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Rep. Gomez and Sen. Comerford with third graders from Hadley Elementary who pitched the idea to make asparagus the official state vegetable. [Courtesy: Sen. Comerford's office]
Katie Castellani | SHNS
In a story that is reminiscent of 1974, when Franklin third graders made history, successfully lobbying to make the Ladybug, the official state insect of Massachusetts, third graders and lawmakers from western Massachusetts are looking to cultivate a spot for "Hadley grass" on Beacon Hill.
Bills (HD 5474 / SD 3498) filed by Rep. Homar Gomez and Sen. Jo Comerford would make asparagus — often known as "Hadley grass" in recognition of the Hampshire County farm town that gained a global reputation for its crop — the state’s official vegetable.
The idea sprouted from a group of third grade students at Hadley Elementary School who learned about the importance of the vegetable and invited the lawmakers, as well as other local officials, to advocate for statewide asparagus acknowledgement in December.
Donning t-shirts that said “Grown In Hadley” above an illustration of a bunch of asparagus, the students schooled the public officials on facts of the vegetable like its nutritional benefits, how it is grown and the local history of asparagus farming. Later that afternoon, Gomez and Comerford filed the bills.
“You didn’t need to ask me twice to file the bill,” Comerford told the News Service. “I will say that the kids, the students, inspired their entire school in what they did, and the entire community.”
Comerford said she was drawn to the idea because it spotlights not only asparagus, but Western Massachusetts’ vast farming community and the Connecticut River that runs through the area and creates high quality soil for farmers.
“Forever we've wanted to put the gifts of Western Massachusetts on the map in the commonwealth,” she said. Comerford added, "It really lifted all of those boats at once.”
At one point, Hadley was dubbed as the asparagus capital of the world for the quantity and quality of asparagus grown there.
In the early 1900s, Hadley produced 80% of the country’s asparagus supply before a fungus wiped out much of the crop, Gomez said. More recently, there were 175 asparagus farms in the state and 215 acres of the crop harvested in 2022, according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
While it's not the most widely grown crop in the state, it’s become rooted in the local culture around Hadley for more than 100 years.
“It’s more like an identity of the farmers in our area,” Gomez said.
Each summer residents gather in Hadley for the asparagus festival with food trucks serving dishes like asparagus ice cream.
And a point of pride for many locals is that Queen Elizabeth II of England is known to have shipped asparagus from Hadley to London because she wanted to taste it.
“People come to Hadley for the asparagus,” Comerford said, adding that it’s known to be some of the best in the nation. In previous years, then-Rep. John Scibak of Hadley would occasionally distribute bundles of fresh Hadley grass to State House offices at harvest time.
The bills could end up before the Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight once they get referred. Comerford said the students are contacting their peers to rally support for the legislation.
"I'm sure we'll have a lot of enthusiastic support, not only for Western Massachusetts, but other young people who want to take hold of their democracy ... this is how democracy works," she said. “These are my people. Hadley is my community. This way of life is my way of life. And when young people call us to act and we can fulfill this so quickly, it’s a great honor.”
Katie Castellani is a reporter for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts.
