Federal funding has been restored for a Maine program that trains farmers, fishermen and loggers about health, safety and injury prevention, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins announced Wednesday.

Maine AgrAbility, part of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, received a four-year award of $551,520 through a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant. Officials said they could not access the funding starting April 3, which came as a surprise as the system received no notice that the funding was being paused.

After the restoration of funds, the program has a balance of $187,699 to fund activities through August 2026, according to University of Maine System spokesperson Samantha Warren.

[mtm-related-linkurl=”https://www.pressherald.com/2025/05/28/trump-administration-has-frozen-50-million-in-umaine-funding-so-far/”]Trump administration has frozen $50M in UMaine System funding so far[/mtm-related-link]

University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and Cooperative Extension Dean Hannah Carter said in a written statement they are “thrilled” about the restoration and thanked Collins “for advocating to the USDA secretary in support of this and other essential UMaine programs.”

The funding was part of about $50 million frozen or terminated by the Trump administration for the state’s university system.

The administration began targeting the system’s funding in February after disagreements with Gov. Janet Mills over a Maine law that permits the participation of transgender athletes in girls sports.

Collins said in an emailed statement that AgrAbility is critical for “providing training and technical assistance that make high-risk jobs safer.” It serves about 1,600 workers in Maine’s heritage industries.