ABOUT THE TWILIGHT SERIES
SEMAP’s Twilight Grower Series offers farmers and food producers the chance to connect with and learn from one another. This farmer-to-farmer educational workshop series takes place on farms across the region, allowing hands-on learning and networking opportunities. While this series is open to everyone, it is particularly geared towards commercial growers. Unless otherwise noted, all our Twilight events are FREE.
Previous topics for the Twilight Grower Series have included pest management, alpaca basics, high tunnel winter growing, soil health, and more! View highlights from the 2022 series here.
2024 TWILIGHTS & WORKSHOPS
March 19 –How to Be a Green Apple in a Sea of Red: Clarifying Your Farm’s Brand with Good Egg Marketing
Webinar
Having a clear, consistent, and compelling brand helps your local farm or food business attract loyal customers. Your brand is about so much more than your logo; it encompasses everything about you: how you got started, what you offer, your values, and your unique style or personality. This interactive session will show you how to choose words and images that make your website, social media, and other marketing tactics more effective.
Presenter Myrna Greenfield is a farm and food marketing consultant at Good Egg Marketing, an author, and a frequent speaker at conferences and events.
May 25 – Young Farmer Night collaboration at Rosasharn Farm
Rosasharn Farm, Rehoboth
In collaboration with the Young Farmer Network, we will take a tour of Rosasharn Farm and learn about a diversified family operation consisting of a veggie CSA, Nigerian dwarf goats and livestock guardian dogs. Something special about Rosasharn Farm is that it is one of the first farms to have hosted a Young Farmers Night through The Young Farmer Network! We’ll be celebrating with a bonfire and potluck to follow :] Bring instruments if you have them and a tasty treat to share if it’s in your capacity.
June 12 – Twilight Meeting at Tangerini’s Farm in collaboration with UMass Extension
Tangerini Farm, Millis
Join Tangerini Farm, the UMass Extension Vegetable Program and SEMAP for a twilight meeting!
- Steve Chiarizio of Tangerini Farm will describe the new tile drainage system and bioreactor that they installed at the farm last year with the help of Massachusetts FSIG funding. A representative from Alleghany Services, who installed the system, will also be on-hand to answer questions.
- Maria Gannett, UMass Extension Weed Specialist, and Sue Scheufele, UMass Extension Vegetable IPM Specialist, will talk about sweet corn weed and insect pest management options.
Presentations 4-6 pm, followed by a light supper.
June 28 – Young Farm Night at Sharing the Harvest
Sharing the Harvest Farm, Dartmouth
In collaboration with Young Farmer Network, we will be taking a tour of Sharing the Harvest to learn about their close relationship with food banks, non-profit farming, and some new growing practices they have been trialing to create a more resilient farming system on the land. Potluck and yard games to follow the tour! The ocean is close, so bring your bathing suit.
July 23 – Protecting and Promoting Farmland in Your Town: A special webinar for municipalities in SE Mass.
Webinar
MA is losing farmland faster than we can save it. Towns play an important part in ensuring land remains available for future generations of farmers. Local policies make a big difference in whether farms succeed or fail. This webinar will share information about farmland protection tools and funding sources to help protect farmland in your town.
Topics will include: why protect farmland in Massachusetts, tools to help farmers access farmland, ways to support farmers through town planning, funding sources for permanent land protection, and success stories from southeastern Massachusetts.
October 2 – Realizing Value in Grazing: Building relationships with land owners and restoring soil health
Paradox Acres @ Gidley Farm, Dartmouth
Geoff Kinder of Paradox Acres will share his experience developing a rotational grazing program to restore overworked hayland, improve soil health, and produce higher-quality feed. Geoff will discuss his strategies for building strong partnerships with landowners and how he manages over 200 acres across nine different properties to grow his grazing business. He will be joined by Gidley Farm owners Marjorie Waite and Neal Weiss, Gidley Farm manager Ben Waite, John Duke of NOFA-MA Soil Health, and Desiree Dubois of American Farmland Trust. After the pasture walk, join us for a cookout.
October 24 – Unlocking Your Land’s Potential: A webinar on partnering with farmers for successful land leasing
Webinar and Panel discussion
Are you interested in partnering with a farmer to unlock your land’s potential? Join us as we explore the challenges farmers face in accessing affordable farmland and the benefits landowners gain by leasing their land. We’ll cover various types of farming operations, from hay production to small-scale vegetable farming, and guide you on assessing your land’s suitability for farming. Learn what farmers need, how to find the right one, and create a successful lease. Bring your questions for our panel of landowners sharing real-world experiences in successfully working with farmers.
