Northeast Regional Climate Hub Vulnerability Assessment Published

June 24, 2015Climate Change, Risk Management

GUEST BLOG POST By David Hollinger, Northeast Hub Lead; Howard Skinner, Northeast Hub Co-Lead; Christopher Swanston, Northern Forests Sub Hub Lead The Northeast Regional Climate Hub covers Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The Northern Forests Climate Sub Hub shares this footprint … Read More

Legal Concerns Around Farm Workers and Employees

May 8, 2015Educational Opportunities, Farm Economics, Farm Safety, Farm Workers, Legal Issues, Risk Management

GUEST BLOG POST By Sanne Kure-Jensen Farming is hard work and many farmers seek help from volunteers, compensated volunteers (trade food and/or housing for labor) and paid employees. Farmers want their workers to be happy and productive. Rachel Armstrong led an informative webinar on the legal considerations around unpaid and compensated volunteers. “Ag. law is … Read More

Secretary Vilsack: $97 Million for New Programs for Farmers

March 16, 2015Alternative Energy, Beginning Farmers, Census of Agriculture, Consumers, Farm Bill 2013, farm-to-school, National Farmers Union, Risk Management, Socially Disadvantaged Farmers, Specialty Crops, USDA

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today announced $97 million in programs to support the continued development of farmers markets, farm to school efforts and rural economies and will also expand risk management tools for specialty crops and limited-resource farmers. “Increasing market opportunities for local food producers is a sound investment in America’s rural economies, … Read More

Roof Collapse Safety Information

March 3, 2015Farm Safety, Risk Management

Residents and Businesses are Strongly Encouraged to Have Snow and Ice Cleared from Roofs Before this Week’s Storm Guest Blog Post from Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources  The prolonged cold weather and repeated snowstorms Massachusetts is experiencing have contributed to potentially dangerous conditions for businesses and homes alike. Heavy mounds of snow are creating severe … Read More

Prevent Roof Collapse!

February 6, 2015Farm Safety, Risk Management

GUEST BLOG POST by Chris Colello, ALCM, ARM, CFPS, Regional Loss Control Director, Acadia Insurance Snowflake, snowflake, how much do you weigh? Right around .002 grams. So, how do a bunch of snowflakes pancake buildings each year? With more snow in the forecast for much of New England, this becomes a very important question. Generally … Read More

Important Deadlines Coming Up

February 6, 2015Risk Management

Please be aware of these important deadlines. And thanks to UMass Extension for passing them along. February 27, 2015: The deadline to update yields and re-allocate bases for the Ag Risk Coverage (ACR)/Price Loss Coverage (PLC) Programs administered by the USDA-Farm Service Agency (FSA). Producers with crop acreage bases (grain corn & silage, barley, wheat, … Read More