Creating connections and building resources for Agricultural Commissions across Massachusetts
CLIENT | Department of Agricultural Resources
LOCATION | Massachusetts
DATE | 2026
After a 5-year hiatus, the Dept of Agricultural Resources has engaged CW – Sarah Gardner and Pete Westover – to provide technical support to municipal agricultural commissions around the state. Saran and Pete have been meeting with individual AgComs, collaborating with other farm support groups to collect resources for AgComs, and have conducted a series of eight well-attended regional roundtables to give AgComs a chance to learn from each other and share information. There are more than 150 AgComs in the state, many of whom are quite active, with others re-gearing up after several quiet years. MDAR, especially Commissioner Ashley Randle, has been extremely supportive in this effort.
Services Provided
Helping communities build relationships with local farmers to better understand their needs and opportunities to support local farms and increase access to local food. This typically includes the collection of local data to develop a profile of existing agriculture and facilitated community engagement to guide volunteers through a process that results in an informed action plan.
Helping farmers develop or update their business plans and financial projections for their farm business. This process varies by farm, but may typically include an analysis of current operations, resources, and historic financials, and focused interviews with operators to identify goals, growth strategies, potential markets, and infrastructure needs.
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