The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering two upcoming online Zoom classes on food safety for produce farms. It covers best practices for on-farm produce safety and the requirements of FSMA’s Produce Safety Rule. This is the FDA-approved training for required for any farm Read More »
News Archive
Emergency Drought Assistance
Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, and Washington Counties are eligible for emergency drought assistance from the Farm Service Agency For drought assistance, start by contacting your local USDA Farm Service Center. Farmers in Maine’s eligible counties have eight months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration, Read More »
Take Action Today to Restore Organic Certification Cost Share Funding
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced on August 10 that they are cutting reimbursement rates for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program from 75% to 50%. This action by USDA is unwarranted and completely unacceptable, especially during a pandemic. The 2018 Farm Bill provided new funding Read More »
The Organic Sprout – Spring 2020 Issue
The Spring 2020 issue of The Organic Sprout is available online! Please follow this link. You can read it from any device of your choice or download it as a PDF. Contents include Organic Certification During the COVID-19 Pandemic, MOFGA Certified Organic promotion extension, Wash Read More »
USDA Supports Specialty Crops Producers with Direct Payments for Losses Due to COVID-19
WASHINGTON, May 19, 2020 – As part of the Coronavirus Farm Assistance Program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that it will provide up to $2.1 billion in direct payments to specialty crops producers. The payments will be based on losses where prices and Read More »
Two Maine organizations collaborate to launch emergency grants for Maine farms
Maine Farmland Trust (MFT) and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) are introducing new Maine Farm Emergency Grants to assist farmers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. A recent survey conducted by the Beginning Farmer Resource Network of Maine indicates farmers and food producers Read More »
Interim Guidance for Essential Agriculture Businesses
The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry has developed interim guidelines to help answer owner and employee questions about essential agriculture, horticulture, and animal care operations. The department’s website, containing a broad range of COVID-19 resources, is available here: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/covid19/ and includes a wealth of Read More »
USDA, DEA Provide Options for Labs, Disposal of Non-Compliant Hemp Plants
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2020 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the delay of enforcement of certain requirements under the interim final rule (IFR) establishing the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program. Under the new guidance, USDA will delay enforcement of the requirement for labs to Read More »
Farmers’ Guide to Applying for the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant Program
The National Sustainable Agricultural Coalition (NSAC) has published a comprehensive guide for the 2019-2020 Grant Cycle. Program Basics The Value-Added Producer Grant program (VAPG), a subprogram of the Local Agriculture Market program (LAMP), provides grants, awarded on a competitive basis, to individual independent agricultural producers, Read More »
MOFGA Regional Grower Meetings 2020
Join us from 10am – 2pm for a day of connection with growers and service providers in your region, MOFGA Certification updates and education from MOFGA Farmer Programs! Catered lunch included. DOWNEAST – February 5, Cobscook Community Learning Center, Trescott Twp CENTRAL – February 14, Read More »
The Organic Sprout – Fall 2019 Issue
The Fall 2018 issue of The Organic Sprout is available online! Please follow this link. You can read it from any device of your choice or download it as a PDF. Contents include the interim final rule for domestic hemp production, record keeping for organic Read More »