Scarborough-based grocery retailer Hannaford announced that it’s pledging $500,000 to help preserve local farms and strengthen regional food systems.
In partnership with the Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment, a Freeport-based nonprofit, the grocery chain is investing in the Northeast Farmers Fund to boost regenerative agricultural practices.
The fund is an initiative of the Wolfe’s Neck Center, focused on providing farmers with financial and technical support to produce and market their products. The program is expected to enroll more than 385 regional farmers by 2028.
The funding will provide direct grants to growers across Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.
“This investment in the Wolfe’s Neck Center Northeast Farmers Fund reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting local farmers and producers because we know locally grown food is good for our customers, our communities and the planet,” Norm Daigle, vice president of category management at Hannaford Supermarkets, said at a ceremony on Tuesday. The event was held at Randall Orchards in Standish.
“Maine’s farms are essential to our economy, our communities and the strength of our regional food system,” commented Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Commissioner Amanda Beal.
Wolfe’s Neck Center Executive Director Dave Herring said Hannaford was making investments “that is often hard for farmers to make individually, but it is something that we can do collectively.”
Putting funds to use
Randall Orchards is a local supplier for Hannaford and is among the more than a dozen farms slated to receive grant funding in this stage of the Northeast Farmers Fund.
The apple grower plans to use the funds to purchase equipment that will allow the farm to integrate composted apple pomace — the solid, pulpy waste left after pressing apples for juice or cider — into mulch to support soil health.
Hannaford partners with more than 1,000 local producers, including 125 farms throughout the Northeast, offering more than 8,000 local products in its 188 stores. The company was founded in Portland in 1883 and is currently owned by Dutch multinational retail group Ahold Delhaize.
