September
- September 17 - SEMAP Twilight Mtg - Temporary Fence Installation & Maintenance - Heart Beets Farm, Berkley, 5:30-7:30pm. Permanent deer fencing can be expensive and may not be the best option for all farmers, especially on leased land. Join us at Heart Beets Farm in Berkley, MA, for a practical look at the temporary electric fencing they use to protect their crops from deer. Look at installation, keeping the fence hot, weed management, maintenance, and what to do when deer get through. UMass Extension will also walk and help identify fall pests along with monitoring and management strategies. Twilight details here.
- September 23 - Planning for Farmland in Massachusetts - Webinar, noon - 1:00pm.Overview of new resource, “Planning for Farmland in Massachusetts: An Overview at the Municipal and Regional Level” and address key sections of the document, particularly things to keep in mind when developing strategies to protect farmland. Learn more and register on the webinar webpage.
- September 24 - Massachusetts Day at the Big E - speaking program 9:30am, MA Building opens at 10:00am - 2026 Exhibitors and vendors.
- September 29 - New Entry's Explore Farming Workshop - Online, free and open to all. Details and registration here.
October
- October 2 - Northeast US Honey Bee Update Lunch and Learn - webinars on Fridays from 12:00pm-1:30pm. Meet the dynamic group of Apiary Inspectors and Extension Faculty who support apiculture in our region and ask questions related to honey beekeeping and get advice from the experts in the field. These events are designed to support the beekeeper journey of ensuring the health, seasonal management and treatment of honey bee colonies. Honey bee registration here.
- October 6 – Farm Business Planning Course (Online) – This 8-week course is filled with information, activities, and presentations from excellent guest speakers that will help you write your farm business plan. The Farm Business Planning course is designed to help you create a written plan to start or expand your farm business. Also, the course is recognized by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) as fulfilling one of their financial management training requirements. Business course details here.
- October 7 - MNLA's Gather & Grow - Weston Nurseries, Hopkinton, 9:30am-12:30pm. Be part of the future of green industry professionals. Gather & Grow details here.
- October 16 – Honey Bee Education Day at the State Apiaries - Winter Preparation - Amherst and Dighton,1:00pm-3:00pm. Join the MDAR Apiary Team guided tours of live honey bee colonies, hands-on demonstrations in colony management, and the latest information on sustaining honey bee health in the Commonwealth. Events will be held live and in person, simultaneously at both state apiaries. Free and open to the public, no pre-registration required. Education Day details here.
- October 19 - MDAR Agricultural Composting Training Session - MDAR's Southborough office, 225 Turnpike Rd, Southborough, 3:00-5:00pm. The training will cover regulations, compost science, monitoring, troubleshooting, and Dept. expectations for registered composters. Training will satisfy the training requirement in MDAR's Agricultural Composting Program regulation. No fee, but Pre-registration is REQUIRED, and space limited. Please contact Sean.Bowen@mass.gov.
- October 24 - Hampden County Agricultural Commission Roundtable Meeting - Land Use Room, Southwick Town Hall, 10am - 12 noon. Gatherings of local ag comm members and other local land use board members, farmers, and representatives of farm resource organizations, as well as others involved in agriculture, such as representatives of land trusts, farmers markets, food banks, and other food and agriculture-related organizations and agencies. Register here.
November
- November 5 - 17th Annual RCP Network Gathering - UMass Amherst - the region’s premier conference for collaborative landscape conservation - Gathering details here.
- November 19 - 2026 Massachusetts Food System Forum - College of the Holy Cross, Worcester. Annual forum convenes farmers, fishermen, food system advocates, conservation, public health and housing advocates, people with lived experience with food insecurity, legislators, legislative staff, and state agency staff for an engaging day of conversation and connection. Updates for the Forum here.
December
- December 8 - Lessons Learned from Protecting and Stewarding 1000 Farmland Properties through the APR Program - Webinar, 12:00pm - 1:30pm - MDAR to share lessons learned from protecting and stewarding farmland through the APR Program. Hear about what MDAR staff have learned since 1980 from acquiring and stewarding the 1000 properties included in the APR program. These lessons from the last 46 years have informed how the APR program has developed and evolved. Oriented towards land trusts, municipalities and other entities who are interested in protecting and stewarding farmland. Other partners are welcome to attend, including Ag Coms, Conservation Districts, ALPC members, Regional Planning Agency staff, and others are welcome to attend. Details and register here.
- December 15 - 17, 2026 - New England Vegetable & Fruit Conference - Manchester, New Hampshire. Conference updates here.
2027
February
- February 10–11 - MNLA's Dreams & Solutions: Green Industry Winter Forum and Trade Show - Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center, Marlborough. Two-day program packed with fun education and networking, MCH and pesticide credits for educational sessions, and speakers from New England and beyond. Forum details here.
March
- March 6 - 40th Annual NOFA/Mass Winter Conference - UMass, Amherst, 8am-5pm. Celebrate four decades of cultivating organic agriculture, resilient communities, and ecological stewardship. This year’s theme, The Future We’re Growing, honors the knowledge and relationships that have shaped our movement while looking ahead to the future we are building together. NOFA conference details here.