Month: October 2023

State Senator Ed Kennedy testified before the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development on Monday, advocating for Senate Bill.2469, An Act Defining Agritourism. Senator Kennedy is the chief sponsor of the legislation and he also sits on the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development. In general terms, agritourism is tourism that involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm. Senate Bill 2469 would establish a clear definition of agritourism activities.

As of the latest USDA Census of Agriculture, there were 240 farms participating in agritourism activities in the Commonwealth which generated $13,476,000 in income, or $56,150 per farm, which makes Massachusetts the eighth highest state in the U.S. for agritourism value per farm.

Many Massachusetts farmers have become increasingly creative about making their farms attractive to tourists by adding farm stands, offering bus tours, a farm-to-table venue for weddings, corn mazes, bed and breakfasts, picnic tables, and other recreational activities.

Agritourism is crucial for the success of many small farms. With modern agriculture putting a strain on farms, and the urban and suburban populations becoming increasingly distant from them, agritourism serves as a means for farmers to increase their revenue. It also helps farmers reconnect with the general public and educates them about the process of producing their food and other farm products. By defining agritourism in state law, future legislation can be proposed to support the farming industry in Massachusetts.

State Senator Ed Kennedy was among the 150+ crowd who attended the Greater Lowell Community Foundation’s 2023 Celebrate Giving event which took place at UTEC’s Warren Street facility on Thursday, October 25. The focus of this year’s event was “Creating an Inclusive Cultural Economy” and featured Massachusetts Cultural Council Executive Director Michael Bobbitt as the keynote speaker.

The Celebrate Giving event highlighted Mosaic Lowell and the related work of other creative partners in the Greater Lowell community.

State Senator Ed Kennedy was happy to attend the second annual Lowell Asian American Film Festival at Middlesex Community College on Sunday, October 22nd. The three-day film festival began on Friday, October 20 and ended on Sunday.

The 2023 version of the Lowell Asian-American Film Festival featured eight films directed by Asian American film directors from across the country. This year’s festival attracted more than 450 people. On Sunday, Senator Kennedy viewed the showing of The Next Generation of Asian-American Art, a film that “explores how Asian Americans in California’s Central Valley are using art to reshape narratives about and within their communities.”

The Lowell Asian-American Film Festival is sponsored by Middlesex Community College, with support from the Middlesex Community College Foundation and is funded in part by a grant from the City of Lowell.

State Senator Ed Kennedy joined up with the Joint Committee on Agriculture as they toured Shaw Farm in Dracut and the Mill City Grows farm in the Pawtucketville section of Lowell on Friday, September 29. Leading the Joint Committee on the legislative farm tour was Representative Paul Schmid of Westport who serves as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Agriculture.

Warren Shaw led the legislative farm tour at Shaw Farm and Mill City Grows Executive Director, Jessica Moore Wilson led the tour at the Mill City Grows farm. In addition to the members of the Joint Committee, Representative Colleen Garry and Representative Rodney Elliott accompanied the legislative tour

Karen Schwalbe, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation and Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle also joined the legislative farm tour.