Podcast
CISA – Community Involved In Sustaining Agriculture
Hosted by Unknown Author · EN
No description available
9episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
NEPM: Kosinski Farms
Oct 1Tap to summarizedocument.createElement('audio'); https://www.buylocalfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CISA-Kosinski-Farm-Stand.mp3 Claire, Monte, and Kaliis visit with Sue Kosinski at Kosinski Farms and Farmstand in Westfield. A classic New England farm stand, the harvest season is on full display with pumpkins, hay bales, mums, apples, and a bakery full of donuts, pies, and cider. The farm encompasses over 100 acres of apple orchard, blueberries, and fields of mixed produce and flowers. The farm stand houses a bakery and the family’s winery, Raven Hollow Winery, is adjacent to the farm stand parking lot. Sue and her husband, Gene, were both science teachers, in addition to inheriting the farming heritage from their respective families. Sustainability is important to the family, and so they till only when necessary, and their greenhouse is heated by corn. Their children found inspiration in music and family history for the taglines to accompany their lines of business. For instance, “North Country Blues” is a song by Bob Dylan, and their son adapted that song as a reference to their 75 acres of blueberry fields. Raven Hollow Winery is the farm’s winery that puts their excess fruit to good use. The name stemmed from research on the family name by Sue and Gene’s son, Ed. The name Kosinski means “lives with blackbirds” and the family decided on the Raven. Photos courtesy of NEPM & CISA files.
Transcribe →NEPM: Climate Change and Farming Week at Garlic and the Arts Festival
Sep 25Tap to summarizehttps://www.buylocalfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CISA-Garlic-and-Arts.mp3 Monte, Kaliis, and CISA’s Stephen Taranto visit Orange, MA, for the setup of the North Quabbin Garlic & the Arts Festival. Coinciding with CISA’s Climate Change and Farming Week, the festival offers sustainability activities, solutions, and education, called Portal to the Future. The Portal highlights some of the ways that art, food, small-scale farming, renewable energy, smart transportation, care for the land, and hand skills all contribute to community-building and local resilience. This space houses the “Energy Tent,” a place to display and present topics on renewable energy and local living skills. The “Portal to the Future” includes a variety of electric vehicles and e-bikes! There are also booths in the Portal with new technology, ideas and experts for consideration and learning.
Transcribe →NEPM: Go Fresh Mobile Market
Sep 19Tap to summarizehttps://www.buylocalfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CISA-GO-FRESH-MOBILE-MARKET-in-studio-1.mp3 This week’s guest on our #localherospotlight is Riley Gilroy, manager of the Go Fresh Mobile Market in Springfield. A passionate advocate for HIP and local food access, Riley shares the resources available to shoppers to stretch their local food dollars at farmers’ markets, like Go Fresh. HIP is our state SNAP match program. Depending on your household size, you might receive $40/60/80 per month to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers’ markets and farm stands. If you have SNAP and live in the state of Massachusetts, you have HIP automatically! The participant doesn’t have to do anything extra: simply shop for produce and use your EBT card, and HIP automatically reimburses you immediately. Here’s CISA’s page with more HIP information.
Transcribe →NEPM: Mountain Orchard
Sep 16Tap to summarizehttps://www.buylocalfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/250908A-mp3cut.net-1.mp3 Monte, Kaliis, and Claire peruse the many fruits of Mountain Orchard in Granville with co-owner Chris Teter and learn how the trees on their many acres have shifted and grown over the past 100+ years now that apple season is here. Learn about the wide array of tree fruits and extensive varieties of apples growing in Granville. The farm operates a farm stand and offers pick-your-own. –
Transcribe →NEPM: Book and Plow Farm
Sep 4Tap to summarizehttps://www.buylocalfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CISA-BOOK-AND-PLOW.mp3 Book and Plow Farm is the campus farm of Amherst College. Started in 2013, the farm offers multiple disciplines access to a living classroom. While the college does not offer an agriculture program of study, students of all disciplines come together to work on the farm. Collaborations across disciplines, paid work-study jobs, and summer internships are some ways the farm supports learning and life on campus. The farm supplies the Dining Hall fresh produce. This year’s crop includes delicata squash, peppers, cherry tomatoes, and salad greens. Students can pick veggies for their own pleasure, snip a bouquet of flowers for their dorm rooms, or walk among pollinators. In this episode, the team talks with Kaylee Brow, assistant farm manager at Book & Plow Farm. This episode aired on NEPM on 9/4/25.
Transcribe →NEPM: Impact of federal cuts to climate-smart program with Abby Ferla
Feb 27, 2025Tap to summarizedocument.createElement('audio'); https://www.buylocalfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Abby-Ferla-on-NEPM-022425-1.mp3 Abby Ferla, manager of Foxtrot Farm, talks with Monte and Kaliis about how her farm and other small farms in the Northeast were informed that they would not be getting grant funding that had already been allocated by congress for Climate Smart practices and funding. Many were counting on this money for the next four seasons. Foxtrot Farm was planning on $35K for this coming year. Listen to learn more about the impacts of federal cuts on local farmers. Abby Ferla gazes across a field of Tusli Basil at Foxtrot Farm
Transcribe →NEPM: Holyoke Winter Farmers’ Markets During Tumultuous Times
Feb 27, 2025Tap to summarizehttps://www.buylocalfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/NEPM-022625-Holyoke-FM-1.mp3 For the city of Holyoke, their winter farmer’s market is bringing fresh produce to those who need it most, amidst funding changes, shifts in leadership, and other roadblocks that occur. Lisa Totz, interim director of the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce joins Monte and Kaliis to talk about the ways the city is helping everyone to eat better. CISA’s Claire Morenon chimes in to learn about the impact of cuts HIP funding on the Holyoke markets, and shares how changes in federal funding are impacting our broader farming community.
Transcribe →NEPM: Protocol
Feb 19, 2025Tap to summarizehttps://www.buylocalfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Protocol-Alden-Peotter-NEPM-2025-1.mp3 Lynne Graves Photography Claire , Monte, and Kaliis visit Protocol, new-ish bar and restaurant bringing upscale dining and nightlife to Amherst. They talk with operations manager Alden Peotter about: The beautiful space, including a show stopping bar and over 300 real plants. A food menu that features both the local (produce, mushrooms, cream, and more) and exotic (looking at you, escargot ). A bar menu that ALSO has some local flair, from herbal cocktails to mocktails and more. Protocol is open every day of the week. Sun – Thurs 4-10pm Fri – Sat 4pm – midnight Weekend brunch 11am – 2pm.
Transcribe →NEPM: Headwater Cider
Feb 12, 2025Tap to summarizehttps://www.buylocalfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Pete-Mitchell-and-Liz-Garufalo-Headwater-Cider-NEPM-2025.mp3 Peter Mitchell of Headwater Cider and (“almost Dr.”) Elizabeth Garofalo of UMass Extension give Claire, Monte, and Kaliis a peek at the winter wonderland of Headwater Cider’s homebase in Hawley. They talk about: Ice cider – a sweet treat that concentrates ciders’ sugars, sharpness, and flavors. Headwater just won an award for theirs! The two biggest challenges orchardists face: labor shortages and “climate chaos” (weather and pests don’t follow any regular schedule at all!) Why the small batch, estate cider Headwater and other western Mass cideries are known for is so different from “six-pack cider” – and why each batch is unique. Headwater’s cider is available at many stores across Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire county. See the full list here!
Transcribe →