With nearly 300 acres of land at the farm’s disposal, 100 of which is actively farmed at that site on a regular basis, the Kosinski family is looking to the future with the addition of a winery, which will utilize one the farms most prolific crops, blueberries.
This is an updated version of a story posted at 1:36 this afternoon.
WESTFIELD – Gov. Deval Patrick unveiled $700,000 worth of grants to 11 farms statewide as he toured the Kosinski Farm Friday in Westfield.
Kosinski Farm, itself, is due to get $75,000 earmarked for its newest endeavor as it looks forward to constructing a winery.
Gene M. and Susan J. Kosinski, along with their sons, Michael G. and Edward J. Kosinski, greeted Patrick, as well as Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, making his last public appearance as lieutenant governor, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Richard K. Sullivan and Commissioner of Agriculture Greg Watson to their 80-year-old farm located at Russellville and North roads.
With nearly 300 acres of land at the farm’s disposal, 100 of which is actively farmed at that site on a regular basis, the Kosinski family is looking to the future with the addition of a winery, which will utilize one the farms most prolific crops, blueberries.
The blueberry winery, Gene Kosinski said, will be constructed on a two-acre parcel at a cost of about $300,000, which includes, personal, borrowed and now the grant funds.
“We’re hoping to have it all done by this fall,” Kosinski said. “All the plans are done, and we’re ready to move along. This grant puts us right on track to be able to make it happen.”
Patrick said that like all business, farming has also changed with the economy, and it is the responsibility of government to lend assistance when it can. The agriculture industry, he added, remains an important piece of the economy, “and these investments will help local farmers continue to remain sustainable.”
“If we can, we should help,” said the governor. “I’m happy that farmers are taking the next step in making farming a sustainable part of the economy. Making fruit into wine adds another dimension. We want to help farmers think of ways to make what they do better.”
During his tour of Kosinski Farm, Patrick was shown where flowers are grown, corn dried, pies baked and crops kept at their freshest in the farm’s walk-in cooler where visitors can shop for fruits and vegetables harvested the same day.
The Kosinskis also showed the governor their famous blueberry crops and explained that the oldest wood on the bush must be cut back in order to allow for the growth of new fruit.
At the conclusion of the tour, Patrick assembled his cabinet for a meeting on the farm, Murray’s last cabinet meeting as part of the governor’s administration.
The grant funds are awarded through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Improvement Program, which seeks to perpetuate farming on land that has been protected from development through the DAR’s Agricultural Preservation Restriction.
Farm grants announced by Gov. Patrick
Here is a list of the grants to farms Gov. Deval Patrick announced on Friday.
- Ridale Genetics, in Cummington, $50,000 for a hay and equipment barn;
- Silverbrook Farm, in Dartmouth, $50,000 for greenhouses;
- Farmer Dave’s, in Dracut, $50,000 for a packing and storage structure;
- Chicoine Family Farm, in Easthampton, $50,000 for a farmstand and hay and equipment storage;
- Fairview Orchards, in Groton, $75,000 for apple trees and drainage;
- Mountain View Farm, in Lanesborough, $75,000 for a storage barn and farm stand;
- Cervelli Farm, in Rochester, $100,000 for an equipment storage structure;
- Thomas Farm, in Sunderland, $25,000 for a goat dairy barn addition;
- Warner Farm, in Sunderland, $75,000 for retail expansion and a freezer;
- Kosinski Farm, in Westfield, $75,000 for a value-added fruit winery, and,
- North Country Harvest, in Westfield, $75,000 for a grain dryer and storage silo.