Please join Maine Farmland Trust, GrowSmart Maine, and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry for a free webinar to learn about the Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program (VMFSP) and how municipalities can adopt the program to support local farms. This event is open to all farmers, residents, municipal officials or staff and is best suited for those who are new to the program or curious to learn more.

The Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program (VMFSP) allows towns to create a local, non-permanent agricultural conservation easement program while lowering the property tax burden on farms. Municipalities may develop a VMFSP to enter into farm support arrangements with eligible farmland owners. Owners accepted into a town’s program grant a non-permanent agricultural conservation easement in exchange for full or partial reimbursement of property taxes on their qualifying farmland and farm buildings during the easement term. Statutory changes in 2025 have increased flexibility with some elements of the VMFSP.

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For additional questions contact:

MFT's Municipal Policy Planner, Krista Chappell, at kchappell@mainefarmlandtrust.org

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After RSVPing, a Zoom link to attend the webinar will be sent via email closer to the date.

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