Maple Valley Creamery, located in Hadley, MA is a dairy farm that produces premium ice cream using their own fresh milk and cream. They are dedicated to sustainability, supporting local economies, and treating their dairy cows with the utmost love and respect. Maple Valley Creamery has 45 dairy cows, 400 acres of land, and sells raw milk, aged raw milk cheddar cheese, angus beef, and ice cream. UMass Amherst sources ice cream, milk, and beef from Maple Valley. Maple Valley ice cream is sold at the Mullins Center, Harvest Market and used in the milkshakes sold at Blue Wall on campus. Maple Valley Creamery is owned and operated by Laurie Cuevas and Bruce Jenks.

Maple Valley Creamery is dedicated to sustainability in all aspects of their operation. They have renewable energy initiatives and all of their cows are all grass fed and pasture grazed. They also have a recycling program to allow them to reuse the boxes they distribute their ice cream in. Additionally, Bruce and Laurie do everything they can to support local economies. Maple Valley Creamery works with over 70 different farms and vendors, including the North Hadley Sugar Shack, Esselon Cafe, People’s Pint, and local berry and fruit growers. “Our biggest sustainable initiative is working with other folks who are trying to farm like us,” Bruce explained. Most of the fruits they use for their ice cream are ugly fruits, extras, or leftovers. For example, Maple Valley buys local berries when they are in season, and pumpkins past the October sale that would otherwise be thrown away to make pumpkin ice cream.

Talking to Bruce made it obvious that farming is what they love. Bruce and Laurie view themselves first as farmers, and then as ice cream makers. “When people come to our farm...and see the cows, they see that we are really farming. We are driving used old ford pickups and living in a farmhouse,” Bruce shared. Their passion and energy is moving. “It doesn't get old or tiring. I don't think there is a day that we are not inspired to do better than we did yesterday."

Bruce shared that one of his favorite parts of their work is caring for their animals. “Ultimately if someone is making ice cream, someone is milking a cow. For us it is about the farmer and the people that are milking cows.” Maple Valley Creamery has seen 4-5 generations of their cows live in their barns and has been working with them for 12 years. They have whole families of cows that all have names like Mystical, Magic, and Misty. Once a cow’s milk production has slowed, Bruce and Laurie retire her, giving her a place to live and relax after years of giving so much to them. “We treat our cows better than we treat ourselves,” Bruce laughed.

Get your hands dirty in Franklin Permaculture Garden this Spring Semester! Join us for fun and food for thought!
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Volunteer hours are every Thursday and Friday from 2:30 pm - 3:45 pm and will start March 23rd weather permitting. Click here for UMass Permaculture volunteer hour updates.

​Join us to generate a toolbox for self-care methods that center healing from racial trauma and create sustainable activism. UMass Permaculture will provide a make your own organic lip balm station, as well as a DIY herbal tea bar. Other community members will share their knowledge and practices for self and community care.
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This event will take place Wednesday, March 22nd from 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm in the Student Union Ballroom. Check out the Facebook event page for more information! ​

Dive deeper into mushroom exploration with mushroom expert John Michelotti of Catskill Fungi! Attend this workshop to help us revamp our shiitake growing system in the Franklin Permaculture Garden. Small, take-home shiitake logs will be available on a first come, first serve basis.
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This workshop will have two sessions on Wednesday, March 29th in the Franklin Permaculture Garden from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm & from 4:15 pm  - 6:15 pm. Check out the Facebook event here. 

On February 16, 2017 several UMass Auxiliary staff attended a poultry forum in Grafton, MA hosted by the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative. In attendance were several Massachusetts poultry farmers and representatives from a variety of organizations such as MDAR, the USDA, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA), and Massachusetts Farm to School.

​The purpose of the forum was to discuss the local poultry industry, identify issues within it, and brainstorm possible solutions. The main problem discussed was the lack of access that many small poultry farmers have to bird processing facilities. Many Massachusetts farmers have to send their birds out of the state to be processed, and then bring them back into the state to be distributed. Multiple solutions were discussed to make processing birds more accessible, sustainable and cost-efficient. These include the idea to create a co-op among poultry farmers to share resources or a possible collaboration between the USDA and a large institution like UMass to create a new processing facility. ​

By participating in protein forums such as this one, UMass Dining can actively engage with the local farming community in order to increase sourcing of local proteins while expanding access for other consumers regionally.