Committee unanimously supports Sen. Brenner bill to improve grant process for farmers

AUGUSTA — On Monday, the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee voted unanimously of those present in favor of a bill from Sen. Stacy Brenner, D-Scarborough. LD 782, “An Act to Support Statewide Economic Opportunities Through Strategic Investments of Property and Funds, Including Emergency Relief Funds,” would streamline the grant funding process for Maine farmers, especially the allocation of emergency funds. This bill transfers the grant disbursement authority from the Department of Administrative and Financial Services to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

“The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry has provided necessary and business-saving funding for many Maine farms,” Sen. Brenner said. “Businesses that faced bankruptcy during the COVID-19 pandemic and those that suffered major losses due to PFAS contamination were able to remain strong due to grant funding. This legislation will ensure that more farmers in this state get the support they need to survive. By supporting Maine farms, we are investing in our local economy.”

Currently, the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry offers several grant programs, administered by the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, to assist Maine farmers, including the Agricultural Development Grant program and the Maine Farms for the Future program. Both programs aim to promote research and development in the agricultural industry by investing in farms and farmers. These investments work to increase the vitality of the industry in the long term. This legislation to support strategic investments in agriculture would provide more opportunities for farmers to access these grants. 

During the public hearing, Heather Spalding of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association said: “As we have learned navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and the PFAS crisis, rapid dissemination of funding makes all the difference. We have heard repeatedly from farmers who said that if they hadn’t had access to relief funding when they did, their operations wouldn’t have survived … The DACF should be entrusted to administer grant programs, including appeals, in an efficient and fair manner.”

LD 782 now faces votes in the Senate and House.

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