Two local fairgrounds will invest in infrastructure, while Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) will help local farms connect to consumers with the help of two state grant programs.

The Franklin County Agricultural Society, which runs the Franklin County Fairgrounds, and the Heath Agricultural Society, which operates the Heath Fair, each received about $100,000 to fund infrastructure work, while CISA received $83,000 to support Buy Local initiatives.

FCAS President Michael Nelson said the money from the Agricultural Fairs Infrastructure Grant Program will go toward “work on our deferred maintenance list,” with the main target being the fairground’s bleachers.

“The next real critical item was replacing some severely deteriorated bleacher seating in the grandstand area,” he said.

Nelson explained the bleachers were built in three sections, with the main one being stainless steel with an overhang to protect it from the elements. The other two, though, are made with wooden seats and are in rough shape, and FCAS spends between $8,000 and $15,000 a year to replace rotting wood.

“Over time the wooden seats became very problematic, they had a lot of direct sunlight and a lot of direct exposure to snow and rain, so they would rot out,” Nelson said. “We were rapidly trying to fix them and it was very clear they were beyond their life and had become obsolete. The boards were often breaking and they were really a concern for public safety.”

The bleachers cost about $50,000 each and the grant will cover their purchase. Work is underway now and the custom-built bleachers are expected to arrive in June.

CISA, based in South Deerfield, will use its grant to support its ongoing work by promoting local food and farms, according to Communications Manager Claire Morenon.

“For us, part of this is supporting our ability to communicate to the community of what’s in season, where people can find it,” Morenon said. “This is not brand new funding for us, but I think in this particular moment, as climate change shifts viability of products, it feels especially important for us to do that.”

The funding will also support local farms by “strengthening their own communications and marketing skills.” Morenon said better marketing abilities can help farms draw in prospective new customers, while keeping regulars informed of what is happening.

As the agricultural industry faces a challenging future, Morenon said funding like this from the state can help local business weather the storm, especially as future federal funding opportunities remain murky.

“Buying local is obviously not a solution to some of these big challenges we’re facing, but it is something we can all do on a super-local level. We can choose what we do with our grocery dollars and it makes a huge difference to the farms we support,” Morenon said. “We’re looking at reduced federal funding, so it feels especially important for the state … to be supporting effective programs that make our state better.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com. Anthony Cammalleri contributed to the reporting of this story.