In Maine, we’re fortunate to have a rich history and culture of living off the land and providing for ourselves. From wild blueberries, to local dairy, to potatoes, livestock and everything in between, Mainers rely on farmers to provide us with delicious, locally sourced food. Supporting our farmers and all they do for us was a priority for me this session, so I’m happy to share some of the steps we took to make sure this heritage industry endures for generations to come.

In July, the Legislature voted on how to invest nearly $1 billion in federal funds sent to our state as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. After a very difficult year and a half, there were many groups and industries in need of some additional help – and farmers were certainly among them. Knowing this, the Legislature voted to allocate $20 million for an immediate investment in Maine’s farms and food processors. Growing our food processing infrastructure means that farms won’t have to ship their food out of state for essential processing. It also means we can rely on fewer imports for our food needs, and we can even grow our export market. This investment benefits farmers by making processing more efficient and cost effective, and it benefits consumers by making it easier to by local food.

In addition to expanding food processing capacity, the Legislature took other steps to grow the market for Maine farmers and food producers. Early this session, we passed a Back-to-Basics budget to ensure that funding for essential programs didn’t lapse. One of these programs is Mainers Feeding Mainers, a program run by Good Shepherd Food Bank that connects over 70 partner farms with food pantries that feed hungry Mainers. The program distributes two million pounds of locally grown food each year, playing an important role in fighting the all too pervasive problem of hunger in Maine.

We also passed a law to make it easier for schools to purchase food from farmers by expanding the Local Foods Fund. When a school buys locally grown, raised or harvested food from local farmers or local food distributors, they can get reimbursed for a portion of the costs. The program previously only included fruits and vegetables, but now meat, fish, value-added dairy and other protein sources are included, and we raised the reimbursement cap. This program broadens the market for farmers while putting fresh, nutritious food on our children’s lunch trays.

Maine farmers also need tools to adapt to our changing environment and to mitigate the effects of environmental threats. I was proud to cosponsor a law from my colleague Sen. Stacy Brenner, a small business owner and farmer herself, to create the Maine Healthy Soils program. This will give farmers a place to go for the resources they need to maintain healthy, fertile soil. We also took steps to mitigate and clean up PFAS, which are commonly known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in our bodies or the environment. These chemicals are linked to a variety of bad health outcomes in humans, and they’ve been found in Maine wells and dairy farms in worrying quantities over the past several years. To protect Mainers’ health, the Legislature passed a law that phases out the sale of products containing PFAS by the year 2030. We also directed $30 million toward helping farms and other food producers clean up and mitigate the threats posed by PFAS.

Maine farmers go above and beyond to feed our communities, to power our economy, and to serve as responsible stewards of the land. I’m glad the Legislature was able to deliver for them this session, because they continued to deliver for all of us throughout the pandemic. Even in the face of serious disruptions to the supply chain, Maine farmers kept going, and I hope some of the laws we passed this year reflect my gratitude to them.

If you have any questions about the Legislature’s work this session, if I can be of assistance to you or if you just want to connect, please reach out any time. My email is Chloe.Maxmin@legislature.maine.gov, my cell phone is (207) 200-6224, and you can find me on Facebook at facebook.com/ChloeForSenate. You can also sign up to receive my regular e-newsletter at mainesenate.org.