Nine Berkshire County Farms Awarded Grants, Including Red Shirt Farm

Originally published on BerkshireEagle.com, July 20, 2023. By Jane Kaufman.

The state’s $26.3 million Food Security Infrastructure Grant program awarded nine Berkshire County farms and food-access organizations a combined $1,494,959.79 this year, part of a push to shore up local food production after a season of heavy rains and flooding across the region. Red Shirt Farm was among the recipients, awarded $344,049.

The grant program prioritized farms hit hardest by the extreme rain and flooding that swept the region, funding infrastructure to help them recover and become more resilient going forward. For Red Shirt Farm, the award helps finance the year-round farm store and community commercial kitchen the farm broke ground on earlier that spring — part of a broader mission to keep the operation productive, accessible, and able to withstand a harder climate.