5th Massachusetts Green Career Conference Presentation: Agriculture

1. Agriculture in Mass
• Steve Verrill: Owner, Verrill Farm, Concord, MA
• Margiana Petersen-Rockney: Coordinator, Beginning
Farmer Network of Mass, New Entry Sustainable
Farming Project, Farmer at Rosasharn Farm, Organizer
of the Young Farmer Network
• Kathleen Carroll: Director, UMass Extension Agriculture
& Green Industry Program, Amherst

2. Steve Verrill
Owner of Verrill Farm
Concord, MA

3. Margiana Petersen-Rockney
Beginning Farmer Network of Mass Coordinator (www.bfnmass.org)
New Entry Sustainable Farming Project (www.nesfp.org)
Young Farmer Network Organizer (www.youngfarmernetwork.org)
Farmer, Rosasharn Farm

4. Mass agriculture quick facts

5. Mass agriculture quick facts
Annual gross sales
Cash in direct sales of farm products to
consumers (1st in New England)
$489 million
$42 million
Number of farmers markets
247
Family owned farms
90%
Farms
7,691
Farms w/ hired labor
1,770
Farm workers
13,545
Farmland
517,879 acres
Cropland
187,406 acres
Average farm size
Facts from
USDA Census
of Agriculture,
2007
Farmland value (3rd in nation)
Gender of farmers
Average age of farmers
67 acres
$11,600/acre
39% female, 61% male
57 years

6. Farm Incomes
Farms by Value of Sales
2,500
2,380
Number of Farms
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
949
839
769
791
244
398
156
397
212
194
0
Farm Sales
Facts from USDA Census of
Agriculture, 2007
• The average net cash farm income per farm is $12,517
• 95% are “small farms” (USDA definition: annual sales below
$250,000)

7. The future

8. Employment
The numbers:
• 1 in 10 people in the US work in food service
• 1 in 100 work on farms
Other options:
• Non-profits that work with farmers
• For-profit ag. suppliers and service providers
• Many entrepreneurial opportunities
Where to look for jobs:
• New Entry Farm Employment Directory
• Goodfoodjobs.com website
• Comfoodjobs tufts listserv https://elist.tufts.edu/wws/subscribe/comfoodjobs
• ATTRA (National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service) website- Sustainable
farming internships and apprenticeships

9. Kathleen Carroll
Director,
UMass Extension
Agriculture & Green
Industry Program,
Amherst

17. WELCOME TO
GREEN SCHOOL
Sponsored by UMass Extension’s
Turf Program
and
Landscape, Nursery and
Urban Forestry Program

18. UMass Extension’s
GREEN DIRECTORY
• Who we are
• How to contact us
• What programs we offer
Pick up your copy at the registration table.

19. WEB SITES
Landscape, Nursery and
Urban Forestry Program
UMassGreenInfo.org
Turf Program
UMassTurf.org

20. Massachusetts Programs: 2-years or Less
in Agriculture or Horticulture
 Cape Cod Community College
 Greenfield Community College
 Holyoke Community College
 Mount Wachusett Community College
 North Shore Community College
 Springfield Technical Community College
 Stockbridge School