EASTHAMPTON — Between 30 and 35 acres of fields remain submerged at Pepin Farm in Easthampton, including land with hay and oats for cattle feed.

Continuing to reel from floods and wet weather, Pepin Farm owner Ken “Skip” Pepin was among farmers who made direct appeals to Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll on Thursday afternoon at Mountain View Farm during the governor’s second visit to western Massachusetts this week.

“She’s got to try to help us,” Pepin said. “We need financial help. Money has to be put out there.”

Pepin said what farmers need are direct payments, observing that if the floodplain land he farms near the Oxbow stays wet and muddy, it would be a waste to put down $2,000 more in seed.

Understanding the plight of farms following 11 days of devastation, Healey and Driscoll used the Easthampton visit to announce the launch of the Massachusetts Farm Resiliency Fund, in conjunction with the United Way of Central Massachusetts. Money donated to the fund will be handed out to farmers in most immediate need, the governor said.

Healey issued a call to residents and organizations in all 351 cities and towns that the help is needed urgently, that 75 farms statewide — mostly in central and western Massachusetts — have suffered significant losses, and emphasized that help will come in the form of grants, not loans, which elicited applause.

As people picked up CSA shares and products at Mountain View’s farm store, Healey assured those gathered of the support that is coming.

“To farmers, I want you to know we’re in it for the long haul,” Healey said.

The help is welcome news to farmers such as Adam Burt, who runs Mt. Tom Dairy part time, and where 7 acres of hay have been damaged, along with an acre of corn and pumpkins.

“It’s important to talk to the governor and see her support here,” Burt said.

Burt said farms and food banks will both need help, but there will also be a critical need to get hay in the hands of dairy farmers and others. The hay produced so far has been wet and low quality, even affecting hay produced in Vermont and the Hudson Valley region of New York, and worries that those farms with horses may have to look to unload their animals should there be a shortage in feed.

“Hay inventory already has not been replenished,” Burt said.

Mountain View is another farm that suffered damage, and is recovering from the two submerged fields totaling 45 acres. The farm lost much of its community supported agricultural produce and fall and winter crops, including eggplants, squash, peppers, potatoes, leeks, carrots, celery, corn and storage onions.

Healey noted the timing of the recent weather came in midsummer as farmers were about ready to harvest. “It really wipes out the ability to have a second season,” Healey said.

The long-term impacts will also be felt, potentially lingering into another year and disrupting the supply chains for food banks and survival centers, as well.

While Healey said she appreciates the federal delegation appealing to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the possibility of declaring a disaster relief area, she said she worries that support might only be for big agriculture, rather than Massachusetts’ small family farms.

Driscoll said the resiliency fund will prioritize the immediate needs of farmers. “This fund has been created to put farmers first,” Driscoll said.

“This is everybody coming together saying we want to offer help, and we want to offer hope,” said Tim Garvin, CEO of United Way of Central Massachusetts. The fund has gone live at unitedwaycm.org/farmfund.

All money that comes to the fund will be distributed rapidly by the United Way through a deliberate selection process.

Already, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and private foundations, including the Eastern States Exposition, Community Foundation of Western MA and Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, have announced their support.

Campbell’s office committed $10,000, money that came from settlements reached by her office.

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle reflected on the Feb. 4 freeze and the May 18 frost that preceded the recent floods.

“I know it is harder than ever to be farmer,” Randle said.

But she is also optimistic, adding there is hope in moving forward. “As heartbreaking as it has been to see our farming community hit hard this past week, I’m truly inspired to see the community step up and rally around our farmers with this partnership that will bring much needed relief.,” Randle said.

“We want this to work for farmers,” said Megan Burke, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Western Mass, noting that long term there is a need to address climate change and vulnerable residents.

CISA Executive Director Philip Korman said farmers have faced more devastation this summer than from Hurricane Irene in 2011, which hit late in the summer growing season.

“The fund will be an essential piece of helping farms recover and will serve as part of the safety net to future climate change events,” Korman said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.]]>