Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar Supports MAC
The Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar is an excellent resource that serves as an educational tool for teachers, legislators and the public. At the same time it also provides an attractive daily reminder of the diversity of agriculture across the state, while offering local agriculture and conservation tips, facts, events and website links on each page.
 Send your favorite image of a Massachusetts farm, nursery or farm product to the Massachusetts Calendar Photo Contest by June 30, 2011. |
Each calendar month features one full-size photograph portraying a local farm or farm product. An additional smaller photograph is included on most pages. These photographs were submitted by amateur photographers from across the state. They were selected as the winners in the Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar Photo Contest.
Did you know that you can support MAC while also supporting the calendar? It is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service and Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom. MAC is grateful to have been designated as the beneficiary of calendar sales and sponsorships. There are several ways that you can get involved.
Send a picture of any Bay State farm, farm animal, farm product or floral display to the Calendar Photo Contest by June 1, 2011. Winning entries will be published in the 2012 Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar.Copies of photos for the 2011 Calendar can be found on the MAC website at www.aginclassroom.org/html/For%20Educators/Mass_Ag_Calendar/order.html. Visit www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/docs/photo-contest-entry-form.pdf for information on who to enter.
Any Massachusetts agricultural non-profit may elect to sponsor a monthly page in the Massachusetts Agricultural Calendar. The page will feature their logo and website. The sponsorship fee is $300 and months will be assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis.
We also invite you to purchase copies of the 2012 Massachusetts Agriculture Calendar. It will be available in September and is an excellent gift for anyone interested in the beauty of Massachusetts and its rich agricultural heritage. The cost to purchase the calendar is $10 each for individual copies and $5 each for orders of more than 5 copies. Consider purchasing multiple copies to sell at your school or farmstand or as a benefit for a local agricultural organization. Pre-order your calendars by July 30 so that we can plan for any additional copies needed, before we place our print order.
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom Update
The past few months have been very busy ones for MAC. Our Winter Conference on March 12 offered teachers a choice of twenty four different workshops from nutrition, composting and school gardening to dairy farming in Massachusetts, building a chicken coop, embryology, spinning and weaving and even horses. Teachers learned a lot and were especially pleased to have new activities that they could take back to the classroom on Monday.
 Debi Hogan & Marjorie Cooper accepted an Award on behalf of Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom at Agriculture Day at the State House on April 7, 2011 |
We were truly honored when MAC was selected to received a Special Agricultural Day Award by the Massachusetts Agricultural Promotions Board. It was presented on April 7th at Agriculture Day at the State House by Chairman Gordon MacPhee. The award in "recognition of your support for the viability and sustainability of the agricultural industry in Massachusetts" was accepted by Executive Director Debi Hogan and President Marjorie Cooper.
On April 19th and 20th, we held our first ever Volunteer Training. Fifteen farmers, teachers and other interested individuals participated over the two days. Workshops focused on herbs and gardening, dairy, spinning and weaving, pollination, food safety and nutrition. Volunteers were also given an overview of our programs and shown activities that would engage children. The training was supported by a grant from the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture. These new volunteers will represent MAC at fairs, farmer's markets and festival, carrying out hands-on activities with children and parents. We thank these dedicated supporters.
New AgriScience Excellence Award Honors Northampton Teacher
The Board of Directors of Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom along with the Trustees of the Eastern States Exposition are pleased to announce that Mary Cowhey of the Jackson Street School in Northampton is our first winner of the Massachusetts AgriScience Excellence Award.
This new award is given to a teacher who has done at outstanding job of bringing agriculture to the classroom. The prize is accompanied by a plaque, $200 classroom grant and a trip to The Big E for the teacher and her/his class for September.
 Mary Cowhey, of the Jackson Street School in Northampton is the recipient of our first Massachusetts AgriScience Excellence Award, sponsored by Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom in collaboration with the Trustees of the Eastern States Exposition.
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For fourteen years Mary was a first and/or second grade teacher. This year she is a Title 1/ELL Math Teacher for the school, which serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade. She works with a group within the school, merging children and also the parents of the children who are most at risk.
Mary participated in our 2008 Summer Graduate Course and then took what she learned on the farms back to her school with the goal of bringing agriculture and sustainability across the curriculum. She collaborated with colleagues at the school to start a school garden that would help make science and the other subjects authentic for their students. They also worked to teach reduced natural resource consumption. Mary and her colleagues taught a workshop at our Winter Conference and will be offering a summer workshop at their school on August 3.
Agricultural fairs are an important part of the annual calendar for farmers and rural communities. They offer an arena for competitive exhibits, which in turn lead to product improvements, educational opportunities and implementation of new technologies. These fairs also provide a venue for youth organizations, inspiring passion through hands-on experiences with farming. Finally, they are a way for the community to come together to celebrate, share, and learn, while connecting to their agricultural roots.
Ancient History
It is unclear where the fair originated, although it's roots are ancient and associated with both religion and commerce. The first historical linkages appear in the Eastern Mediterranean around the 5th century B.C. There are also references in both the Old and New Testament.
The root of the word fair appears to come from the Latin word "feria" meaning hold day. Each feria was a day when large numbers of people would assemble for worship. This worship was centered around temples in great cities, such as Ninevah, Athens, Rome and Mecca.
These cities were also big commercial centers, and commerce was companion to the religious activity. It is believed that "fair" was the name given to the place where trading took place. Merchants from distant countries would come together, bringing native wares to trade with one another. Fields adjacent to these temples were staked out for the traders. Religious figures were placed about the fields to protect the traders and merchants.
During the early Christian era, the church took an active part in sponsoring fairs on feast days. Fairs came to be a source of revenue for the church. Our modern church bazaars possess some rudiments of these religious fairs.
The blending of religion and commerce continued as fairs moved into western Europe. Periodic gatherings brought together producers of all types of commodities for the purpose of barter, exchange and eventually sale. To this marketplace was added entertainment and other forms of activity transforming the primitive market more closely to the fair as we know it today.
The Fair Crosses the Atlantic
The first fair in the Western hemisphere was an agricultural fair held in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1765. The Niagara Agricultural Society sponsored a fair in 1792 in Ontario. Small fairs were also held during the early 1700s in the parts of Canada that were under French rule.
In the United States, the development of agricultural fairs and agricultural societies went hand-in-hand. The Philadelphia and Charleston societies were founded in 1785. The Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture was formed in Boston in 1792. These first societies were organized by statesmen who saw the importance of agriculture to the economy of the new nation.
George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were both members of the Philadelphia Agricultural Society. Washington had corresponded with distinguished Englishmen relating to their societies, and became an advocate for creating similar societies here. In his last address to Congress he called attention to the primary importance of agriculture and urged public financial support for institutions designed to aid the industry. He advocated the establishment of agricultural fairs, and favored a national agricultural society with congressional aid.
In 1801, the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture suggested a fair with premiums be held twice a year on Cambridge common. The first fair actually held was an exhibition in Washington, lasting three days, beginning October 17, 1804. Premium awards were added the next year. However, the fair was discontinued after 1805.
Elkanah Watson, patriot and farmer, exhibited two Merino sheep in the public square in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1807. A few years later, he secured a petition of twenty-six farmers for a cattle show that was held in October, 1810. It was a competition, with prize money ($70) paid for the best exhibits of oxen, cattle, swine and sheep. The fair led to the incorporation, that same autumn, of the Berkshire Agricultural Society. It was the first permanent fair association in the United States.
Watson became known as the "Father of US Agricultural Fairs." He helped organize similar societies in other states. Three additional agricultural societies were incorporated in Massachusetts in 1818. The Essex Agricultural Society was founded at Topsfield; Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden at Northampton; and the Worcester Agricultural Society in Worcester. The Topsfield Fair and the Northampton Fair are still operating as agricultural societies and sponsoring annual fairs.
By 1819 most counties in New England had organized their own agricultural societies and the movement was spreading into the other states. These associations for the promotion of agriculture were intended for technical education. They were designed for the purpose of learning and diffusing better methods of farming.
Agricultural Fairs Today
The core elements of those agricultural society events of the early 1800s - those early fairs – are at the heart of the agricultural fair in North America today. More that 3,200 fairs are held across the country each year. In keeping with historic traditions, these agricultural fairs offer farmers an arena for competitive exhibits that showcase the best agricultural and domestic products of the community, region or state. These competitions, along with exhibits and demonstrations, lead to product improvements and advancements in livestock, horticulture and agriculture. Educational opportunities abound with special emphasis placed on educational activities such as 4-H, FFA and similar youth development programs.
The prime purpose of all agricultural fairs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the promotion of agriculture. They also provide an annual celebration for the community to come together and have fun, while they share and learn. Fairs offer a wonderful way to enjoy the richness and variety of what the state and world has to offer. There is sure to be a fair in your local town or county. Plan to visit one this summer or fall. Better yet get involved as a volunteer or an exhibitor. There is something for everyone at the fair!
History from the International Associations of Fairs & Expositions at www.fairsandexpos.com
There are over 40 agricultural fairs in Massachusetts - from the Berkshires to Cape Cod and the Vineyard. There are five different classifications for the agricultural fairs you will find in the state: major fairs, community fairs, youth fairs, livestock shows and grange fairs. Each must be inspected by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and has other requirements.
Major Fairs: A major fair is sponsored and conducted by an agricultural or horticultural society incorporated under Massachusetts law. The fair must operate at least three days annually. It must also have a majority of exhibits that are competitive ones of agricultural products.
Community Fairs: A community fair is sponsored and conducted by an organized agricultural, horticultural society or association. This fair must be in operation for at least one day for a period of five hours. It must include competitive exhibits of agricultural products.
Youth Fairs: A youth fair is sponsored and conducted by a youth agricultural society. It is in operation for at least one day for a period of five hours. It must include competitive exhibits of agricultural products.
Livestock Shows/Fairs: A livestock show/fair is conducted by an agricultural society or association. These shows/fairs are in operation for at least one day for a period of five hours. They consist of specific breed shows and classes and includes competitive exhibits.
Grange Fairs: A grange fair is sponsored and conducted by a local grange organization. It is in operation for at least one day for a period of five hours. It includes competitive agricultural products.
Flower Shows: In addition to the many agricultural shows, there are also a variety of plant and flowers shows. The origin of these shows in the US dates back to the founding of the Horticultural Societies, which were developed soon after the Agricultural Societies. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society was first, founded in 1827, it held its first Flower Show in 1829. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society was founded that same year and the Worcester County Horticultural Society followed in 1842. These societies featured spring shows as well as harvest shows.
Today the Mass. Horticultural Society collaborates on a Spring Flower Show. The Worcester County Horticultural Society hosts many shows dedicated to specific plants such as daffodils, cacti, herbs and more at Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Museums such as Old Sturbridge Village, Hancock Shaker Village and even art museums host flower shows. Many garden clubs have their own local flower shows.
The 4-H fair is the culmination of the 4-H year and a chance for members to exhibit the knowledge and skills they have developed in their projects. It gives 4-H members the opportunity to showcase their projects, whether animal projects such as a goat or dog or a non-animal projects like photography, cooking or gardening. Members use fairs to educate the public about their projects, the skills they learn in 4-H and they are recognized for their success with ribbons, trophies and plaques.
A recent study notes the multi-faceted nature of 4-H youth participation in fairs, and the positive role participation in 4-H plays in youth development. It found 4-H contributes to life skill enhancement in youth, such as responsibility and cooperation. Competition was found to support development of sportsmanship and time management, while life at the fair contributed to communication and independence. Caring for animals led to teamwork and organization. The young people themselves reported significant changes in level of self-esteem and proactive coping skills.
Participation in 4-H fairs has had a profound effect on the future of many young people. Anne Gobi, state legislator and Chair of the State Agriculture Committee tells us "I was in 4-H - a 'Merry Milk Maid.' The Spencer Fair held on Labor Day weekend was always the highlight of the year. 4-H gave me new opportunities and lifelong friendships. I have no doubt that those skills have helped me to become a better Representative." Here are two stories from two young 4-H'ers:
Fourteen year old Teen Council 4-H'er Scout Leonard of Hanson says, "I really enjoy the youth Sunflower Contest at the Marshfield Fair. My friends and I check in the sunflowers and measure them. It is such a good time seeing the delight on the younger contestants faces, and their shock when they get a glimpse of the colossal flowers! A judge comes and chooses the best plants for each category. Later, it is time for my favorite part. We hand out ribbons to all of the little agriculturalists who participate, and they gleefully show their parents. We make a lot of kids happy on their day at the fair. That is so cool!"
Melissa Guimond, 13, shows her dogs, Bandit and Rogue at the Marshfield Fair. "Before the fair, Plymouth County 4-Her's gather at the 4-H area of grounds to clean the stalls, pens, water booths, offices and also get the stalls ready for livestock. This is a great way to meet other 4-H'ers that aren't in your club, but will be at the Fair. The Fair is a time when we all get together and learn about animals."
4-H Fairs Dates & Locations |
Barnstable 4-H Fair July 16-23 Barnstable County Fairground |
Berkshire County 4-H Youth Fair August 20 Pittsfield |
East Middleboro 4-H Fair September 2 - 4 |
Essex County 4-H @ Topsfield Fair September 30 - October 10
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4-H at Eastern States September 16 - October 10 West Springfield
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Franklin County 4-H Fair June 25 Franklin County Fairgrounds |
Hampden County 4-H Fair July 30 Eastern States Exposition |
Hampshire County 4-H Fair July 23 Cummington Fair
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Middlesex County 4-H Fair August 26 - 28 Westford 4-H Fairgrounds
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Plymouth County 4-H Fair August 19 - 29 Marshfield Fair |
Worcester County 4-H Fair August 27 - 28 Spencer |
The Grange is the nation's oldest national agricultural organization, with grassroots units in 3,600 local communities in 37 states. Its 300,000 members provide service to agriculture and rural areas on a wide variety of issues, including economic development, education, family endeavors and legislation designed to assure a strong and viable Rural America. Plan to visit a Grange Fair this summer!
Massachusetts State Grange www.massgrange.org |
Dunstable Grange Fair August 20 |
Rochester Grange Fair August 19 - 21 www.rochesterma.com |
Shelburne Grange Fair August 27 |
South Middleboro Grange Fair August 27 |
Williamsburg Grange Fair September 10 |
Adams Fair August 4 - 7 |
Barnstable County Fair July 16-23 www.barnstablecountyfair.org |
Belchertown Fair September 22 - 25 |
Blandford Fair September 2-5 |
Bolton Fair August 11-14 |
Boston Poultry Show November 11 |
| Bristol County Agricultural High School Fair October 16-18 www.bristolaggie.mec.edu |
Brockton - Middleboro Fair June 29 - July 10 www.brocktonfair.com |
Country Fair September 24-25 |
| Cranberry Harvest Celebration October 8 - 9 www.admakepeace.com |
Cummington Fair August 25 - 28 |
Eastern State Exposition - Big E September 16 - October 2 www.TheBigE.com |
Festival of the Hills October 2 |
Franklin County Fair September 9 - 12 |
Hardwick Community Fair August 19 - 20 |
Heath Fair August 19-21 |
Littleville Fair August 5 - 7 |
Marshfield Fair August 19 - 28 |
| Massachusetts Sheep & Woolcraft May 28-29 www.masheepwool.org |
Middlefield Fair August 12-14 |
Rehoboth Agricultural Fair August 11-14 www.therehobothfair.com |
Spencer Fair September 2 - 5 |
Sterling Fair September 9 - 11 |
Three County Fair September 2 - 5 |
Topsfield Fair September 30 - October 10 |
Truro Agricultural Fair September 4 |
Westport Fair July 13-17 |
