Amanda Beal

Recipients include brewers, oyster growers and specialty producers, with award amounts ranging from $10,000 to $100,000.

Maine is home to more than 130 dairy farms that care for herds of dairy cows, goats and sheep and that steward 700,000 acres of farmland.

The state PFAS Fund has selected seven research projects for funding to better understand so-called forever chemicals, which some 90 farmers unwittingly applied to their soil by fertilizing with municipal sludge.

On Monday, the USDA announced that a portion of the funding for Maine agriculture contracts was being sent out, which followed ag commissioner Amanda Beal's recent appeal.

Maine is home to more than 200 dairy farms that care for herds of dairy cows, goats and sheep.

"If agriculture is your passion, embrace it," says Amanda Beal, commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

Recipients include ND Paper in Rumford, which will receive $1 million to boost the efficiency of its R15 paper machine.

In 2021, the Maine Forest Service dropped more than 91,000 gallons of water on fires and carried 269 firefighters. Its fleet also assists other agencies.

Grants ranging from $6,000 to $10,000 are available to help municipalities and nonprofits strengthen community tree planting and maintenance efforts.

Usually held over three days at the Augusta Civic Center, the statewide event for producers, sellers and consumers will take place over five days on a variety of online platforms.