Learn About Pesticides and Bees

The Northeast Harvest Buy Local Program will be holding its 2024 Agricultural Conference this week at the Topsfield Fairgrounds. These sessions will offer information about pesticide safety, management of bees and other pollinators and tick biology.
The goal of the Buy Local Program, which represents almost 400 farms in Essex and Middlesex counties, is to connect farmers with consumers.
Professional Acknowledgment for Continuing Education (PACE) credits will be awarded for attending the sessions.
Starting at 9 am Wednesday, Laurie Manning from the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture and Andrea Szylvian from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will discuss pesticide residues, potential health effects of pesticide exposures and how to avoid bringing pesticide residues home. The Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is designed to protect agricultural workers and pesticide handlers from the risks associated with prolonged pesticide exposure.
After lunch, at 12:45 p.m., there will be an interactive presentation on how humans can be more friendly to pollinators when managing landscapes for work and recreation. Attendees will learn about the biology and natural history of common wild and managed bees in the Northeast. It will outline best management practices. The session is led by Dr. Kim Skyrm, chief apiary inspector for the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture.
The program will also update the health of honeybees on a local and national level.
At 2:30 p.m., another workshop, led by Blake Dinius, an insect researcher, will cover the mysteries behind tick biology and ecology and the history of tick-borne disease in America.
James O’Brien, Northeast Harvest executive director for Essex and Middlesex counties Buy Local organization, for 18 years has been the general manager of the Topsfield Fair, the oldest continuously operating county fair in America.
There is no charge for this workshop, but registration is required. Please register with Dawn at 978-887-5000 or email dawn@topfieldfair.org. Space is limited.
Contributors to Northeast Harvest Agricultural Conference, include Essex Agricultural Society, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1 (New England), Apiary Inspector of America, Boston Honey, Holliston Chickadee Hill Farm, Rowley; Chris’ Farm Stand, Haverhill/Peabody; Herrick Farm, Rowley; Ipswich Shellfish Fish Market; Mann Orchards, Methuen; Neptune Harvest, Gloucester; Northeast Nursery, Peabody, and A&B Insurance, Westford.