The Maine Agriculture Needs Project
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Farms are critical community resources and engines for Maine’s economic growth. Engagement with farm business owners is essential to understanding farmers’ needs and priorities and the ways in which existing policies and programs do and do not support farms. The Maine Ag Needs report presents results from a statewide engagement process designed to identify and explore farmers’ needs and priorities in order to elevate these needs and priorities to the attention of decision-makers and agriculture service providers.
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In this Google Folder you can find the final report from a recent needs assessment of Maine farmers.
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You can get in contact about the report at maineagneeds@gmail.com.
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An important note from the cohort that developed the report:
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The data contained in this report are the direct feedback of participants engaged in a statewide outreach process carried out between August 2018 and January 2019 that was designed to gather input on the needs and priorities of Maine farmers. The framework of those discussions and this report was organized in accordance with the 2013 Strategic Plan of the Agricultural Council of Maine (AGCOM). Information in the report is strictly data with minimal interpretation. The next step in this initiative is for industry representatives to review the report, to identify themes that are representative of and broadly applicable to Maine’s diverse farming community, and to prioritize action items relevant to economic sustainability. Once identified, these unifying themes can serve as the basis for further program and policy development work that benefits Maine farms and businesses.
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Marketing for Farms Through Art
In fall of 2019, the Maine Food Strategy took on an intern from the Food Studies Program at the University of Southern Maine to explore the marketing needs and barriers of farmers, and looked at how art has been used to promote farming operations. Intern Lauren Olson created original images to be used by five farms, and interviewed them to understand their challenges in marketing and promotion. Find the results of the interviews here, as well as research on the connection of art and farming here.
*Please note: This work is original and must be attributed to the author.
Strategy Council Work
Find more information about our Councils here.
Presentations and Events
Maine Food Strategy on the move! The Maine Food Strategy has been out and about learning and sharing.
