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By JENNIFER CORE and CLAIRE MORENON

Immigration crackdowns, and the resulting protests, have been at the center of the news for the past several weeks — this is a violent, divided moment centering around a highly divisive issue. It is also a sweet season in the Valley — the height of the growing season is just beginning, and farmers’ markets and farm stands are filling up. These might seem like completely unrelated realities, but they are closely connected by one thing: the deeply skilled, and largely invisible, farmworkers who plant, pick, and process the harvest — many of whom are immigrants.

By GARRETT COTE

HAMPDEN — The tournament itself may not have gone the way Belchertown’s Zach Lebeau had wanted, missing the cut at the 117th Massachusetts Amateur Championship at GreatHorse with a total score of 12-over par. But as he stood atop the hill on the 18th green alongside his dad, Keith, the two were all smiles.

By CHRIS LARABEE

BOSTON — A Deerfield native has been named president of the Northeastern Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

By GRACE CHAI

A new commission tasked with making recommendations on ways to address public health and safety concerns posed by the proliferation of xylazine as an additive to illicit drugs met for the first time last week at the first of five public hearings.

By ELLA ADAMS

BOSTON — Students warned lawmakers Tuesday of funding deficits and unpredictability, faculty layoffs and slashed electives at regional and rural schools, piling on to heightened calls to “crack open” the state’s Chapter 70 and rural aid funding formula.

By U.S. SEN. EDWARD J. MARKEY

Western Massachusetts farmers are used to facing and overcoming challenges — from late frosts and damaging storms to droughts and soil erosion, and more. What they’re not accustomed to is the president of the United States standing in their way of earning a living and bolstering our local economies.

By CHRIS LARABEE

BOSTON — As farmers prepare to head out to the fields for the season, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle sent a letter to the new U.S. agriculture secretary expressing concerns over uncertain federal funding and other actions taken by the federal government.

By CHINANU OKOLI

Applications are rolling in for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources’ new Farm Transfer Planning Assistance initiative that connects aging farmers and their successors with experienced planners to set retirement goals and figure out how management and assets will be transferred.

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Accessory dwelling units are now allowed by right in single-family zoning districts across most of Massachusetts, under a law Gov. Maura Healey signed in August. The rule went into effect on Feb. 2.

By JAMES BUCKSER

It’s cold in Massachusetts, and as the cost of living rises, some families will have trouble paying to keep their homes warm. One option they may not have considered is the Home Energy Assistance Program.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

AMHERST — As visitors from throughout the country toured ServiceNet’s successful Prospect Meadow Farm in Hatfield on Monday to learn about “care farming” — a therapeutic approach that combines agriculture and health care — Shawn Robinson shared the story of an employee who was thriving while working at the 18-acre property.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

NORTHAMPTON — When he was growing up, Daniel Nye says the presence of World War II vets had been “pretty ubiquitous.” Now he says, “they seem to have disappeared.”

By CHRIS LARABEE

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is seeking information about weather-related losses in 2023 and 2024 from farmers across the state as it prepares to report damages to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will split up $220 million in relief funding among eight states.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

BOSTON — Pro-immigrant nonprofits, organizers, and politicians from across the state are bracing for a second Trump presidency as they seek to protect the state’s undocumented population — and a letter recently addressed to Gov. Maura Healey may give glimpses into the reality of challenges ahead, which may include lawsuits and jail time for those disregarding federal immigration laws.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

NORTHAMPTON — Even many in Donald Trump’s circle are unsure whether the president-elect intends to follow through on his often expansive, and some would say, hyperbolic rhetoric — the kind of exaggerated speech that heralded a “big, beautiful wall”...

By ZICHANG LIU

AMHERST — University of Massachusetts professors Chang Liu and Xiaojun Wei have discovered a new method to detect per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — “forever chemicals” found in water, soil, air, food, and other consumer products, paving the way...

By JULIAN MENDOZA

Making his way from Springfield to Greenfield during his annual walk to raise money for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, local radio personality Christopher “Monte” Belmonte looks to increase the visibility of one of the country’s greatest...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — The University of Massachusetts is simplifying its message for prospective in-state students and their families: If you make under $75,000, you can come to any one of the system’s campuses for free.There’s been a surge in state funding for...

By MARA MELLITS

Earlier this year, a nationwide outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in cows caused panic for dairy farmers everywhere. Now, Massachusetts has become the only state to test all of its dairy herds, from 95 farms, and achieve 100% negative...

By CAROLYN BROWN

Earlier this month, the Massachusetts Center for the Book, the state branch of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, announced the winners of its 24th annual Massachusetts Book Awards — and six authors from the Pioneer Valley were on the...

By CHRIS LARABEE

SOUTH DEERFIELD — Months after two residents gathered more than 220 signatures, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will take a look at how it can improve the intersection of Routes 5 and 10, North Main Street and Mill Village...