Milan elected chair of Orleans Ag Council

Agricultural Advisory Council · Meeting of September 14, 2026

ORLEANS — The Orleans Agricultural Advisory Council elected new leadership and launched harvest festival planning on September 14. Members voted unanimously to make Matthew Milan chair, Matthew Campbell vice chair and Rand Burkert clerk, completing a transition after former chair Alex Bates resigned; outgoing interim chair Peter Jensen stays on as Putnam Farm liaison. The council also formed a two-member subcommittee, Milan and fellow member Ryan, to plan a harvest festival targeted for "fall of 2027," likely at the Odd Fellows Hall, where Paul Davies described a nearly finished commercial kitchen and floated a Massachusetts Grange chapter.

Conservation Commission liaison Drusey Henson previewed Phase 5 planning for Putnam Farm's growing plots, and members confirmed an October 1 ribbon cutting for the farm's new barn, with state agriculture officials attending.

In the full story:

• Opening Remarks: Drought Status and Housekeeping
• Public Comment: Odd Fellows Hall and a Possible Grange Chapter
• Council Organization Through 2027: New Officers
• Putnam Farm Barn Ribbon Cutting and Phase Five Planning
• Farmer's Market Update
• Harvest Festival Discussion: Planning Committee Established
• Orleans Coastal Stewardship Initiative Update
• Council Member Updates
• Minutes Approval and New Business
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 1,887 words

Source: the Agricultural Advisory Council meeting of September 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.