Patrick-Murray Administration Announces 43 Grants for Environmental Improvements at Bay State Farms
Awarded through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources' (DAR) Agricultural Environmental Enhancement Program (AEEP) grants went to farms in the towns of Ashfield, Barnstable, Bernardston, Carlisle, Carver, Conway, Deerfield, Duxbury, East Longmeadow, Egremont, Hadley, Harvard, Harwich, Ipswich, Lakeville, Leominster, Middleboro, Middleborough, Plymouth, Plympton, Rochester, South Carver, Sudbury, Wareham, West Brookfield, West Wareham, Williamsburg, and Worthington. These grants will fund projects such as insulation for winter crop storage, photovoltaic systems, and wastewater treatment systems.
"We are pleased to help farmers make their agricultural practices more sustainable," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles. "These awards are another example of the Patrick Administration's efforts to conserve natural resources throughout the Commonwealth."
"In the past decade, the AEEP program has helped Massachusetts farmers address potential impacts on environmental resources and achieve the goal of energy efficiency," said DAR Commissioner Scott Soares. "I congratulate these recipients who are taking steps toward a more sustainable future."
AEEP funds water quality programs and practices that promote energy efficiency, water conservation, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Farmers selected to participate are reimbursed for the approved costs of materials up to $30,000.
AEEP has funded 288 projects statewide since 1999, providing growers and producers more than $3 million to address environmental concerns on their farms. To be eligible for AEEP funds, growers' property must consist of at least five contiguous acres of land under the same ownership and be actively devoted to agricultural or horticultural use, have at least three acres in bog production, or have at least 5,000 square feet under greenhouse production. Aquaculture operations must possess a current valid shellfish aquaculture license.
Today's grant awardees:
Jeffrey Erickson
Middleborough
$10,000 for an auto start, remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Indian Line Farm
Egremont
$10,000 for a 6.5 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system.
Carlson Orchards, Inc.
Harvard
$30,000 for a 220 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system.
Estate of G. Dodge
Middleborough
$8,212 for an auto start, remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Porter Bog Company
Rochester
$8,995 for an auto start, remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Piney Wood
Carver
$11,650 for an auto start, remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Gary Randall
Carver
$26,815 for an auto start, remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system, pump house and pump.
Highland Cranberry
Lakeville
$6,335 for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system, and dike raising.
Decas Cranberry
Rochester
$10,000 for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Robert Leronimo
Middleborough
$12,262 for an auto irrigation system and pump.
Double J Farm
West Brookfield
$16,590 for fencing.
Cotuit Oyster
Barnstable
$13,552 for a photovoltaic outboard and a vegetable barrier.
Great Brook Farm
Carlisle
$30,000 for a manure storage area.
Pioneer Gardens
Deerfield
$30,000 for an ebb and flow bench system.
ADM Cranberry, LLC
Carver
$10,000 for pop-up irrigation sprinklers.
Mayflower Cranberries
Plympton
$7,747 for an automatic irrigation system and pesticide storage.
Cross Roads Farm
Ashfield
$5,773 for a solar hot water unit.
Portside Division
Harwich
$9,056 for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Cavicchio Greenhouses
Sudbury
$30,000 to install vents on a solar greenhouse.
Just-a-mere Tree Farm
Worthington
$6,935 for electrical to diaphragm pumps.
Sunbrite Farm
Bernardston
$12,726 for an outdoor wood boiler.
Willows Cranberries
Plymouth
$9,204 for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Paul's Sugarhouse
Williamsburg
$29,825 for equipment to reduce maple sap.
Tilson Bog
South Carver
$5,765 for fuel containment and an engine.
Rodney Fielding
Wareham
$13,367 for an irrigation pump and for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
W.J.M. Cranberries
Middleborough
$14,509 for an irrigation pump and for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Red Eye Cranberry
Duxbury
$25,814 for irrigation lines and an irrigation pump.
D. Fernandes Cranberries
Carver
$8,800 for a pump and fuel storage.
Winter Moon Farm
Hadley
$10,212 for a winter crop storage facility.
Bar Way Farm, Inc.
Deerfield
$18,919 for a vertical tillage system.
Harju Brothers Cranberry Inc
Plympton
$15,675 for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system, a pump and sprinkler heads.
Weston Brothers
Carver
$22,189 for irrigation pumps and flumes.
Graziano Brothers
East Longmeadow
$30,000 for condensing gas boilers.
Doyle Cranberry
Middleborough
$8,439 for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Ragged Hill Orchard
West Brookfield
$30,000 for a 14.4 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system.
Gove Farm
Leominster
$21,000 for a 7.38 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system.
Cousins Cranberry, LLC
Carver
$8,995 for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Chop Chaque
Middleborough
$10,000 for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Atwood FIT
Plympton
$10,000 for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
E.L. Bartholomew
West Wareham
$8,212 for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Maintain Bog
Rochester
$8,212 for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Bayside Agricultural
Rochester
$8,212 for a remotely controlled, solar powered computer activated irrigation system.
Appleton Farm
Ipswich
$28,000 for a vegetated treatment area.
The DAR's mission is to ensure the long-term viability of local agriculture in Massachusetts. Through its four divisions - Agricultural Development, Animal Health, Crop and Pest Services, and Technical Assistance - the DAR strives to support, regulate, and enhance the Commonwealth's agricultural community, working to promote economically and environmentally sound food safety and animal health measures, and fulfill agriculture's role in energy conservation and production.