Agricultural impact on local economy outlined at PCEDC quarterly meeting
By Mike Lange
Staff Writer
GUILFORD — When Tanya Swain first went to work for the Western Mountains Alliance (WMA) in Farmington nine years ago, one of her goals was to get more local food into the schools.
“But one of my memories is going into the kitchen at one of the schools and discovering that some cooks weren’t sure how to prepare fresh food,” she told the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council last week.
Observer photo/Mike Lange
FOOD INITIATIVE — Tanya Swain, co-director of the Maine Food Strategy, outlined the goals of the organization at last week’s Piscataquis County Economic Development Council quarterly meeting.
Several area town managers, county commissioners, health professionals and business owners attended the organization’s quarterly meeting on March 31, hosted by the Red Maple Inn in Guilford.
Swain is co-director of the Maine Food Strategy, a statewide initiative to “support a robust food economy and a thriving natural resource base in our state,” according to its mission statement.
But instead of being overseen by a stage agency, the organization wants to gather as much information as possible from similar groups and economic development councils.
Once the framework is established, young entrepreneurs who want to get into farming or existing farmers who want to expand their markets can have one source for help.
Observer photo/Mike Lange
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Jim Annis, left, and Fred Trask enjoy a light moment at the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council quarterly meeting last week at the Red Maple Inn.
Agriculture is a significant economic generator for Maine’s economy, but it traditionally takes a back seat to tourism, forestry and the retail sector, Swain said. Maine has 8,000 farms “and the number has actually increased since 2007, which is something people are really excited about,” Swain said.
Tourism generates $7.5 million, when the economic multiplier factor is added. “But agriculture is estimated at $1.2 billion and the food industry generates $11.5 billion,” she said.
The average size of a farm in the state is 179 acres, which is close to the national average, but the market value of products sold in the state went from $617 million to $764 million from 2007 to 2012.
The average age of the Maine farmer — 57 — parallels the state’s older demographics, but she added that “younger people are taking an interest in farming, and that’s very exciting for us.”
Closer to home in the Penquis region, a lot of the farmland is used for forage. But out of 58 farms surveyed a few years ago that were raising cattle for meat or dairy, 38 were raising less than 10 animals. There are approximately 20 producers growing vegetables on 455 acres in the region.
“It’s a challenging business to be in,” Swain said. “But agriculture is recognized for stimulating additional business activity in the community … and it provides a relatively low-risk incubator for new businesses. One thing about agricultural products is that you can see rather quickly how the market is responding to them.”
Swain said the Maine Food Strategy will soon have a steering committee in place and hopes to have some public forums scheduled in late spring or early summer. “Agriculture is important – that’s our major message,” she concluded.
For more information, visit http://mainefoodstrategy.org.