CRAFT Planning Group Meeting @ Newton Community Farm

The purpose of the eastern Massachusetts Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) is to promote peer-based training of farmers, farm workers, apprentices and others interested in the craft of small-scale sustainable agriculture with emphasis on food production. Through the collaboration of many farms, we provide a broader learning experience than can be received on one farm alone. From April through November we gather at various farms for a visit and/or workshop. Each visit usually includes a farm tour and an overview of the farm, as well as a discussion about a specific skill (e.g., equipment maintenance), systems (e.g., harvest, weed & pest management), or topic (e.g., establishing a new farm, food justice). CRAFT discussions are also scheduled November through March if there is sufficient interest.

In this meeting the CRAFT planning group proposes a calendar of farm visits for the 2023 season. Planners agree to contact potential visit hosts in order to arrange visit details and flesh out visit descriptions. In the weeks following the Planning Meeting, planners finalize arrangements for CRAFT visits, compile all the farm visit descriptions for the CRAFT website and schedule farm visit announcements to be posted to the CRAFT List. The majority of the Planning Group’s work is done November through January.

Want to be part of the CRAFT Planning Group? Eastern Massachusetts farmers and farm supporters who want to join the Planning Group just need come to this meeting. The planning work benefits from members who have attended many CRAFT visits and/or have visited a range of farms and farmers in eastern Massachusetts. If you don’t want to join the Planning Group, but you have ideas about topics or a farm/farmer to visit, send your ideas to emassCraftVisits@gmail.com and they will be shared with the planning group.

https://newtoncommunityfarm.org
Host: Farm Manager Greg Maslowe
Address & Parking: 303 Nahanton Street, Newton. Park on Winchester Street and take the path to the red barn. Or park in the small lot on Nahanton Street.