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The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR), in collaboration with the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), recently launched the MassGrown Exchange, a new online platform that facilitates business-to-business connections within the local food system. This platform is a tool for businesses looking to sell, donate, or purchase Massachusetts crops, seafood, products and services: Buyers (including…

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Wellspring Harvest is a 15,000 square foot hydroponic greenhouse in Springfield, developed by the Wellspring Cooperative Corporation. The greenhouse produces over 200,000 plants per year (including lettuce, greens, and herbs), which are distributed to local grocery stores, healthcare centers, and colleges & universities. Wellspring connected with RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts (RecyclingWorks) for assistance initiating an organic…

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This spring, many food service businesses temporarily closed or began operating at a reduced capacity, disrupting the local and regional food system. With fewer commercial and institutional outlets for food products, farms, manufacturers, distributors, and other entities along the supply chain are finding themselves with surplus food. At the same time, food rescue organizations that…

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MV Times has recognized Martha’s Vineyard for their efforts to reduce wasted food. The Island Wide Organics Feasibility Study, funded by the Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship (MVVF), investigated the amount of wasted food on the island and strategies to minimize that waste. RecyclingWorks provided input for the study and assisted with the implementation of the pilot…

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Gould Farm is a residential community nestled in the Berkshires that promotes recovery for people with mental health and related challenges through meaningful work, community living, and clinical care. The farm recently received Compost Site Technical Assistance from RecyclingWorks to help in manage their manure and food scraps. RecyclingWorks provided onsite assistance to assess their current composting…

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This Berkshire Eagle article tells the story of seven restaurants and one market in Lenox that have combined forces to compost their food scraps. Alta, Church Street Cafe, Frankie’s Ristorante Italiano, The Old Heritage Tavern, Table Six, Firefly, Spoon and Lenox Natural Foods have contracted with Empire Zero Waste to bring their uneaten and leftover…

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The Food Recovery Network (FRN) brings together students at colleges and universities across the nation to combat food waste and hunger by recovering edible food from their campuses that would have otherwise gone to waste and redistributing it to people in need. FRN partnered with Bon Appetit Management Company to launch a gleaning initiative to…

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This article from NPR’s “The Salt” details the rise of programs designed to rescue fruits and vegetables with visual imperfections from being wasted or thrown in the trash. Surveys in Minnesota and California suggest that anywhere from 5 to 30 percent of a farmer’s harvest is thrown out as a result of cosmetic imperfections. To combat…

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This article from Gazettenet.com describes the effort of a Deerfield farmer to install an anaerobic digester at his dairy facility. He’s working with commercial bans as well as USDA Rural Development. The article notes that the three other digesters in place around the state have simplified the permit process for anaerobic digestion. For more information on anaerobic…