COMMONWEALTH QUALITY SECTORS

About Massachusetts Agriculture

Agriculture is and always has been an important part of life in Massachusetts. In addition to supplying our community with fresh, nutritious food, Massachusetts farmers contribute significantly to our local economy. In fact, Massachusetts' direct-to-consumer sales account for over 40% of New England's total farm sales. Today, more than 7,000 farms across the Commonwealth provide a wide variety of year-round fresh, local produce to consumers and markets.

Commonwealth Quality, a brand designed by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, makes it easy to find farm fresh fruits and vegetables that are safe, sustainable and produced in an environmentally friendly way by local farms right here in Massachusetts.

The Commonwealth Quality Seal provides an unspoken guarantee that fresh fruits and vegetables as well as processed foods are not only Massachusetts-grown, processed and tended with care, but that agricultural and production practices adhere to a top level set of criteria that are as good as any in the world.

Please visit the pages of the produce section to learn more about Commonwealth Quality's program requirements and standards and what Massachusetts farms are doing everyday to ensure that their products are the very best.