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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Greenagers Founder Will Conklin Honored as Business Person of the Year

By Breanna Steele12:17PM / Saturday, October 03, 2026

Casey Pease of state Sen. Paul Mark's office presents William Conklin, right, with a state Senate proclamation.

EGREMONT, Mass. — The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce honored a local businessman and nonprofit leader on Sept. 24 at Catamount Mountain Resort.

William Conklin was this year's Business Person of the Year, recognizing his work as founder and executive director of Greenagers, a nonprofit that helps youth and children engage in work in environmental conservation, sustainable farming, natural resource management, and vocational skills building.

Conklin and his family also run Sky View Farm and he is a managing partner of Konkapot Tree and Timber, a small-scale forest products business.

"If you spent any amount of time in Southern Berkshire, chances are you've heard his name, whether you realize the connection at the time or not," said board member Sierra King Watson, who emceed the event. "You might be having a conversation about farming, a new barn or structure that was built, students learning hands-on skills in sustainable agriculture, or a family that receives donated firewood to help keep their home warm through a cold Berkshire winter, or maybe you're simply talking about one of those community leaders who somehow manages to show up, support everyone, and seemingly be everywhere all at once.

"Well, one name has a way of continuously popping up, and that is Will Conklin."

Board President Mark Rulison said the region has more than 1,200 nonprofits. One in four jobs in the county is in the nonprofit sector, which ranks 27th nationally for nonprofit employment. He said the economic impact on the community is huge, thanking those who help.

For the event on Thursday, Conklin requested that as much of the food as possible was sourced locally. Most of it came from Greenagers, Sky View Farm, Indian Line Farm and Fancy Feast Supper Club, creative dinner series.

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