Stories
Oxygen is beer’s enemy. Carbon dioxide is its protector. Brewers rely on CO2 to keep oxidation from ruining batches of beer. But a growing shortage of this critical gas is beginning to impact production at some Massachusetts craft breweries. Many U.S. breweries have struggled to find CO2 because of pandemic-related supply chain issues, but Mass. Brewers Guild executive director…
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Justin Amevor wanted to start a food business for years and got his opportunity during the pandemic. He launched DoughBoyz in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a plan to start out in catering and eventually have a food truck called the DoughCart. His dream of founding a food company focused on addressing and solving food insecurity became…
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As Luis Vega walks through his manufacturing site in North Haven, Conn., he points out how he plans to expand his hemp business. Here they process hemp-based products like soaps, tinctures and hand lotions. “We’re building this all out to be like classrooms so that we could do education for cannabis,” Vega said. It’s been…
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With warmer weather right around the corner, Cape Cod businesses are getting ready for what they hope will be a busy summer season after two years affected by COVID-19. Everywhere you turn on Commercial Street in Provincetown, people are sprucing up their buildings or setting up outdoor seating. Lobster Pot manager Shawn McNulty said he’s…
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The group Migrant Justice picketed at Hannaford Supermarkets Sunday to call for human rights for dairy farm workers. Migrant Justice created the Milk with Dignity Program to address low pay, poor conditions, and human rights violations in the dairy industry. The group, for years, has been asking Hannaford to join Milk with Dignity, and the…
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When you see a can of beer do you think of agriculture? Well, grain — an essential ingredient in beer — grows on farms that are usually far away from the Northeast. Now an alliance is working to build a regional grain supply chain that supports local farmland, one pint at a time. To find…
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The iconic maple syrup industry is an economic driver in New England and in Maine, the third largest producer in the U.S. But rising temperatures and erratic sap runs are posing big challenges and foreshadowing even bigger changes. If scientists’ predictions are correct, the northernmost reaches of Somerset County could become one of the last…
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Sean O’Donnell started growing grains about 10 years ago at Rusted Rooster Farm, 45 minutes north of Skowhegan on the border of Maine’s Somerset and Piscataquis counties. He began on a small scale, using grains as a cover crop planted in rotation with other crops to improve the health of the soil. He and his…
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Members of Vermont’s organic industry are celebrating after the U.S. Department of Agriculture closed a loophole in dairy standards. The USDA Origin of Livestock rule outlines how organic dairy farms can source the cows they use to produce milk. Generally, organic dairy farms can only transition cows from conventional care — using antibiotics and cheaper, non-organic feed…
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The virtual reality market is expanding rapidly. Put on a VR headset, and you can play a video game, host a work meeting or even do a guided meditation, all while exploring what feels like a three-dimensional virtual space. Now, thanks to a Burlington, Vermont-based tech startup, you can also smell. OVR Technology is one…
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