Support Investment in Maine Farm & Food Businesses

CALL TO ACTION

The legislature adjourned Wednesday night after passing the budget but without taking up appropriations decisions. They are coming back on Tuesday (6/24) to decide which bills get funded and on Wednesday to enact them.

While we have been advocating for and still hopeful that the Appropriations Committee will at some point during this legislature vote a bond bill (LD 1140) out of committee, and 2/3 of the Legislature will support sending that to voters to decide, there is still a bill (LD 1252) on the Appropriations Table to fund the Maine Ag, Food and Forest Products Investment Fund (MAFFPIF).  

This means, there is still time to contact your legislator, legislative leaders in each party and members of the Appropriations Committee asking them to fund MAFFPIF.

About the Bill

This bond bill led by Sen. Daughtry will provide capital for farms, food processors, and forest products businesses who are building a resilient supply chain including expanding processing capacity for Maine-grown foods to grow Maine’s agricultural and forest products economies.

This bill will:

• capitalize the flagship Maine Ag, Food and Forest Products Investment Fund (MAFFPIF)
• provide targeted relief to dairy farmers through MAFFPIF and the Dairy Improvement Fund
• provide disaster relief to farmers and food businesses to offset the impacts of erratic and extreme weather events
• support the LMF Working Land Access Protection Program to expand access to farmland and keep working lands in production.

Read more about the bill in our Fact Sheet.

• LD 1252 – funding for the Maine Ag, Food and Forest Products Investment Fund –
  • please emphasize that even a modest amount can be added to the existing $500,000 in the Fund to make a meaningful first round of investments next year.
  • The DACF has appointed an advisory board and hired a fund director and the team from VT’s very successful working lands enterprise fund to work with the advisory board to structure that first round.
  • It is state policy to invest in food production, processing and manufacturing, and to purchase from Maine growers/producers 30% of what we consume here in Maine by 2030. You can mention the state Economic Development Strategy, the Climate Action Plan, the FocusMaine report. Realizing these goals will also help preserve and keep working farmland in production, another state policy goal. Agriculture and food processing are the lifeblood of rural community economies.
  • Now is the time to help farmers and value-added food businesses build viable businesses and a resilient supply chain!

• LD1140– please encourage them to carry over the bond bill and when the right time, vote an Ag bond out of committee and send it to the full legislature to then let voters decide to make further investments in Maine’s food (and forest) economy.

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How to Support the Bill

CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS DIRECTLY

Find your legislators (by the town where you live or operate a business) and tell them how this fund will support your business and community.

• Find your Maine State Senator
• Find your Maine House Representative

SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY

If you submitted written testimony at the Public Hearing or through the Maine Legislative online portal, please share this testimony with the Appropriations (AFA) Committee by emailing it to the Committee Clerk: AFA@legislature.maine.gov

If you have any questions, or need help with next steps, please call Amy Winston, CEI state policy director, at (207) 504-6339.

If you need help reaching the Appropriations Committee, you can also call either the
Legislative Information Office – (207) 287-1692 or 
Committee Clerk – (207) 287-1330