The organization that certifies and supports organic farmers in Maine is cutting six positions in the wake of federal funding losses and in the face of future budget constraints.

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, which also organizes the Common Ground Fair in Unity, announced this month that it would be restructuring, including the cutting of six positions.

The association cited the loss of over $1 million in federal and other funding sources in 2025 and budget deficit projections through the rest of the decade.

“These changes are necessary to put the organization on a path to financial stability by 2030, and allow for the remaining forty staff positions to have the resources necessary to maintain all core programs that achieve MOFGA’s mission,” the organization said in a press release.

MOFGA was formed in 1971 and is the oldest and largest statewide organic organization in the United States, according to its website.

By restructuring, some programs may be scaled back. The communications, operations, community education, and farmer program teams are involved in that restructuring, but “the smallest number of reductions were made in these areas” to allow the organization’s core programs to continue, the release said.

“Staff layoffs were held as a last resort, even during this tumultuous year when MOFGA’s federal grants were frozen, canceled midstream, payments were delayed, and several multiyear grants ended,” it states.

The association says it is working with its union to follow outlined processes for layoffs, and will work to recall positions in the future if that becomes feasible.

“Just as MOFGA has stepped up over the last six years to meet farmer needs during the pandemic, the cancellation of dairy contracts, the PFAS crisis, the climate crisis, and now the federal funding crisis, we will continue to listen closely to our supporters, our farmers, and our community to prioritize the programming needed to help us all collectively navigate how we maintain and continue to transform our food system,” the association stated.

The organization’s office in Unity is closed for the holiday season, according to a voicemail greeting, and a spokesperson did not immediately reply Tuesday evening to an emailed request for comment.