Farmland Trust launches 100,000-acre campaign

AUGUSTA — Maine Farmland Trust (MFT) announced its 100,000 acre campaign at the 2011 Agricultural Trades Show at the Augusta Civic Center on Tuesday, January 11. MFT called on all Mainers to take action in preserving 100,000 acres of Maine farmland by 2014. Speakers included John Piotti, MFT Executive Director; Seth Bradstreet, Maine Commissioner of Agriculture; Bill Bell, MFT Board President; Taylor Mudge, MFT Campaign Chair and Dick Perkins, a Charleston dairy farmer.

Farming in Maine is growing and has the potential to be a major economic engine in the future, but only if Maine protects the land base. As much as a third of Maine's best farmland will be in transition in the next 10 years, as aging farmers sell or die. Farming in Maine is well poised for a bright future, but not unless the land base is protected.

Maine Farmland Trust estimates that the cost of protecting 100,000 acres is $50 million. "This may sound like a big number," said Taylor Mudge, a former farmer and founder of the State of Maine Cheese Company, who is heading up the Trust's fundraising efforts. "But the economic impact from that 100,000 acres is expected to exceed $50 million each year so this is really a good investment."

Maine Farmland Trust has set an initial goal of raising $10 million, which is then expected to leverage an additional $40 million. It's the first $10 million which is critical, said Mudge.

The press conference not only outlined Maine Farmland Trust's plans, but announced that the organization had already raised $5 million toward its initial $10 million goal. But Mudge stressed that this campaign is not about raising money to protect, "It's about making sure our rural economy thrives."

Maine Farmland Trust is uniquely positioned to tackle the extraordinary challenge of protecting Maine's most vulnerable farmland. Since its inception in 1999, MFT has helped protect over two-thirds of all the farmland that has been protected in Maine, often by working in partnership with local or regional land trusts. But that only translates into about 22,000 acres, or less than 2 percent of Maine's farmland. Much more is needed. MFT is now taking its work to the next level, with the goal of protecting 100,000 acres by 2014.

Maine Farmland Trust seeks to secure 100,000 acres of Maine farmland by 2014 through five separate programs: Purchased Agricultural Easements, Donated Agricultural Easements, Buy/Protect/Sell, FarmLink, and Farm Viability.

As just one example of over a hundred completed projects, Dick Perkins from Charleston outlined how Maine Farmland Trust has helped save his family's dairy operation. Like many dairy farmers, the Perkins rely heavily on large tracks of cropland they do not own. When they were about to lose some choice land, they approached Maine Farmland Trust, which stepped in and bought another farm in the area. The Perkins now lease that farm, with a plan to buy it soon.

The availability of this land not only helped Dick Perkins out of a tough spot, but made it possible for his two children to join the business. "We were in a real pickle," explains Perkins, "We needed the land and Maine Farmland Trust's assistance ensured that our farm could continue for another generation."

Maine Farmland Trust's 100,000 Acre Campaign aims to protect the underlying land base. This is the only way to ensure that existing farms have a chance to expand, and that young farmers can afford to enter the field.