MDAR Commissioner Ashley Randle, State Senator Paul Mark and State Representative Smitty Pignatelli will visit three farms in Dalton and Williamstown to learn about the Berkshire maple industry. Massachusetts Maple Producers Association Coordinator Winton Pitcoff says the objective is to show both the economic benefits and challenges inherent to the maple world.
“Energy and land costs are more expensive in Massachusetts than they are anywhere else in the country, and that makes it very difficult for farmers to sustain themselves just based on selling the products they raise,” Pitcoff told WAMC.
It's Maple Weekend throughout much of the WAMC listening area, including Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut.