20th Anniversary: Member Voices

20th Anniversary: Member Voices

March 28, 2019

  |  

Rachel Keidan

MFT is a member-powered organization. Throughout our 20th year, we are highlighting some of these amazing members. Read the first batch of member profiles below:

Elderly couple standing together on porch of rustic wooden log cabin
Person in pink sweater holding large green leaf in autumn forest
Two seniors standing by car in colorful autumn forest with open doors
Circular wooden opening with window revealing shadowy interior structure

Warren & Helen Balgooyen

Wishing Well Farm. Norridgewock, ME

Our friend Jim Hastings introduced me to MFT at an early meeting at his house in Skowhegan. As a career naturalist and environmental educator, much of my incentive comes from an interest in wildlife and conservation education. I’ve always been an avid land protector, and we worked with MFT to protect our 272-acre farm in 2004, and hope to add another nearly 200 acres in the near future. Over the last 20 years, development has swallowed up prime agricultural land.  Climate change is having an effect via drought, new insects, and invasive plants. At the same time, we see more young people getting into farming- mostly small produce farms.  MFT’s Farmlink and Farmland Protection programs have helped those who can’t afford the rising price of farmland. We hope MFT will continue to keep up the good work!

Warren Balgooyen passed away in January 2019, a few months after this interview.

Member since 2000. Protected their farm in 2004, and protected another 110 acres with 7 Lakes Alliance in December 2018.

Smiling person in green beanie standing in front of wooden cabin
Vintage tools hanging on a blue magnetic bar against a dim wall
Smiling person in green plaid jacket standing by weathered red wooden building
Person in green plaid coat and beanie standing in overgrown autumn garden

Francis Kilea

Appleton, ME

I support MFT's mission in the abstract because I have long believed in the importance of a strong web of local commerce and food production, but I'm pretty personally invested, too. The livelihoods of former and current employers and mentors—not to mention their customers— depends on the health of that system.  I love that Maine Farmland Trust has a multi-pronged approach to the goal of growing the future for farming.  All of it's important, too. I grew up in a small town in the midwest and have watched, over the years, patches of land be purchased and developed. MFT's efforts to keep arable land in the hands of farmers are really important.

Member since 2016.

Two farmers standing together in front of large hay bales
Herd of cows standing in a green pasture with trees in background
Child in blue shirt petting goat by pond near metal fence
Dried corn stalks in a field against a pale blue sky

Troy & Brenda White

Lil Bit Organic Farm. Lagrange, ME.

Some of the fields that we leased for hay went up for sale. We knew these fields would appeal to a developer for house lots. Also, if we lost these fields, it would be detrimental to our bottom line and Maine would lose more farmland! However, the cost was way out of our reach. Without MFT, we would not have been able to secure the farmland and to protect the farmland for future generations.

The landscape of farming has changed in Maine and in our country for many reasons. Developers are buying farmland to turn to house developments. It is imperative for everyone to support MFT so we can all continue to work together to protect our farmland and to help farmers.

Member since 2014. Protected their farm in 2014.

Person in blue jacket standing in doorway of weathered wooden building
Brown beer bottles lined up on production line in beverage factory
Smiling middle-aged man holding beer in backyard with wooden fence
Wooden whiskey barrels stacked in rows inside a metal warehouse

Rob Tod

Allagash Brewing Company. Portland, ME.

There are so many benefits to bringing industries like farming back to local communities: jobs, profits, sustainability, the value in knowing where ingredients are coming from, etc. Much like the craft beer movement, and Allagash, in particular, is bringing beer back to local communities, we see that MFT is working to bring farming back to local communities.

Supporter since 2015.

Visit our 20th Anniversary website to learn more about our 20th year!

BECOME A MEMBER

Let's grow a bright future for farming in Maine, together.

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