Organic farming, up 36%, to benefit from $1M USDA grant to UMaine

Photo / Russ Dillingham Jan Goranson waters pea shoots in the greenhouse at Goranson Farm in Dresden.

Write a Comment

The number of organic farms in Maine has increased by 36% over the last seven years, MPBN reported, citing new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The organic farming industry also is expected to benefit from a $999,120 collaborative research grant focused on farming technology awarded to the University of Maine by the USDA that was announced Thursday in a joint statement by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King.

The USDA just released its 2014 organic survey, which lists 517 organic farms in Maine. That compares with 379 when the survey was last done in 2008.

The total acreage of organic farmland in the state more than doubled to 58,000 acres, while sales of organic products were up 74% during the period to $54 million.

“What we're seeing in Maine is a growth both in the interest in people who produce organically but also a strong commitment from Maine consumers to purchase organic products," Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Agricultural Services Director Dave Colson told MPBN.

USDA award to study new farm tech

The USDA award will be used to study pioneering farming technology and practices, and is expected to help Maine farmers and their regional partners meet a growing market demand for organic grains through research on production methods, marketing strategies, food safety practices, socioeconomic conditions and farm business management.

“The University of Maine’s innovative research strengthens our agricultural sector, which is a cornerstone of Maine’s economy, and furthers Maine’s rich farming history,” Collins and King said in the joint statement. “This grant funding will play a crucial role in supporting Maine’s university system as it works to empower entrepreneurs, increase outreach, upgrade machinery and preserve Maine’s tradition of small and diversified farms and businesses.”

The award will fund the University of Maine’s project on Innovative Sowing, Cultivation, and Rotation Strategies to Address Weed, Fertility, and Disease Challenges in Organic Food and Feed Grains. The University of Maine will work with the University of Vermont and industry partners in the Northeast region as part of the collaborative research grant.

The funding was awarded through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a federal agency within the USDA. The agency administers federal funding to address agricultural issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future.

Organic farm popularity grows

Earlier this year, MOFGA Executive Director Ted Quaday told Mainebiz reporter Lori Valigra that, in conjunction with the growth of organic farms in Maine, the number of Maine farmers markets doubled in the past eight years to 139 in 2014. The markets are big sales outlets for many organic farmers.

Among its activities, MOFGA certifies organic farms for the USDA. MOFGA also announced Thursday that it received a $250,000 grant from the Maine-based Quimby Family Foundation, according to the Portland Press Herald. Most of those funds will go to MOFGA’s educational programs endowment.

“It's not easy to become an organic farmer," Quaday said. "It's all about building healthy soil. That's basically what gets certified."

Sales of organic products rose to $36.4 million in 2012 from $23.3 million in 2007, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service report in July 2014. Even Walmart is riding the organic bandwagon, having last April brought in Wild Oats to relaunch its brand, with the aim of saving customers 25% or more on organic groceries.

Bucking national trends, the USDA report found the number of younger farmers in Maine is increasing, presaging the growth of next-generation farmers.

Colson told Valigra that many new farmers coming to Maine are doing so because of support in the state for locally grown products.

"The increase in local food, organic and otherwise, is enormous," he says. "In the 1980s, when we started, there were only six to eight farmers markets. And restaurants featuring local foods are growing dramatically."

"But there's still a disconnect about whether local is the same as organic," said Colson.

While the USDA has strictly defined the word "organic" and its use on food packaging, there is no similar government guidance or controls for using the terms "local" or "natural."