l. to r. Sue Ellen Johnson, NESFI project leader, Cecil Currin, NRCS State Conservationist, and Judith Gillan, NESFI director

Massachusetts NRCS State Conservationist Cecil Currin recently presented a Conservation Partnership Initiative (CPI) grant check to Judith Gillan of the New England Small Farm Institute (NESFI) to improve conservation services to local farmers with grass-based livestock operations in the Chicopee River Basin. NESFI is one of only six organizations nationwide and the only organization east of the Mississippi River to receive a CPI grant this year. “Grass-based farming and livestock enterprises are central to the future of agriculture in this area,” Currin said. “This grant will support the development of locally-led solutions to their natural resource concerns. NESFI is well suited to helping them cooperate and share information to address their environmental challenges.” The presentation took place at the institute’s headquarters in Belchertown.

Visit the NRCS Massachusetts Web site

NESFI will lead a partnership of nine organizations to develop a service network to assure good conservation practices on grass-based livestock farms. The project will focus on new farmers and start-up enterprises.

Small-scale livestock enterprises are increasingly common in New England’s upland watersheds. The region’s soil base, hilly terrain, and rain-rich climate are particularly suited to grazing operations.
Your contact is Diane Baedeker Petit, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 413-253-4371, or diane.petit@ma.usda.gov.