Massachusetts Focuses On Climate Smart Farming Efforts

In partnership with: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources

Sean Stanton runs what’s known in the agriculture business as a diversified operation. Instead of just one crop, his North Plain Farm in Great Barrington yields a bevy of vegetables, pork, beef, milk, chicken and eggs.

“Sometimes, I wonder if it might not be too diversified,” Stanton says with a smile.

Since 2018, Stanton has been implementing diversification from the literal ground up in the pastures that feed his livestock. Using a $30,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, he purchased a no-till seed drill allowing him to plant different types of forage over the year without tearing up his fields. He also bought an input spreader to apply organic, composted chicken manure on his new seeds and improve their yields.

Stanton says the resulting growth is better for his animals, and since he can harvest more feed with less fuel, it’s better for the planet as well. His grant was awarded through MDAR’s Agricultural Climate Resiliency & Efficiencies program, part of the department’s ongoing efforts to upgrade the state’s farms in response to climate change.

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Renewable Practices

Although Massachusetts has long offered resource management support to farmers, the state recently refocused its efforts by establishing the Climate Smart Agriculture Program. This initiative combines what had previously been three separate programs into a single application pipeline, making it easier for growers to access about $1.2 million annually in grant funding.

Through that support and additional funds from the federal government, as outlined in the most recent Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan, the state wants to help at least 20% of farms and forests adopt climate smart practices by 2030. Those moves aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by 25% compared to 1990 levels through 2030 – part of the state’s overall 50% emissions reduction goal.

Beyond helping to change how growers manage fields through incentivizing healthy soil practices, Massachusetts also encourages them to adopt renewable energy as a source of farm power. For example, Stanton received another state grant to place solar panels on North Plain’s farm store.

In some cases, renewable power is actually sharing space with agricultural production – incentivized by the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target program. Solar panels are being installed in some of the state’s cranberry bogs, mounted on steel poles to keep them above the seasonally flooded crop and allow farm equipment to operate below.

See more: 10 Massachusetts Apple Orchards to Visit This Fall

Fair Grounds

Technology is only one part of the climate smart puzzle, emphasizes Rebecca Davidson. As MDAR’s director of food and climate equity, she works to ensure the department’s programs are designed to benefit all people across the state.

Davidson is particularly focused on low-income, minority and immigrant communities, which she says are especially vulnerable to disruption from climate change.

“Historically speaking, there have been fewer investments to shore up the resilience of environmental justice communities. We need to make sure folks in these communities have a seat at the table as we come up with solutions to the climate crisis.” she says. “From an agricultural standpoint, resilience is about ensuring access to an adequate food supply – not just any food, but fresh, healthy, locally grown food – as well as supporting Massachusetts farmers as they adapt to the effects of climate change.”

To boost that resilience, MDAR has sought extensive feedback from underserved communities. The department also stepped up its interpretation services, translating information on programs and grants for farmers whose native language isn’t English.

According to Davidson, one instance of equitable change has come in how MDAR licenses farmland. The state now offers smaller parcels, which are more accessible to beginning farmers with fewer resources, such as immigrants.

“This new structure allows beginning farmers to start a farm and, in some instances, grow culturally relevant produce using historical practices from their home country and then bring that produce into communities that really benefit from it,” Davidson says. “Having a diversity of practices being employed across the state will inevitably make the whole food system more resilient.”