​Amy and Paul give the utmost attention and care to every part of their business. They name all of their cows and don’t need to use tags to identify them. They milk only four cows at a time to give them the best treatment possible each day. They never use hormones or antibiotics on their cows and add nothing artificial to their yogurt.

Additionally, they spend a lot of time caring for their land and soil. A large percentage of the land they own is used to graze their cows and Paul loves the process of growing grass and learning about soil fertility. He explained that they use their cattle as a land management tool. As the cows rotate through the pastures cutting grass down and moving on in order to allow the grass to recover, fertilizing the field as they go. Paul and Amy work hard to enhance the health of their soil to care as best they can for the earth and their cows. 

​Dan works to improve the health of his hives in other ways too. He is currently the President of the Russian Honeybee Breeders Association and raises Queen Russian Honeybees to supply beekeepers all over the country. Warm Colors is the only source of “certified” Russian queens in New England. These Russian bees have been bred to improve their tolerance to mites and immunity to diseases, which reduces the amount of chemical treatments necessary to maintain healthy hives. This is part of what makes Warm Colors’ honey so unique and high quality; it is pure and uncontaminated by chemicals. Dan Conlon is thrilled to be a part of this innovation and shared, “I enjoy the involvement with the sciences and that we are discovering things that are going to benefit future generations. That is the pinnacle of my career - participating in things that will make a difference long after I am gone.”

John Krokski is the owner of Mapleline Farm, and grew up on his father’s farm, which had Holstein cows, the classic black and white cows. He bought a Jersey cow at a young age and fell in love with the unique breed. “He loved farming, being outside, and loved jerseys and kept buying more and more,” said his daughter Jennifer. Today, he is living his childhood dream of milking jerseys, processing their milk themselves, and selling it all locally to places like UMass.

Jennifer returned to the family farm she grew up on five years ago. She works in the processing plant and is learning the ropes of the business to eventually be the successor with her brother-in-law. “We are working hard to learn as much as we can everyday to be able to run the business as well as my father,” Jennifer said. Chad Dizek, Jennifer’s brother-in-law, is the Farm Manager and is in charge of all the crops they grow on several hundred acres of land. 
​Not only do they pasteurize and bottle all of their milk on the farm, Mapleline Farm grows all of the hay, corn, silage, and alfalfa that they feed their cows and only purchase grain from outside sources.

Chef Bob is one of our best culinary leaders at UMass Dining. His passion, innovation, and local foods expertise set him apart in and out of the kitchen. Chef Bob has been working with UMass Dining for 3.5 years now and is the Chef de Cuisine at Hampshire and Berkshire Dining Commons.

Chef Bob explained that he “grew up in the restaurant industry and fell in love with cooking at a young age.” Before working for UMass Dining, Chef Bob worked at the forefront of sustainability through Farm Fresh Rhode Island. “It has always been a passion of mine to bring sustainability into cuisine. I’ve always been really focused on building relationships with local farmers and using as much local, seasonal food as I can.” At UMass Dining, Chef Bob has been an integral part of incorporating local and seasonal foods into our menus. For example, the culinary team stores root vegetables and butternut squash as well as utilizing local greens grown year-round, so every season maximizes the freshest produce possible. ​​

Shawn McIntire is the Farm Manager of Cold Spring Orchard, and has been for more than 7 years. Shawn’s favorite part about the job is getting to teach visitors and employees everything that he knows. Shawn insists that he is “not the kind of boss that is going to sit inside behind a desk, I’d rather be right out there with you.” He argues that “education is our best defense” against climate change and other threats to our environment. Cold Spring Orchard offers tours for schools and is a research and education facility of UMass Amherst. They are dedicated to sustainability in their everyday practices and in the research that goes on there as well.

Cold Spring Orchard uses integrated pest management (IPM) to use pesticides sparingly to control the insects and diseases on their apple trees in a sustainable way. Shawn spends at least 4 hours every Sunday patrolling the orchard for pests and deciding which sections of trees need to be sprayed. 

For $99.95, you’ll receive a pre-cooked 10-to-12-pound antibiotic-free turkey from Vermont's Misty Knoll Farm. The meal also includes a new vegetarian main dish of Pioneer Valley-grown butternut squash lasagna with sage cream.

With the opening of a vegetable stand in Harvest Market, located next to the UPub and across from People's Organic Coffee, members of the campus community can now buy produce from the Student Farm any day of the week! ​​Each week, a vibrant array of winter squash, carrots, beets, leeks, and freshly-cut flowers is available for purchase using regular payment, UMass debit, dining dollars, or YCMP.

The Student Farm provides students with the opportunity to manage and operate a small, efficient organic vegetable farm for a full year. Student Farmers study organic agriculture and learn how to operate a streamlined, sustainable business in the classroom while directly applying what they learn to their work in the fields. As Student Farmer from UMass Amherst Rebekah Kalver explained, “It’s the only program here that you can get real hands-on experience running a farm.” Students from any of the Five Colleges or from any major can work for the Student Farm, but many students that join the program study agriculture and want to become farmers. ​Trevor Brown, a Student Farmer majoring in Sustainable Food and Farming, wants to have a farm in the future and "what better way to learn how than doing this?” All of the Student Farmers speak enthusiastically about their experience and agree that the program has changed them after just one year of participation. 

However, their commitment to community reaches far beyond their fields. “Good food isn’t a guarantee,” Student Farmer Rebekah Klaver points out. Many people in our local community are food insecure, and businesses like the Student Farming Enterprise make quality organic food more accessible. Student Farmer Amanda Skriloff finds purpose in “providing something that everybody needs. Everybody needs food to survive and being part of that system is really meaningful.” The Student Farm and similar organizations that empower young farmers to provide sustainable, affordable, healthy food for our communities is imperative to the future of our environment, our food system, and generations to come. 

The Student Farmers all send their thanks to their supporters in the community and everyone who has bought something they have grown. They urge anyone reading this to “Get your hands dirty- it will really change how you think about food and where it is coming from.”

​Waste visibility and being conscious of how much we are throwing away is a critical step in the waste reduction process. Here at UMass, the majority of the to-go containers, plates, bowls, cups, lids, napkins, straws, and utensils are compostable, yet most of these items end up in a garbage can rather than a compost due to convenience.