Co-sponsored by:  UMass Extension, The Massachusetts Association of Roadside Stands (MARS), & the Massachusetts Department of Food & Agriculture
 
The farms listed in this brochure open their barn doors and welcome you to join them for a relaxed farm tour, a discussion about their production practices, and highlights on how they are successfully direct marketing their farm products. These farms feature vegetables, berries, cut flowers, greenhouses, and livestock, "value-added" products and agri-tourism.  Who attends? Farmers, UMass Extension professionals,Department of Food & Agriculture specialists, State senators & representatives, students, media, and really anyone interested in agriculture!
 
Refreshments will be offered at each meeting. All Meetings Held Rain or Shine! Every Twilight Meeting will offer at lease one contact hour of Pesticide Recertification Credits.
 
Tuesday, July 16, 5 - 7:30 p.m.
Field Day at the UMass Research Farm
South Deerfield, MA
Contact: Ruth Hazzard (413) 545-3696
 
Features:
• UMass Vegetable Team.
• Flea beetle management in brassica crops, including insecticide trials with organic and conventional crops and testing perimeter trap crops and flaming for control of flea beetle.
• Managing cucumber beetle and bacterial wilt in pumpkin with systemic and foliar sprays; applying imidacloprid through trickle, in-furrow or on transplants; using kaolin clay and plant growth promoting Rhizobacteria, in both transplants and direct-seeded crops.
• Specialty Crops Evaluations: come and see a wide range of "new" vegetable crops that could appeal to Asian and other ethnic markets in Massachusetts.
• New specialty potato varieties and cultural techniques for producing early potatoes.
• Use of hairy vetch and oats or rye as winter cover crops to provide nitrogen for sweet corn.
• Late-season organic sweet corn pest management.
• John Howell will discuss trickle irrigation systems with a hands-on demonstration using the trickle irrigation trailer.
 
Directions:  From I-91 north take exit 24; turn right at end of ramp onto Rts 5 & 10 North. From I-91 south, take exit 24 and turn left at the end of the ramp onto Rts 5 & 10 North. Go north on 5 & 10 a few hundred yards to the traffic light and turn right onto Rt. 116 (toward Amherst). Proceed about one mile through another light and turn left (north) onto River Rd. just before the bridge over the Connecticut River. Go north on River Rd. past a housing development and left through the gate onto the Research Farm. Look for signs. From the Amherst-Sunderland-Hadley area, cross the Connecticut River on Rt. 116 and turn right onto River Rd. just beyond the bridge.
 
Thursday, July 25, 5 - 7:30 p.m.
Hamilton Orchards
25 West Street, New Salem, MA
Contact: Sonia Schloemann, 413-545-4347
 
Features:
• Family farmers Barb and Bill Hamilton.
• Pioneering new production methods for containerized production system for raspberries using varieties that are not winter hardy in our area.
• Discuss field grown raspberry and blueberry production and pest management issues.

Directions: From the Boston area, take Route 2 West to Route 202 (Exit 16), heading toward Belchertown/Amherst. You'll travel about 7 miles to the center of New Salem. Look for the New Salem General Store, then go about 1 mile and turn right onto West Street. The farm is about 300 yards down the road. From the south, take I-91 North to Route 202 in Holyoke. Travel about 30 miles. You'll see a sign on the left for Hamilton Orchards. Turn left onto West Street. The farm is about 300 yards down the road.
  
Wednesday, August 7, 5 - 7:30 p.m.
New England Small Farm Institute
Belchertown, MA
Contact: Robert L. Wick, (413) 545-1045
 
Features:
• Lampson Brook Farms Cooperative and its farmers, Jeremy Barker-Plotkin, Patrick Taylor, and Matt Rulevich.
• Growing of certified organic produce both in the greenhouse and field. Including heirloom tomatoes, mesclun mix, garlic, melons, greenhouse red and specialty peppers, sweet corn, onions, snap beans, and edamame.
• Products are sold through the Amherst and Cambridge Farmers' Markets, through a retail stand located on-site, and through local restaurants and grocers on a wholesale basis.
• Pests and pest management will be discussed.
 
Directions:  I-91, coming from the north: After Greenfield, take Route 116 exit #25 at South Deerfield. Take a left onto 116, a quick right onto 5&116, and a left to continue on 116 south. Travel on 116 to the intersection with Route 9 in Amherst. Take a left on 9 east. Travel on Route 9 east to intersection with Route 202 in Belchertown. Take a right on 202 South. Travel on 202 south up toward the center of belchertown (about .9 miles). At the foot of the town common turn right onto Jackson Street. Lampson brook Farms and NESFI are located .9 miles down Jackson Street on your left.
 
I-90 (Mass Pike), coming from the east: Take the Palmer exit #8. At the end of ramp, take a right on Route 32. Take a right at your second light onto route 20. In about one mile turn right onto Route 181. Follow 181 to the center of Belchertown (about 15 minutes). At the stoplight, continue straight through the center of town. At the foot of the town common (with McCarthy's Pub on your right), turn left onto Jackson Street. Lampson Brook Farms and NESFI are located .9 miles down Jackson Street on your left.
 
Wednesday, August 28, 5 - 7:30 p.m.
Keown Orchards
9 McClellan Road., Sutton, MA
Contact: Jonathan Bates, (413) 529-9100
 
Features:
• Jane Oliver and Artie Keown's 78 year old Farm Stand, Farmers' Market and Wholesale opperation.
• Their farm focuses on vegetables and tree fruit, fresh cut flowers, pick-your-own, school tours and special events.
• Some production techniques include, high density trellised apple orchards, plastic mulch and drip irrigation, and greenhouse season extension.
-There will be a tour of the farm looking at the greenhouses, orchards and field grown vegetables.
 
Directions:  Take MassPike to exit 10A, rt 146 South. Go to the Central turnpike exit and go left towards Northbridge. Take your second left at DodgeHill Road and follow signs. From the South take rt146 North to Central Turnpike and take a right, then follow the signs.
 
Wednesday, Sept. 4, 5 - 7:30 p.m.
Forbidden Fruit Farm
307 Rock O' Dundee Rd., Dartmouth, MA
Contact: Frank Mangan, (978) 422-6374
 
Features:
• Start up farmer Baraba Purdy
• The farm is growing raspberries, currants, gooseberries, a few hardy kiwi, elderberries and also this year some vegetables and cut flowers.
• Produces jam and jellies with frozen fruits collected wild and harvested.
• Most of the crops are sold at farmer's markets.
• We will discuss their trial of different ethnic crops being grown as part of a collaborative project with the New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association, Federation of Massachusetts Farmers' Markets, Southestern Massachusetts Agricultural Promotion, and UMass Extension. These crops are being evaluated for expanding markets in the Southeast.
 
Directions:  From Boston: Rout 24 south to 140 Brocton/ New Bedford. Last New Bedford exit is Rte 6. Turn right(west) onto Rte 6 to lights. Take a left at lights onto Slocum Rd. Follow Slocum until it ends. At Dairy Chief take a left and follow this road through the four way stop until it ends at Rock O Dundee Rd. Left onto Rock O Dundee six telephone ploes on left then a pair of gravel driveways, ours is the second one.
 
For additional information call:
Frank Mangan, UMass Extension: (978) 422-6374
Jonathan Bates, MARS: (413) 529-9100
Rick Leblanc, Dept. of Food & Ag.: (617) 626-1759