The Maine Department of Agriculture’s annual trade show got underway Tuesday at the Augusta Civic Center. A winter storm delayed the start of the second day of programming to noon on Wednesday. All photos by Joe Phelan.
agriculture
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Betting on broccoli to boost Maine’s farming economy and food availability
Good Shepherd Food Bank has launched an innovative company that makes it the first among 200 food banks nationwide to address hunger by investing in for-profit farming and processing.
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Posted inLocal & State
Contaminated farm in Unity to become PFAS research site
Songbird Farm is one of a growing number of farms found to be contaminated with so-called forever chemicals from sludge fertilizer spread on fields, once a common, state-sanctioned practice.
Posted inLocal & State, Morning Sentinel
Hundreds ride passenger trains to Common Ground Country Fair
The Belfast and Moosehead Lake railroad runs two trains to and from the fair, one from Thorndike and the other from Unity.
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
View from Away: An ambitious push to help small farmers
More than two years have passed since former U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue departed, but the brouhaha he created with one callous comment in the middle of his tenure remains memorable. Perdue, a Trump appointee, visited a Wisconsin expo in 2019, one attended by struggling dairy farmers. When asked about the industry’s future, […]
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Bill to improve farmworkers’ pay, conditions in Maine awaits action by Mills
L.D. 398 would legally define farmworkers as employees, making them eligible for the state minimum wage and protecting them from some overtime requirements.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Heavy June rains dampen outlook for Maine’s harvest later this year
The unusually wet start to the summer has affected crop production in many ways, including potentially endangering Maine farmland.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Watchdog group: PFAS is active ingredient in 13% of Maine pesticides
An analysis by the Environmental Working Group found 55 so-called forever chemicals listed as active ingredients in 1,426 of Maine’s state-approved pesticides.
Posted inKennebec Journal, Local & State
Heavy rains in central Maine may delay some crops
Farmers across central Maine say they will be delayed in planting some crops or treating others as they wait for conditions to dry out.
Posted inCommunity
Youth interest in agriculture reinvigorated through 4-H
UMaine Cooperative Extension 4-H is looking to tackle the steady decline of agricultural interest among youth with their Ag Ambassador program, which offers kids a chance to see what goes into farming and agriculture from all angles.