate change is making farming more difficult, and it's crucial that we stand by farmers as they adapt to secure a stable food supply,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Tepper. “These programs offer the support and resources farmers need to improve their practices, protect the environment, and build stronger, more resilient communities."

 

“At every stage, farms face many unpredictable factors that can lead to consequential and devastating results which is why these programs have proven to be transformative in allowing them to adapt and thrive in the face of this uncertainty,” said MDAR Commissioner Ashley Randle. “We know that farmers are some of the most resourceful and resilient people in any industry. It’s in their nature to endure and we are pleased to be able to offer these grant opportunities to support their resilience.”

 

"Once again the Healey-Driscoll Administration, in partnership with the Legislature and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, is delivering timely and meaningful grants to farms and farmers in the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district," said Senator Jo Comerford (D-Northampton). "Our farmers work tirelessly to provide healthy, local products to residents across Massachusetts, and need strategic state investments like these grants to support their work to rise to the challenges of climate change and economic volatility."

 

 

The following are the Agricultural Food Safety Improvement Program grant recipients for 2025: 

 

Farm Name	Project Details	City/Town	Award
Winter Moon Roots	New plastic bins to replace wooden bins. Plastic bins can be properly washed and sanitized, do not pose a threat of adding foreign material to the crop, and do not pose a threat to worker safety	Hadley	$37,256
Bardwell Farm	New plastic storage bins and harvest crates	Hatfield	$20,633
Fat Moon Farm, LLC	New anti-microbial grow racks that will provide a smooth, non-porous surface that is resistant to rust and corrosion	Chelmsford	$25,050
Atlas Farm, LLC	New plastic bins to replace wooden bins	Deerfield	$48,134
Bay-Breeze, Inc.	New insulated truck with electric standby ensuring temperature-controlled oysters in transit and an emission free option while not in transport	Westport	$50,000
Boston Area Gleaners	Washing and packing infrastructure to ensure the safe handling of post-harvest produce	Acton	$42,569
Cape Abilities, Inc.	New walk-in refrigeration, storage sheds, hand washing stations, harvest bins, and carts	Dennis	$38,441
Quonquont Farm, LLC	New plastic macro-bins to replace wooden bins	Whatley	$2,781
Spindrift Oysters, LLC	New equipment including an oyster counter, washer, bagger, hopper, and conveyor and two insulated vats	Westport	$36,758
Johnny Putt Farm	New plastic containers for harvesting, packing, holding, and processing of produce	Littleton	$1,264
Fairview Orchards, Inc.	New plastic harvest bins	Groton	$11,600
Iron Ox Farm	New post-harvest, washing and packing station by excavating a site and pouring a new concrete pad to accommodate two existing shipping walk-in coolers, and adding a roof over the coolers to create an interior space for the washing and packing of produce	Hamilton	$17,872
Beer Money Oyster Company, LLC	New ice machine with water pump and two insulated vats	Plymouth	$11,184
Whittier Farms, Inc.	New equipment for improved food safety, including pesticide storage and harvest container storage	Sutton	$28,739
Tony Andrews Farm	New cold storage to replace existing inefficient cold storage on property	Falmouth	$16,335
Lanni Orchards, Inc.	New harvest containers, plastic bins, and crates, as well as utility carts, benches, and two portable restrooms w/handwashing	Lunenburg	$8,528
Simon Edwards	Two insulated vats for the safe storage and transportation of oysters	Nantucket	$2,856

 

 

The following are the Agricultural Composting Improvement Program grant recipients for 2025: 

 

Farm Name	Project Details	City/Town	Award
Baldwin Farm	Compost Screener	W. Stockbridge	$21,874.50
Diemand Egg Farm	Compost Screener	Wendell	$32,053
East Meadow Farm	Compost Screener	E. Longmeadow	$59,153.56
High Lawn Farm	Compost Spreader	Lee	$28,200
Kinne Brook Farm	Compost Turner, Grapple Attachment	Worthington	$29,226
Paradox Acres	Compost Spreader	Dartmouth	$17,812.50
Reed Farm	Compost Bagger	Sunderland	$56,208.75
Royal Crest Farm	Compost Pad	Sterling	$75,000
Stonefield Farm	Compost Materials Mixer	Acton	$44,500
Sunny Brook Farm	Compost Pad, Hoop Enclosure	Hadley	$39,525
Teedlebug Farm	Compost Spreader	Middleboro	$5,625
Upingil Farm, Gill	Compost Pad, Chipper	Gill	$11,044

 

 

The following are the Cranberry Bog Renovation Grant Program recipients for 2025:

 

Farm Name	Project Details	City/Town	Award
Back River Bog Company, LLC	Cranberry bog renovation on 3.8 acres.	Bourne	$95,000
Beaton's, Inc.	Cranberry bog renovation on 8 acres.	Rochester	$125,000
E.J. Pontiff Cranberries, Inc.	Cranberry bog renovation on 6.5 acres.	Carver	$125,000
Eagle Holt Cranberry Co., Inc.	Cranberry bog renovation on 9 acres.	Wareham	$125,000
Georgetown Cranberry	Cranberry bog renovation on 3 acres.	South Yarmouth	$75,000
Piney Wood Cranberry Company, Inc.	Cranberry bog renovation on 8 acres.	Plymouth	$125,000
Quaker Run Cranberries, LLC	Cranberry bog renovation on 4 acres.	Marston’s Mills	$100,000
Rocky Maple Bogs	Cranberry bog renovation on 4 acres.	Wareham	$100,000
Webster Cranberry, LLC	Cranberry bog renovation on 4 acres.	Norwell	$100,000

 

 

The following are the Climate Smart Agriculture Program recipients for 2025:

 

Section I: Environmental

 

Farm Name	Project Details	City/Town	Award
Barrett's Mill Farm Partnership	Flail mower allowing for improved management of cover crops	Concord	$8,000
Bay-Breeze, Inc.	Tier-three diesel marine engine to replace current engine which has no emission controls, reducing both air pollution and water pollution	Westport	$50,000
Boston Area Gleaners	No-till drill, flail mower, 3-point hitch and PTO, with the intended benefits of reduced erosion, increased soil organic matter, improved water filtration and retention, reductions of CO2	Acton	$50,000
Chase Hill Farm	Ripsower, penetrometer, and laser level that will reduce compaction allowing for increased availability of nutrients and maximizing infiltration of water	Warwick	$23,300
Earle M Parsons & Sons, Inc.	Manure injector for improved soil health and the protection of water quality	Hadley	$50,000
Fletcher Farm	Improved ventilation in dairy facility by installing eight energy efficient fans that will improve cow comfort, resulting in better milk production, while providing environmental controls due do temperature fluctuations	Southampton	$19,100
Holiday Brook Farm, LLC	Maple vacuum monitoring system that will improve sap collection as variability in temperatures from climate change are producing lower yields	Dalton	$9,800
Hopestill Farm	Hoop-house for seedling production and irrometers for measuring soil moisture, allowing them to reduce water use by irrigating only when needed	Sherborn	$11,900
Idyllvale Farm, LLC	Manure spreader to improve soil health and reduce manure run-off by more precise application	Littleton	$42,800
Kosinski Farm	Drip irrigation for blueberry crop, allowing for water saving benefits compared to overhead irrigation, while also reducing water runoff and soil erosion	Westfield