Whately Agricultural Commission votes to back state farm resilience bill

WHATELY — June 8, 2026 — Whately Agricultural Commission unanimously backs state farm resilience legislation and hears drought vulnerability testimony from local farmers. The commission voted at its June 8 meeting to accept two draft letters — one to itself and one for the Select Board to transmit to the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee — urging support for the Massachusetts House Farm Resiliency bill, which would raise the preferential local food purchasing threshold for institutional buyers from 10 percent to 20 percent above market price and requires no new state expenditure. Commission member Judy, participating by phone, drafted the letters and briefed members on the bill's status, noting it remains held in committee awaiting release for a floor vote. Stephen Toronto of CESA, under contract to the Franklin Regional Council of Governments through a state Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant, led an informal drought-preparedness discussion in which local farmers described severe water access gaps — one dairy and corn operation reported no irrigation access across more than 300 combined acres, while a vegetable farm operator said this is the first season the farm has drawn from a pond after a house well proved insufficient in volume and pressure. Toronto noted CESA plans to offer free irrigation tune-up consultations and flagged upcoming USDA marketing grant funding through CESA's email list.