On July 25th, MFT closed on the purchase of the former Coastal Blueberries Service building at 61 Common Road in Union, in partnership with Midcoast Farmers Alliance (MFA), a support network for area farmers founded by Maine Coast Heritage Trust…
MFT recently announced the award of matching grants totaling $300,000 to six farms across the state upon their completion of MFT’s Farming for Wholesale program, a two year program that offers up to 100 hours of individualized business planning and…
Maine’s wild blueberry industry is full of challenges. Each of the many obstacles wild blueberry growers Kate Mahaffey and Nate Dore of Slow Rise Farm shared is enough to put a farm business at risk, never mind juggling all of…
Maine Farmland Trust and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) are launching a new PFAS Emergency Relief Fund to support farmers impacted by potential PFAS contamination. “This fund will help make sure that farmers that are facing extreme…
Protecting Farms and Farmland from PFAS Farmland is foundational to a healthy local food system. PFAS, so-called forever chemicals, are persistent in the environment, and the application of contaminated sludge or residuals decades ago by farmers who were unaware of…
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals including PFOA, PFOS and others which are very persistent in the environment and in the human body. PFAS have been produced and used in a variety of products and industries…
Report Highlights Lessons from the Pandemic for Maine’s Food System December 8, 2021 — Today a coalition of groups released a report highlighting lessons learned from the pandemic for Maine’s food system. A collaboration between the Cooperative Development Institute (CDI),…
Healthy soil grows healthy food and helps farm businesses succeed. Healthy soil is also crucial in fighting climate change and creating resilient food systems. But how do farmers create healthy soil? There are a variety of techniques that farmers can…
After Danone/Horizon Organic’s recent decision to end contracts with 89 farms across the Northeast, including 14 farms in Maine, many Mainers are asking themselves how they can better support Maine dairy farmers. While organizations like MFT, the Maine Department of…
Dairy farms play a keystone role in Maine’s agricultural economy and Danone/Horizon Organic’s recent decision to end contracts with 89 farms across the Northeast, including 14 farms in Maine, leaves these farm families, the land they steward, and the future…