Agricultural Commission
AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION MEETING
MINUTES
February 19, 2019
Attendance: Steve D’Aquila, Jim Dunn, Tom O’Shea, Chris Hugo, Eileen
Charbonneau
Absent: Ryan McKay, Maleah Gustafson
Others Present: Tyler Gibbs, Amy Parker & Guest
The meeting was called to order at 7:33 p.m.
SUBCOMMITTEE:
The subcommittee reported that they have twenty-four (24) properties completed at this point. Jim will come up with a way to present the work they’ve done so far for the next meeting. At that time the AgComm will vote on accepting the work of the subcommittee.
Eileen reported that she spoke with Joann DiNardo of Sholan Farms in Leominster regarding the possibility of acting as a consultant for the Holden AgComm should an open space we feel should be preserved come before us for right of first refusal. Joann stated that she has acted in such a consultant role for other towns and would be happy to assist us, if needed. Jim indicated that White Oak could also be useful in such a consulting role.
MINUTES:
Jim made a motion to accept the Minutes from the January 2019 meeting as presented. Tom seconded the motion. The motion passed.
BOARD OF SELECTMEN LIAISON:
Steve introduced Selectman Tyler Gibbs who will be the Board of Selectman’s liaison to the Agricultural Commission. Selectman Gibbs noted that the Select Board is starting budget talks. He asked if there are any concerns that the AgComm would like him to present at the next BOS meeting. Steve asked that he request more money for the open space fund. He also asked if there was any way the town could support agritourism in Holden.
Agritourism in Holden has included Lilac Hedge Farm’s Back 40 and The Farm at SummitWynds’ Lavender Festival.
Amy Parker stated that the town’s bylaws do mention agritourism and agritainment under the Right to Farm section. Jim noted that the governor signed a bill to form a commission for the statewide study of agritourism so it is likely towns won’t want to make changes until after this takes place.
EDUCATIONAL SERIES PRESENTATION:
The general consensus regarding the pruning workshop was that the turnout (more than 70 attendees) was the highest for any workshop thus far and that the presentation was excellent. Comments from attendees indicate that they found it to be very informative and well presented. Sign-ups for the hands-on workshop at Sholan Farms were taken at the presentation and they were able to fill the workshop. Jim attended the hands-on workshop on February 16, 2019 at Sholan Farms. He reported that it had a full attendance with participants coming not only from Holden, but several other towns including Paxton and Lancaster.
Working in partnership with the Rutland Agricultural Commission, the WCCD, and CMG proved to run very smoothly. Working in partnership with these organizations is recommended for the future.
Chris is currently working on editing the filming of the presentation which he did using two cameras and four tracks of audio. He reports that it looks good and should be ready soon.
Tom noted that despite the easy access to presentations like this on YouTube and other Internet sites, people still want to see a speaker in person and connect with others who are interested in the same topic. This bodes well for the continuance of the AgComm’s educational series.
Ideas for the next Educational Series workshop to be held in the spring include composting, soil chemistry, sustainable water practices, and controlling backyard invasive insect species. Jim will talk to Kate Gervais regarding a presenter for soil chemistry. The possibility of putting composting, soil chemistry, and sustainable water practices into one workshop was discussed as was the feasibility of having participants bring soil samples to be tested or the results of already tested soil in order to obtain expert recommendations.
A summer workshop on food preservation is being considered for August or early September, likely to be held at the Red Barn.
PROMOTION FOR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS:
Steve asked for suggestions for assisting WCCD to promote their seedling sale. It was decided that we will ask Maleah to link it to our Facebook page and Jim will ask for it to be linked to Holden’s town webpage.
CENTRAL MASS GROWN:
As Maleah was absent, there was no report offered on Central Mass Grown.
NEW BUSINESS:
There was a brief discussion regarding whether the Agricultural Commission should have its own email address through the town in order to contact potential workshop participants.
MISC.:
The Farm at SummitWynds is planning their lavender festival for the third week of June. They are working now on their application to the Select Board. The AgComm may be able to assist with promoting this event.
On a motion by Eileen, seconded by Jim, the meeting was adjourned at 8:13 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Eileen Charbonneau