PHOTO: SHEEP PASTURE SUNFLOWER STAND/ DWIGHT ARNOLD TOBACCO FARM
Public Notice:
Protect our farmers, please be considerate.
Critical update for pet owners: Fatal bird flu linked to raw food in cats
The Department of Public Health has confirmed a recent death caused by avian influenza in an indoor cat. The cat contracted the virus from consuming raw pet food. Several other cats have been confirmed to have the virus from raw pet food sources, including a group of 20 large cats in a sanctuary. Monarch Raw Pet Food as well as Northwest Naturals have been confirmed to have contamination, and other raw pet foods as well as raw, unpasteurized milk are being investigated as potential sources.
What you should know:
H5N1 is a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza and is spread through wild bird populations. It mainly affects birds but has been shown to affect mammals including humans, cats and pigs.
Symptoms of H5N1 in cats can include fever, lethargy, trouble breathing and in more serious cases can cause neurologic signs such as seizures and death. This does highlight the risks associated with feeding raw diets to pets.
Salmon Brook Veterinarians recommend avoiding feeding your pets raw food diets and raw, unpasteurized milk. Minimize contact with birds and for those pet owners with backyard flocks, please review biosecurity measures at the USDA website below to help minimize risk to both you and your pets.
If you have sick chickens, or ducks, please contact us. Be advised we may need to refer your bird to another facility for examination that would be equipped to handle potential avian flu.
If you have a cat with any of the above symptoms, please make sure to let us know at the time of making an appointment, as well as if you have any contact with birds or if your cat eats a raw food diet. We may ask you to remain in your car at time of arrival and contact us prior to entering the building to help minimize risk.
For further information regarding avian influenza, raw food diets and cats you can refer to:
Diane Gale
Select Board
Southwick, MA
SEEKING STORIES ON SOUTHWICK'S FARM HISTORY
Collecting notes our past, present, and future agriculture
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT QUESTIONNAIRE FORM!
The Southwick Ag. Comm. wants to learn about your farm and its history! We are collecting information about past farms and current ones in town; our goal is to develop a database of these farms and we need your help to be sure your farm is included. This database will have several important functions:
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To document all working farms of any size with basic information such as name of the farm, owner(s), location, products, years in operation, etc. There is currently no accurate inventory in town of all farms. As a proud Right-to-Farm community and with documented overwhelming support from the public for our farms (via the Master Plan Survey of 2022), we believe it is essential to know of the farms in town so we can support those operations and businesses.
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To help preserve farm history by documenting farms that used to operate in town and what they produced. Remember all those dairy farms Southwick used to have? We don't want the farms of the past to be lost to history! Our goal is for future generations to know and understand our agricultural heritage in Southwick and the role our farms played locally and beyond.
Southwick 2040 Master Plan
The final draft of the
Southwick 2040 Master Plan
is here and includes farm-related actions!
What is a master plan?: The Southwick 2040 Master Plan will, for the next 20 years, serve as a guide to all of Town government as they create new by-laws & initiatives that will help future Southwick grow in a way the reflects the needs & wants of the people & businesses in town. Without a master plan, Southwick will continue to be developed without a clear, unified direction.
What is in the Master Plan?: This plan emphasizes balancing Southwick’s rural character with sustainable growth, conserving open space, promoting agriculture, revitalizing downtown, preserving historical sites, & proposals for creating an inviting environment for new businesses.
VISIT WWW.SOUTHWICK2040.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION!
Southwick's Farming History
Farmers not only grow the food, drinks, and other goods that sustain us, they also contribute to our in-town and regional economy as well help protect open space, which is one of Southwick’s most valuable assets.
Southwick, Massachusetts is a rural town in western Massachusetts with a long agricultural history dating from before the town’s establishment in 1770. The town is known for its long-time cultivation of tobacco for cigars, which grows prolifically in the area, in part, due to the rich soils found in some sections of Southwick.
PHOTO: BLOSSOMING ACRES FARM
Tobacco farming for cigars continues today along with fruit and vegetable growing, beef farming, and hay cultivation. Plant and tree farms, as well as beekeeping establishments, are also found in town.
Our local farms grow food as well as contribute to the regional economy and employment. Many Southwick farms are open to the public and some are open year-round.
The Agricultural Commission also manages the Sofinowski Community Garden on Mort Vining Road, which also features hiking trails.
PHOTO: SOLEK FARM
Please visit our town’s farms and buy local whenever possible!
A PROUD RIGHT-TO-FARM COMMUNITY
PHOTO: BISI FARM
With over 15 active farms and 1,600 acres of protected farmland, Southwick enjoys many benefits from its strong farm economy and we are committed to preserving our agricultural heritage and supporting the future of farming here.
What is a Right-to-Farm bylaw?: A Right-to-Farm bylaw encourages the pursuit of agriculture, promotes agriculture-based economic opportunities, & protects farmlands
within the community.
“Manure is like money: if you don't spread it around, nothing grows.”
As productive farmland has been converted to residential development, people new to farming are moving into agricultural areas. Residents new to rural living may be surprised to discover that the beautiful agricultural landscape is sometimes accompanied by odors, noise from field work, equipment on roadways, & other necessary by-products of farming.
Many states, including Massachusetts, have adopted Right-to-Farm language in the state statutes to protect farmers from nuisance lawsuits & to create public awareness regarding the needs of local farms & farmers.
The Southwick Agricultural Commission and our Right-to Farm bylaw were created by Town Meeting in January 2006.
Our Commission is committed to helping farmers find ways to preserve their land and farms. Please get in touch with us for information on conservation programs or any other inquiries! Please email: agcom@southwickma.gov
We meet every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, at 7 PM, in the Land Use Room (second floor, use back entrance of Town Hall) at Southwick Town Hall, 454 College Highway, Southwick, MA 01077. You can also join us via Zoom; please click button above for Ag. Comm. Town Webpage to access link.
TO SEE OUR ARCHIVE PAGE, PLEASE CLICK HERE
© 2024 Southwick, MA Agricultural Commission