Newsletter
Event Key
= Community
Events
= Farmer Events
= Landowner
Events
= CCCD Board
Meetings &
Annual Meeting
Upcoming Events
Event Details
Click on an Event Title from the list below or scroll down to read a brief description.
Board Meetings Monadnock Matchmaker Event
Farm Appreciation Night Current Use Workshop
Farm Bill Program Workshop Plant Sale
Flowering Bulb Sale Feast on This Film Festival
Localvore Potluck Source to Sea Cleanup
_____________________________________________________________________
Board Meetings
The fourth Thursday of every month, the board of the Cheshire County Conservation District meets to discuss the District’s strategic plan and annual plan of work.
Monadnock Matchmaker Event (January)
Are you a farmer or food producer looking to sell more of your products locally? Are you a food buyer hoping to meet the increasing customer demand to buy local? Then make a date with Monadnock Farm & Community Connection (MFCC) to attend the Monadnock Matchmaker Event.
Sellers are farm or food businesses based in Southwestern New Hampshire and surrounding towns. Buyers include supermarkets, co-ops, restaurants, hotels, institutions, and food processors in search of New Hampshire ingredients, distributors, and other commercial buyers.
The Matchmaker event will provide participants with:
- An opportunity to meet one another and talk about products and needs.
- Information on how to develop effective, mutually beneficial working relationships.
- Resources to build and strengthen marketing efforts.
Farm Appreciation Night (February)
On behalf of the Monadnock Farm and Community Connection Education Committee, we invite you join us at our annual Farm Appreciation Night celebration, a night of merriment and tribute to local farmers and eaters of farm fresh food. Drop into the open house and enjoy food, refreshment, entertainment, and dancing while you connect with friends, neighbors, community members, and others who make eating local a possibility.
Current Use Workshop (March)
This informational workshop gives an overview of the New Hampshire Current Use tax rules. Rural landowners of 10+ acres can enroll their property in the state “CURRENT USE” program and lower their property taxes. However, this protected property also has restrictions on its future use. Also, a detailed written management plan is now required for forest land enrolled in the "stewardship" category. Amanda Costello, Cheshire County Conservation District Manager, and Steve Roberge, UNH Cooperative Extension Educator in Forest Resources, will explain Current Use assessment and the different aspects of the program so you can decide if this land conservation opportunity is right for you. If your land is already in Current Use, this will be a good refresher course to remind you of the regulations.
Farm Bill Program Workshop (May)
The Cheshire County Conservation District and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) host an informational workshop for NH agricultural and forest land owners to learn about conservation programs available through the Farm Bill. Local farmers, forestland owners, and other interested parties are invited to attend the workshop. Conservation District and NRCS representatives are on-hand to explain how landowners can apply for financial and technical assistance from NRCS through the Farm Bill to promote conservation on farmland and forest land. New provisions in the legislation simplify existing programs and create new opportunities to address high priority environmental protection goals such as pollinator habitat, wildlife and energy. Targeted assistance is also available to minority, limited resource and beginning farmers. Farm Bill program information is available on the NRCS New Hampshire website at www.nh.nrcs.usda.gov.
Plant Sale (April)
The annual Cheshire County Conservation District Conservation Plant Sale offers a variety of top quality evergreen and deciduous trees, wildlife and landscaping shrubs, perennials, ornamentals, as well as berries and fruit trees. Deadline for orders: March.
The Conservation District works with Fedco to bring you top quality plants and Wichland Woods to bring you mushrooms for your backyard. We also have compost bins, rain barrels, and conservation books for sale. All of the proceeds from the sale will benefit conservation efforts in Cheshire County.
View the 2010 description of avilable plants and order forms. To ask questions or for more information contact us.
Flowering Bulb Sale (August)
Every August, the Cheshire County Conservation District holds its annual Flowering Bulb Sale Fundraiser to support local conservation efforts. The District selects some of the most sought after bulbs, such as 42 varieties of tulip, daffodil, crocus, hyacinth, iris, allium and more, available in many colors. All of the proceeds from the sale will benefit conservation efforts in Cheshire County. Improve your landscape and help fund conservation projects in your local community. Give bulbs to friends and neighbors to beautify your neighborhood! To receive an order form or for more information contact us.
Feast on This Film Festival (September)
Sponsored by the CCCD’s Monadnock Farm & Community Connection (MFCC), this annual Film Festival seeks to entertain while raising food, farming, and nutrition awareness. The films chosen for this festival are selected based on suggestions from local farmers and community members, with the goal of highlighting various types of agriculture, what different communities are doing to support local agriculture, and introduce different opinions/perspectives about agriculture. Please join us for one or all of the films! Take a look at the flyer from last year. Please contact us with film suggestions for this year’s film festival.
Localvore Potluck (September)
Join the community to celebrate the season and our abundance of local foods at the annual Localvore Potluck. Local food is the main attraction of this potluck event. Bring friends, family, and a dish to share that features one or more local ingredients; dine with the community and embrace the good feeling of supporting our local agriculture. Enjoy the exciting sounds of the Cold River Ranters as they perform their music throughout the evening. Find out more about the Monadnock Localvore Project.
Source to Sea Cleanup (October)
Every year, hundreds of individuals, clubs, troops, students, and businesses come together for the Connecticut River Watershed Source to Sea Cleanup, a one-day community cleanup of the Connecticut River and its tributaries. Monadnock region residents wade into the Ashuelot River and Beaver Brook in Keene and Swanzey to pick up trash that has made its way into our local watershed. As a volunteer, you will be joined by thousands of other volunteers working watershed-wide on the same day to clean up our rivers and brooks. Volunteers do not need a boat, but are encouraged to bring a boat and life jackets if available.
Annual Meeting (December)
Every year the Conservation District hosts an Annual Meeting to celebrate the successes of the past year and present the Cooperator of the Year award. The annual meeting rotates among venues across Cheshire County and features an amazing hors d’oeuvres buffet and special guest speaker.
In 2009, the CCCD annual meeting was held at Walpole Town Hall and featured speaker, independent scholar, farmer, and journalist Steve Taylor, who addressed how the lowly bovine has nurtured New Hampshire through four centuries. The 2009 Cooperator of the Year award was presented to Brian Rhode of Dublin, NH.
Want to participate in or volunteer for an event?
If you would like to participate as a volunteer or make a donation, contact us.
