The PVGrows Spring Forum 2012

Entitled “Working Together to Make Local Food Work” the PVGrows Spring Forum featured a unique format in which 120 attendees formed teams around seven pre-selected farm & food enterprises.

Participants joined any one of the following teams: 1) CCMS/Mason Square Farmers’ Market 2) Food Processing for Farm to School 3) Gardening The Community 4) Holyoke Community Kitchen 5) Mockingbird Farm 6). Valley Green Feast Collective 7) Valley Malt.  Read more about each team.

The day of the Forum, teams forged potential solutions to the challenges and opportunities faced by the enterprises. The program also included networking and opportunities for collaboration.

Sixty participants remained after lunch for the first meeting of “Slow Money Pioneer Valley” chapter.  This new Working Group has the goal of bringing together investors and farm & food entrepreneurs in the Pioneer Valley.

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The PVGrows Spring Forum

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Smith College Conference Center, Northampton

9:00 am -1:00 pm    PVGrows Forum

1:30 pm -3:00 pm    Slow Money Pioneer Valley

Learn More:

• Spring Forum Program/Agenda
• Descriptions of the 7 Enterprise Teams
• FAQ about the format we used for this Forum
• About the PVGrows Forum

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Thanks to the Spring Forum Sponsors:

The Farm to Preschool Project / Partners for a Healthier Community

Heirloom Catering

Farm Credit East

Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)

Just Roots

Pioneer Valley Planning Commission

Glynwood

UMass Center for Agriculture

Cooperative Fund of New England

Franklin County CDC

Common Capital

Joel Russell Associates

FRCOG

Grassroots Capital Management

Andrew Morehouse