While some farmers support a ban on sludge spreading to protect Maine farms from forever chemicals, a group that includes farmers and wastewater treatment operators want a ‘science based approach’ to monitoring PFAS levels to avoid increased fertilizer and sewer costs.
agriculture
Posted inLocal & State
Lawmakers consider $100 million relief fund for farmers with contaminated land
The fund would reimburse farmers whose water or fields are contaminated by PFAS for testing and clean up, lost crops and herds, farm transitions or buyouts, and long-term health monitoring.
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Posted inLocal & State
Relief fund created to help Maine farmers deal with forever chemicals
Maine Farmland Trust and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association have raised $255,000 to create a short-term financial safety net for those affected by PFAS.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Farmers urge passage of bill to stop agricultural use of PFAS-laden sludge
One says at a news conference Wednesday that his family is ‘teetering on the edge of losing everything’ because of PFAS contamination.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News, Politics
Rep. Pingree’s bill aims to help Maine hemp growers
Maine’s struggling hemp industry would benefit from relaxed rules on potency limits.
Posted inBusiness, Nation & World
Federal watchdog say Trump administration overpaid corn farmers by $3 billion
A federal watchdog says the Trump administration overpaid corn farmers by about $3 billion in federal aid in 2019 and that farmers in the South were paid more for the same crops than elsewhere in the country
Posted inBusiness, Local & State
Maine to expand mental health help for farmers
Farmers in Maine and beyond have had to contend with the coronavirus pandemic, droughts and supply chain difficulties in recent months and years.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State
Maine potato harvesters are having a good year
After a below-average yield in 2020, farmers are reporting a crop that is larger than average in 2021.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine to investigate more than 500 sludge sites for contamination by ‘forever chemicals’
With $30 million in state funding, officials plan an unprecedented effort to test sites statewide for chemicals known as PFAS and assist people affected by the pollution.
Posted inLocal & State
Farmington Fair opens to sunny skies, drawing crowds
The 180th fair made a comeback this year after it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic last year.