Across Maine, and much of the country, a rise in egg prices and anxieties — over avian flu, price stability, trade — has fueled a similar increase in demand for backyard chicks.
agriculture
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine Climate Council says it’s ‘not all doom and gloom’ amid concerns about federal cuts
The council working to achieve state goals to reduce climate change emissions says it is still on track despite some funding disruptions.
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Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine makes first purchase of farm contaminated by forever chemicals
The state tapped its PFAS relief fund to spend $333,000 to buy a Palermo hay field where sewage sludge was once spread as fertilizer that tested 3 times above the state’s recommended level for safe dairy forage.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine lawmaker wants state to help farmers affected by federal funding freeze
A proposed bill would create a state-funded no-interest loan program for Maine farmers whose federal contracts are frozen by the Trump administration.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Central Maine farmers left in limbo by federal funding freeze
Despite having signed government contracts, farmers who have spent money on projects to conserve soil, water and power have been told they cannot get reimbursed until USDA programs and policies are reviewed by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, New England, News, Politics
Maine’s maple syrup industry could get boost from federal legislation
Sens. Collins and King are supporting the MAPLE and SAP acts to promote U.S. maple syrup producers.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Maine body movement expert teaches farmworkers how to avoid injury
Freeport-based consultant Cynthia Flores helps farmers and their employees reduce injuries that cost the U.S. about $11.3 billion annually.
Posted inLocal & State
PFAS contamination found on more than 100 Maine farms
The state’s ambitious multiyear investigation into PFAS contamination from sludge-based fertilizer is not yet halfway done, but costs are mounting as new federal protections arise from mounting scientific evidence of potential human health risks.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Forever chemicals in sludge fertilizer pose cancer risk, EPA says
Draft findings published Tuesday echo what Maine has been saying since 2022, when it became the first state to ban the use of sludge as fertilizer because of high concentrations of harmful PFAS.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Dairy task force recommends boosting subsidy to preserve Maine farms
A draft report calls for additional taxes on gambling, cannabis or cigarettes to help stabilize funding for the subsidy program that protects Maine’s struggling dairy farms.