State Senator Ed Kennedy was happy to join Massachusetts Director of Rural Affairs and former senate colleague Ann Gobi, Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Agriculture State Representative Paul Schmid, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Undersecretary Stephanie Cooper, Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation President Warren Shaw and Executive Director Karen Schwalbe, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle, and many local officials and farmers at Farmer Dave’s Farm in Dracut where Governor Maura Healey’s Administration unveiled the Massachusetts Farmland Action Plan on Monday, December 4.
The Massachusetts Farmland Action Plan was developed through collaboration between University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, American Farmland Trust, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. Farmers, policymakers, nonprofit agencies, and other stakeholders from across the Commonwealth provided advice throughout the planning process.
The Action Plan sets forth goals, priorities and recommended actions for farmland protection and access in Massachusetts. The three primary goals were to (1) Increase efforts to permanently protect farmland, (2) Increase access to farmland, and (3) Support and enhance the viability of farms and farmland in Massachusetts.