Local Farmer Awards Releases 2026 Program Update

AGAWAM — The Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation has released its 2026 Local Farmer Awards 12-Year update, highlighting the growth, reach, and impact of the program that has helped provide critical capital improvements to support farms across Western Mass. since 2015. Click here to view the report.

Since its inception, the Local Farmer Awards program has invested more than $2 million in local farms helping make improvements that strengthen their operations, increase efficiency, expand capacity, and support long-term sustainability of local agriculture.

The newly released report looks at the program’s impact, focusing on 2026, during which 128 farms received more than $270,000 in grants for capital improvements. The update report includes a listing of the 2026 award recipients and their projects as well as recognition of the communitAwards partners who make this award program possible.

“We are delighted to share this update with our local community as a reminder of what can be accomplished when we invest in our local farmers,” said Cari Carpenter, director of the program. “The 2026 award recipients represent the continued strength and diversity of agriculture across Western Massachusetts, and we are proud to celebrate the farmers, partners, and supporters who have helped make this program a success for the past 12 years.”

The Local Farmer Awards program is made possible through the partnership of the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, Big Y, the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation, and numerous community funders committed to supporting farming in Western Mass.