Agriculture

Construction of a water treatment plant in Warren commenced on Saturday with the help of $5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program, according to a Monday press release from the USDA.

Three Central Massachusetts businesses received grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rural development program, in order to install solar systems, according to a Thursday announcement.

The Regional Environment Council, a Worcester nonprofit, plans to open its Summer Markets farmers market program on Monday, with the intention of running the program through November.

New England Country Mart is expanding delivery service to Central Massachusetts, the Chelsea-based company announced on Wednesday.

Brian Treitman is worried the rising cost of meat – made worse by an industry ransomware attack this week – is going to put a sustained strain on his two popular BBQ restaurants: B.T.’s Smokehouse in Sturbridge and B.T.’s Fried Chicken and BBQ in Worcester.

Power dynamics in the Central Massachusetts business community made two major shifts in 2021, due to the two major events upending the entire global community.

A collection of animal rights organizations and commercial egg farmers, once opponents, are joining forces to urge prompt reform of the state's cage-free standards law before it takes effect in January while warning of price spikes on the horizon.

If it seems like farmers markets and CSAs – wherein customers generally pay a farm upfront for produce and/or flower shares to be distributed at regular intervals over the course of the growing season – are increasing in popularity, that’s because they are.

After exploring chocolate-making as a hobby for years, Monica & Tom Rogan left their careers in Los Angeles behind to found Goodnow Farms Chocolate at a 225-year-old farm in Sudbury. The couple joins the WBJ Podcast to discuss what it takes to create award-winning chocolate.

Lookout Farm spoke with WBJ about how its brew operations work in conjunction with the farming side of business, as well as what it’s been like weathering the coronavirus pandemic.