August
- August 18 & 20 - Trial Garden Tours - Cavicchio Greenhouses, Sudbury, 5:30pm. Mass. Flower Growers Association event, open to all. Email Kerri Stafford to RSVP.
- August 20 - ANNUAL TOMATO CONTEST - Boston Public Market, Boston. Open to all Massachusetts commercial tomato growers - Details for tomato drop offs and registration here.
- August 21 - Honey Bee Education Day at the State Apiaries - Summer Management & Fall Prep- 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.
- August 21 - MDAR's Learn How to Supply a New Statewide Local Food for Schools Contract –Webinar - 12:00 - 1:00pm. A new statewide contract designed to enable schools to source local foods, including produce, dairy, seafood, animal proteins, and grains opens for bid this August. Will highlight this opportunity and available resources for growers and producers interested in bidding on this contract. Join MDAR, the MA Operational Services Division, and Mass. Farm to School to learn more about this opportunity, evaluate if it is the right fit for your business, and, if not, how your farm can still get products into Massachusetts schools. Register here for webinar.
- August 25 - Berkshire Agricultural Ventures' Farm Business Accelerator Program - webinar, 7:00pm - 8:00pm. Learn about program designed to help farmers across the Berkshire-Taconic region build practical, farm-specific business and financial planning skills. Webinar registration here.
- August 26 - MNLA's 2026 Plant Geek Day - Mary May Binney Wakefield Arboretum, Milton. A great educational opportunity for all nursery and landscape professionals within the green industry - Geek Day details here.
- August 27 & 28 - ELA’s 32nd Annual Conference & Eco-Marketplace: Navigating Uncertainty - Providence, RI. Conference brings together leaders in ecological landscape practices with a diverse range of professionals involved in landcare, including landscape architects, designers, growers, horticulturists, land stewards, arborists, and installation-maintenance technicians. Conference details here.
- August 31 - Food Safety Farm Tour - Red Shirt Farm, Lanesborough, 4:00pm - 6:00pm. Food safety tour updates here.
September
- September 10 - Massachusetts Food Policy Council Meeting - Remote, 9:30am - 11:30am. Agenda and updates here.
- September 11 - Honey Bee Education Day at the State Apiaries - Honey Extraction - Dighton location only - 11am-1:30pm- Amherst and Dighton. 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.
- September 17 - SEMAP Twilight Mtg - Temporary Fence Installation & Maintenance - Heart Beets Farm, Berkley, 5:00-7:00pm. Will address fence installation, maintenance including keeping a "hot" electric line and managing weeds along the fence line, and what to do when deer intrude anyway. UMass Extension will also be joining to talk about identification and strategies for Pepper Maggot. Twilight details here.
- 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 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.
November
- 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 15 - 17, 2026 - New England Vegetable & Fruit Conference - Manchester, New Hampshire. Conference updates here.
2027
March
- March 6 - 40th Annual NOFA/Mass Winter Conference - University of Massachusetts 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.