Berkshire Green Drinks to Discuss Glyphosate and Soil Health

08:29AM / Wednesday, April 02, 2025Print Story | Email Story

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Green Drinks will host an event discussing the relationship between glyphosate and soil health on Wednesday, April 9.

The event will feature Rubén Parrilla, a soil scientist with the Massachusetts Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA/Mass).

The event will be a hybrid event, taking place online via Zoom and in person at Race Brook Lodge, located at 864 S Undermountain Rd, in Sheffield. The in-person social gathering will begin around 5:15 PM, with the presentation and Zoom meeting starting at 6:00 PM.

The presentation will explore the effects of glyphosate on soil health, microbial communities, water permeability, and ecological impacts, with a focus on the research of Dr. Don Huber. It will also discuss potential health implications for wildlife and humans, application method differences, and alternative land management approaches.

More information and RSVP details can be found at https://tinyurl.com/April2025-Berks-Green-Drinks.

Rubén Parilla is the Soil Technical Coordinator and Education Director for NOFA/Mass and is trained in microscopic soil microbial identification through the Soil Food Web School. He is a Certified Lab Tech and studied Environmental Design at the University of Puerto Rico. He has experience in the environmental laboratory industry and has been performing soil carbon proxy testing, soil health assessments, soil chemical analysis, and soil microbiological evaluations for NOFA/Mass. He leads monthly farmer learning calls, provides workshops, and networks with farmers and individuals in the agricultural industry. He is a fluent and native Spanish speaker and is fully English/Spanish bilingual.

The April Berkshire Green Drinks event is co-sponsored by Race Brook Lodge.

Berkshire Green Drinks is a monthly gathering that is free and open to the public. A guest speaker presents on an environmentally related topic for approximately 30 minutes beginning at 6:00 PM, followed by a discussion and Q&A. Berkshire Green Drinks is sponsored and organized by the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT). This month's Berkshire Green Drinks event is co-sponsored by Hot Plate Brewing Co.

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Free Pet Food Drive-Thru in Becket

10:43AM / Friday, February 06, 2026

BECKET, Mass. — Berkshire Humane Society will give out bags of cat and dog food to pet owners in need during a drive-thru event this Saturday, Feb. 7 from 9:00 – 11:00 am, at the Becket Washington School Parking Lot, 12 Maple Street in Becket.

The drive-thru is in conjunction with the Becket Food Pantry.

Cat and dog owners can drive up to the distribution point and remain in their vehicle while someone takes their order and loads it into their vehicle. Cat owners will get a 6-pound bag of food and dog owners will get a 20-pound bag, no questions asked. The event is open to all, regardless of enrollment in Berkshire Humane Society's Pet Food Bank or participation in the Becket Food Pantry and is made possible by donations from Wendy and James Martin of the Martin Family Donor Advised Fund, the Eichenbaum/Archer Family Foundation and an anonymous private foundation.

"We gave out nearly 7,200 pounds of pet food in our holiday drive-thrus in Great Barrington, North Adams and Pittsfield," said John Perreault, Berkshire Humane Society's Executive Director. "People not only drove, but walked up to those events. I can't tell you how many of them told us how thankful they were for help feeding their cats or dogs," he said. "With the cold weather lately, we don't want people choosing between staying warm and feeding themselves or their cats their pets. With this event, we're hoping to reach more folks in the hilltowns. Thanks to our generous donors, we have more than 7,500 pounds of pet food to do just that! Thank you to the Becket Food Pantry for making the event possible."

Berkshire Humane Society's Food Pantry events are part of the nonprofit's efforts to keep families together and prevent people from feeling they must surrender their pet to the shelter. Other programs include the shelter's monthly Pet Food Bank, to which drive-thru recipients may enroll; low-cost spay and neuter and other veterinary services at the Society's Wellness Clinic; and dog obedience classes at Family Dog School.

Berkshire Humane Society also accepts donations to provide pet food for more families in need. Monetary donations are preferred because the shelter has agreements with pet food companies to buy nutritious food at a bulk rate, feeding more animals per donor dollar. For more information about the drive-thru event or making a donation, call 413-447-7878, extension 127.

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