Support Investment in Maine Farm & Food Businesses

CALL TO ACTION

The Legislature is preparing to make final funding decisions, and two key bills that support Maine’s farms, food businesses, and forest products sector (LD 2094 and LD 1252) are still awaiting action on the Appropriations Table.

Maine’s agricultural and food economy is facing significant unmet needs: in 2022, more than 800 farmers and food businesses required over $180 million in capital, but only a fraction was funded. In 2024, demand for investment far outpaced available resources once again. LD 2094 and LD 1252 together would deliver $24 million to strengthen local supply chains, create jobs, and increase access to Maine‑made products.

There is still time to act.
Now is the time to contact your legislator, legislative leaders in each party and members of the Appropriations Committee and urge them to fund LD 1252 and LD 2094 to support the Maine Agriculture, Food and Forest Products Investment Fund (MAFFPIF).

Learn more about LD 2094 and LD 1252 and download the info sheet on them here.

About the Bill

LD 2094 and LD 1252 provide a timely opportunity to invest in Maine’s working lands and the businesses that keep our food and forest economy strong. These measures channel capital to farms, food processors, and forest‑products enterprises to strengthen the in‑state supply chain and expand processing capacity for Maine‑grown foods—so producers can innovate, meet demand, and grow Maine’s agricultural and forest‑based economies.

This bill package will:

• Capitalize the flagship Maine Ag, Food and Forest Products Investment Fund (MAFFPIF), a dedicated vehicle to invest in value‑added agriculture, food manufacturing, and forest‑products businesses.
• Provide targeted relief for dairy farmers through MAFFPIF and the Dairy Improvement Fund.
• Deliver disaster relief to farmers and food businesses to offset the impacts of increasingly erratic and extreme weather.
• Support working‑lands access by keeping farmland in production and strengthening the pipeline for future producers.

Read more about the bill in our Fact Sheet.

• LD 1252 – funding for the Maine Ag, Food and Forest Products Investment Fund –
  • 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!

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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