As daylight wanes the farmers work stays steady. Cool season crops are starting to take shape after another dry summer. The Cranberry Industry and the apple growers have spread the good news that the yield will be stellar for these fall crops. The time to celebrate the harvest is upon us for late season corn and tomatoes to apples, peaches and farm fresh meats. Our local farmers have provided a great, local feast again.
SEMAP has worked hard over the past few months to reach out to farmers from all our territories; Bristol, Plymouth and Norfolk Counties. We have reconnected with some old friends and made some new connections as well. One focal point is our Member Benefits Package for farmers; we are very excited to share the details and we are also still polishing the General Membership benefits. Farmers will be getting the 2016 membership form in the mail soon if it hasn’t already arrived. Membership is just one of the things we count on for financial support. In return for your membership we want to be sure you know the value of what your membership does for SEMAP and what you get in return. The details are outlined in the new membership flyer. If you’re a farmer, or know a farmer, who didn’t receive the mailing then please reach out to Kendra and we’ll send a copy of the flyer.
The hiring committee will spend the next few weeks reviewing the applications for the new Executive Director. We are happy to report we have some amazing candidates. The task of the hiring committee will be challenging. With their hard work, I am looking forward to officially announcing SEMAP’s new director in November. As we continue to work and build the organization we want to reach out to all of our members. With the end of the year approaching it signals the start of the new terms for the Board of Directors. We want to be sure we have equal representation from all three of SEMAP’s counties and as many facets of agriculture as possible. If you have an interest in being on the board please submit a cover letter along withyour background to SEMAP as soon as possible. “Many hands makes light work,” as they say, and we need a few more hands. November also heralds our 2015 Annual meeting. This year we are starting the rotation of our Annual Meeting locations. This year’s meeting will be held at Oakes Ames Hall in North Easton on November 1st from 2:00-5:00pm. The idea behind the rotation is to better serve all of our territories and make things more easily accessible for different areas. We hope you all will attend. There will be a guest speaker and then we’ll follow up with the business end of things and conclude with some network building. It’s shaping up to be an interesting and entertaining night.
This winter we will also be hosting a Farmer/Chef Network Series. It will be held in 4 locations. The goal is to help both farmers and chefs communicate more efficiently with each other about their needs. Farmers can supply great local produce, honey, fruits and meats without taking a hit to the farm stand and CSAs. And yes chefs, you can afford to Buy Local. Learn how to do this and more in this great, off-season series.
Remember all the upcoming Twilight’s and scheduled events; we hope you plan to join us and be sure to share the details with your customers and friends to spread the word on agriculture.
With dirty hands and a green thumb,
Todd Sandstrum
Interim Executive Director