An Agricultural Grant To Benefit Berkshire Area Farms

Everyone should pause and think about the importance of farms in our community as they are the backbone of providing food to everyone's dinner table. Farmers continue to put in long hours in accomplishing this task at hand, especially during these trying times. Fortunately, some assistance is on the way as our area's youth have sparked an interest in this rewarding field of work.

Great Barrington based B-A-V, Berkshire Agricultural Ventures has announced they will provide a $10,000 grant to the Berkshire based non-profit organization, Greenagers as they will provide much needed funding to assign second year apprenticeships at the locally based April Hill Conservation Center. A total of $2,800 will assist in this cause and the remaining $7,200 off sets costs for the need of labor on local Berkshire county farms as youth crews will have a hands-on farming experience as all proceeds go towards The Greenagers Helping Hands Project.

You can obtain more information by logging on here as participants will gain experience in the realms of pasture and hay production to farming with such elements as tree nuts, tree and vine fruits, vegetables, beef, lamb, conservation nursery stock, pollinator habitat, honey, duck and chicken eggs.

Greenagers Executive Director Will Conklin reiterated:

"We need more farms and we need more farmers and we need more educated consumers. Helping Hands by connecting youth with local farms, supports the labor needs of farms--elevating profitability and puts young people on farms, If out of 20 youth that participates, one becomes a farmer and 19 know more about their agricultural landscape and the power of their food choices, we will be making great strides towards a more resilient and just food system"

BAV Outreach and Technical Coordinator, Dan Carr added why this program will benefit the south county area:

"We are happy to be supporting Greenagers training the next generation of farmers through their apprenticeship at April Hill. We also see a big win/win getting young adults working for Greenagers exposed to a variety of farms through The Helping Hands program, all while giving the farmers the extra hands needed for big projects".

For more information about Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, call (413) 645-3594 OR log on to their web site. Click here to learn more about Greenagers and future upcoming programs in our listening area,

(The following information was obtained by WSBS via a press release courtesy of Berkshire Agricultural Ventures for on-air and on-line usage)