When we think of essential public infrastructure, we might picture roads, bridges, or broadband cables. But weathered barns, rolling hayfields, and rows of vegetables bright against dark soil are more than a beloved part of Maine’s identity: farms and farmland are critical infrastructure that secure food for our region, create economic value, steward natural resources, and sustain our communities.
Yet, beneath this essential infrastructure is an urgent truth: Maine’s farmland and the people who steward it are at risk. Maine’s 1.2+ million acres of farmland (the most of any New England state) anchor our local and regional food system – but that farmland is a finite resource, and each year, more of it is disappearing. From 2012-2022 alone, nearly 230,000 acres of farmland fell out of production – roughly equivalent to the size of Sagadahoc County.
Farmers are no strangers to hard work, but many of the challenges they face are too big to take on alone. Suitable farmland to start or expand their farm business is harder to find – and afford – as farmland is lost to development and the price and competition for available land increases. Meanwhile, farm production costs are rising, and as farmers face increasingly severe and unpredictable weather, losses and adaptation expenses further impact their bottom line. Factor in a wave of Maine farmers nearing retirement age while younger farmers are struggling to get their start, and the risks to farms and farmland multiply.
Farms are the backbone of Maine’s rural communities: they drive rural economic development, support the livelihoods of working Mainers, steward our natural resources, and produce fresh, nutritious food for our communities and beyond. Together, we can grow a vibrant agricultural landscape where farms and communities thrive.
Since 1999, with the generous support of our donors, Maine Farmland Trust has permanently protected more than 58,600 acres of farmland across the state with agricultural conservation easements to ensure that Maine’s rich agricultural soils, open spaces, and natural resources can sustain farmers and our communities for generations to come. Through our suite of programs, we support a growing network of 515+ farms to help steward their farmland, grow durable farm businesses, and navigate emergent challenges.
Learn more about why Maine farms matter, and what Maine Farmland Trust does to protect Maine farms and support Maine farmers:
Maine Farmland Trust supports over 500 farms with tools and resources to help their farms to thrive. We depend on community support to fuel our work to keep farmland in farming and working farms working.
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