Boston Flora

Tag: Massachusetts Department

  • Saturday, August 7, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Massachusetts Marketplace Festival

    Join the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for the Annual Massachusetts Marketplace Festival on Saturday, August 7, from 10 to 4, at Elm Bank Horticulture Center.  The event will feature the finest products from the region’s fields, farms, gardens and kitchens, with over 60 vendors offering new and locally produced food products, crafts, garden ornaments and gifts.  There will also be a plant sale and garden tours.  Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for MassHort members, and $2 for children under 12.  Tickets are available on site the day of the event.  Massachusetts Marketplace Festival is produced by MassHort with in-kind support from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and the Massachusetts Specialty Food Association.  For more information, log on to www.masshort.org, or call  617-933-4981.

    http://www.fisherbrookfarm.com/files/fbf-jam-photo.jpg

  • Massachusetts Agricultural Calendar Photo Contest

    Amateur photographers who enjoy capturing local rural scenes, farm animals and fresh produce are invited to enter the Massachusetts Agriculture Photo Contest sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources(MDAR), the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, Inc. Winning photos will be featured in the 2011 Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar.

    Twelve photos will be selected, one for each month. Photos will be selected that depict the diversity of agriculture, horticulture, and natural resources on the Commonwealth’s farms throughout the year.  To view last year’s winners, click here.

    Winning photographers will be credited in the calendar, will be invited to attend a winner’s ceremony at the Eastern States Exposition (The Big E) in Springfield in September, and will receive copies of the calendar and tickets to the fair.

    The Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar will also feature facts and figures about Bay State agriculture, horticulture and conservation, as well as other educational resources. Information about how to order the calendar will be announced on the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources’ Website in the fall. Calendars will also be available at selected public events.

    Deadline for submissions is June 1, 2010. For details and an entry form, visit Photo Contest Rules and regulations: or contact Rick LeBlanc at Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, 617-626-1759 or send an e-mail to him.

    http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/galleries/photos/35063.jpg

  • 2010 Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar

    The 2010 Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar is now available for sale. Your purchase of this unique local calendar will show your enthusiasm for Massachusetts agriculture, and will also support the many educational efforts of Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom (MAC), the designated recipient of the proceeds. This attractive calendar will make a nice hostess or holiday gift for any friend or family member who has an interest in agriculture.

    The Mass. Agriculture Calendar was a collaboration between the U.S. D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and MAC. It was created to educate consumers about the rich diversity of agriculture in the state, while at the same time providing an attractive color calendar that is a daily reminder of Massachusetts agriculture.

    Each month of the calendar features one full-size photograph portraying a local farm or farm product in season. Photos were submitted by amateur photographers from across the state for our 2009 Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar Photo Contest. View the winning photos and check out the rules for taking and sending photographs to the 2010 Mass. Agriculture contest at www.mass.gov/agr/events.

    The goal of the calendar is to serve as an educational tool for teachers, legislators and the general public, while at the same time to create an attractive color calendar that is a daily reminder of Massachusetts agriculture. The calendar offers agriculture education information for teachers including web sites and educational tips on each page. Nine non-profit agricultural commodity organizations sponsored individual calendar pages. The calendar also includes local agriculture facts, conservation facts, agriculture and horticulture related events and websites, as well as a chart showing the seasons of local crops.

    Nine non-profit agricultural commodity organizations each sponsored a page in the calendar. They are the Massachusetts Agricultural Fairs Association (July); Massachusetts Association of Roadside Stands and Pick-Your-Own (August); Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association (December); Massachusetts Dairy Promotion Board (June); Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation (January); Massachusetts Flower Growers Association (May); Massachusetts Fruit Growers Association (September); Massachusetts Maple Producers Association (March); and Massachusetts State Grange (April).

    Calendars may be purchased for $10 each ($5 wholesale for 10 or more.)  Proceeds will benefit Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, a non-profit organization that works with teachers throughout the state in developing classroom materials.

    Send a check payable to Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom with your name and address to: Calendar, Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, P. O. Box 345, Seekonk, MA 02771.

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  • Saturday, November 14, 9:00 – 11:00 am – Asian Longhorn Beetle Battle

    Asian Longhorned Beetle (“ALB”) is an invasive wood-boring pest that was discovered in Worcester, MA in August 2008. It is a huge threat to the trees that grow in our parks and along every street, and puts the livelihood of our state’s forests as well as our nursery and maple syrup industries at risk. Help us survey Boston’s trees for signs of this invasive beetle. Learn how to recognize ALB and ALB tree damage, and what trees are most vulnerable. A brief training session will be held before the survey. Meet Saturday, November 14 (raindate Sunday, November 15) at 9:00 am on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall at Arlington Street.  Wear comfortable shoes and bring water.  Call 617-626-1735 to register.  For more information, log on to http://massnrc.org/pests/alb.  This survey is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.

    http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/alb1.bmp

  • August is Asian Longhorned Beetle Awareness Month

    It was just over a year ago that the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) was first reported by Worcester resident Donna Massie. Since that time, local, state, and federal entities have joined together to fight the infestation of an invasive pest that has caused negative impact to the City of Worcester and placed the Commonwealth as well as the entire Northeastern United States on high alert. To this end, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) has worked with the Governor’s Office to declare August as Asian Longhorned Beetle Awareness Month, with the goal of encouraging every resident in the Commonwealth to learn to identify and report sightings of this invasive insect.  Aren’t you glad you know?

    http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/PI/AsianLongHornedBeetle.jpg

  • Saturday, August 8, 10 – 4 – Massachusetts Marketplace Festival

    Join the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for the 13th Annual Massachusetts Marketplace Festival on Saturday, August 8, from 10 to 4, at Elm Bank Horticulture Center.  The event will feature the finest products from the region’s fields, farms, gardens and kitchens, with over 60 vendors offering new and locally produced food products, crafts, garden ornaments and gifts.  There will also be a plant sale and garden tours.  Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for MassHort members, and $2 for children under 12.  Tickets are available onsite the day of the event.  Massachusetts Marketplace Festival is produced by MassHort with in-kind support from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and the Massachusetts Specialty Food Association.  For more information, log on to www.masshort.org, or call Kathy Thomas at 617-933-4981.