T he Sevey family has owned Broadcrest Farm in Ripley since 1938, though the farm reaches back to 1813. Today, Andrew Sevey milks 70 cows, shipping to Oakhurst. He also maintains 90 head of young stock, and produces hay, corn, and alfalfa. The entire farm encompasses 357 acres of fields and woods in two separate parcels. MFT just closed on an easement protecting 192 acres. The family hopes it can work with MFT to protect the re- maining land in the future. The Seveys want to see their property remain as farmland forev- er. But like most hard-working farmers, they are not in a financial position to donate an easement on their land. They needed some level of compensation. MFT recently created a new program designed to purchase ease- ments on working farms. Buying an ease- ment on farmland is nothing new. Since 1989, for instance, Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) funds have helped protect over 8,900 acres of farmland in this manner. But as useful as LMF and other government programs are, they are inadequately funded. Far more farmers want to sell ease- ments (sometimes referred to as “selling development rights”) than there are funds available for this purpose. In addition, the require- ments set by these governmental programs are not always well-suit- ed to certain farms. So MFT creat- ed its own Purchased Easement Program. MFT does not compensate farm- ers as much for easements as do these govern- ment programs, but many farm- ers are comfort- able with what we do pay, espe- cially since MFT can act fast and without an ex- pensive appraisal or complicated application process. Broadcrest Farm is just one of three farms MFT has recently pro- tected using this new program. In Farmington, MFT protected Sun- nyview Farm, a 125-acre property that boasts productive hay land and agricultural infrastructure used by local farmers. In Clinton, MFT protected a 220-acre dairy farm that—thanks to MFT’s easement purchase—will be available as farmland for future generations. Beyond this, MFT’s board just approved three other projects— though none has yet closed. Combined with two projects com- pleted earlier this year (as reported in the summer newsletter), MFT’s new Purchased Easement Program will result in protecting eight work- ing farms by early 2014, for a total of 842 acres. But even more impressive is the number of potential projects “in the pipeline”—nineteen! These projects will be brought to the board for consideration in January. If MFT can raise enough funding to meet demand, another 5,700 acres of farmland may be protected by next spring. To date, the average cost of pro- tecting farmland under this pro- gram runs about $436 an acre. “This is a very cost effective way to protect farms,” said MFT’s John Piotti. “But we need far more funds to meet the need,” he added. VOLUME 12, NO. 2 WINTER 2013 New program protects farms in Ripley, Clinton, Farmington N EWS 97 Main Street, Belfast, Maine 04915 www.mainefarmlandtrust.org (207)338-6575 The Purchased Easement Program is a powerful new tool that helps keep working farms working. Another 19 farms in pipeline for action Andrew Sevey stands in front of his dairy barns at Broadcrest Farm
Transcript
The Sevey family has ownedBroadcrest Farm in Ripley since
1938, though the farm reachesback to 1813. Today, AndrewSevey milks 70 cows, shipping toOakhurst. He also maintains 90head of young stock, and produceshay, corn, and alfalfa.
The entire farm encompasses357 acres of fields and woods intwo separate parcels. MFT justclosed on an easement protecting192 acres. The family hopes it canwork with MFT to protect the re-maining land in the future.
The Seveys want to see theirproperty remain as farmland forev-er. But like most hard-workingfarmers, they are not in a financialposition to donate an easement ontheir land. They needed some levelof compensation.
MFT recently created a newprogram designedto purchase ease-ments on workingfarms.
Buying an ease-ment on farmlandis nothing new.Since 1989, forinstance, Land forMaine’s Future(LMF) funds have helped protectover 8,900 acres of farmland in thismanner. But as useful as LMF andother government programs are,they are inadequately funded. Farmore farmers want to sell ease-ments (sometimes referred to as“selling development rights”) thanthere are funds available for thispurpose. In addition, the require-ments set by these governmentalprograms are not always well-suit-
ed to certain farms. So MFT creat-ed its own Purchased EasementProgram.
MFT does not compensate farm-ers as much for easements as do
these govern-ment programs,but many farm-ers are comfort-able with whatwe do pay, espe-cially since MFTcan act fast andwithout an ex-pensive appraisal
or complicated application process.Broadcrest Farm is just one of
three farms MFT has recently pro-tected using this new program. InFarmington, MFT protected Sun-nyview Farm, a 125-acre propertythat boasts productive hay landand agricultural infrastructure usedby local farmers. In Clinton, MFTprotected a 220-acre dairy farmthat—thanks to MFT’s easementpurchase—will be available as
farmland for future generations.Beyond this, MFT’s board just
approved three other projects—though none has yet closed.Combined with two projects com-pleted earlier this year (as reportedin the summer newsletter), MFT’snew Purchased Easement Programwill result in protecting eight work-ing farms by early 2014, for a totalof 842 acres.
But even more impressive is thenumber of potential projects “inthe pipeline”—nineteen! Theseprojects will be brought to theboard for consideration in January.If MFT can raise enough funding tomeet demand, another 5,700 acresof farmland may be protected bynext spring.
To date, the average cost of pro-tecting farmland under this pro-gram runs about $436 an acre.
“This is a very cost effective wayto protect farms,” said MFT’s JohnPiotti. “But we need far more fundsto meet the need,” he added.
VOLUME 12, NO. 2 WINTER 2013
New program protects farms in Ripley, Clinton, FarmingtonNEWS97 Main Street, Belfast, Maine 04915 www.mainefarmlandtrust.org (207)338-6575
The PurchasedEasement Programis a powerful new toolthat helps keep workingfarms working.
Another 19 farms in pipeline for action
Andrew Sevey stands in front of his dairy barns at Broadcrest Farm
PAGE2 WINTER2013 www.mainefarmlandtrust.org MAINE FARMLAND TRUST
Maine now boasts an increasingnumber of fairs and festivals
that celebrate good food. At thesame time, public interest in farmshas grown to a point where it’s be-come almost mainstream.
So what’s the value of anotherevent that showcases local food?
The value of MaineFare is that itis unique. Granted, it’s a celebra-tion of local food, where you cansavor Maine’s best—whether directfrom the farm or from the hands ofartisan processors or talented chefs.But MaineFare is far more thanthat. The event informs partici-pants about food at many levels.
MaineFare offers seminars tolearn about Maine’s food roots, thelatest developments in farming, andwhere state and federal policy isheaded. At MaineFare, you can en-gage dozens of vendors—farmers,cheese-makers, wine-makers, andmore—who are passionate aboutwhat they do, and eager to talk.And where else can you participatein “explore and experience” classeswith top chefs like Sam Haywardand Matthew Kenney.
MaineFare 2013 was a two-dayevent held in early September indowntown Belfast. The programincluded: a vibrant farmers marketand vendor midway; a full range ofseminars and cooking classes; in-formal street food and formal tast-
ings of Maine cheese, wine, andcraft beer; a sitdown lunch pre-pared by a talented local chef; toursof local farms; book signings bynoted Maine authors; a simplyamazing four-course dinner; an
under-the-stars concert featuringfolk legend Dave Mallett; and thebest ice cream you’ve ever eaten!
One of the unique features ofMaineFare is “Local Plates,” where
a number of Belfast restaurantsshowcase special dishes made en-tirely with local farm products.This year’s participants includedDarby’s, Chase’s Daily, Delvino’s,Front Street Pub, La Vida, andRollie’s.
MaineFare 2013 coincided witha special show at MFT’s Gallery.“Groundbreakers” honors twenty-four Mainers who have helped re-vive farming, artfully captured by
photographer Lily Piel. Thiswho’s who of Maine agricultureincludes both entrepreneurs andadvocates, as well as severalhighly-innovative farmers: Bus-sy York, Bob Spear, Dave andChris Colson, and Eliot Cole-man and Barbara Damrosch.(See all portraits on our web-site).
As it so happened, Ground-breakers features four individu-als who were part of this year’sMaineFare: Caitlin Hunter ofAppleton Creamery, Sam Hay-ward of Fore Street Restaurant,Bonnie Rukin of Slow MoneyMaine, and Nancy Harmon Jen-kins, an internationally known
food writer. Jenkins grew up andstill lives in Camden, and has beena force behind MaineFare since itsinception. This year, she gave an in-spiring address about Maine’s foodroots and traditions.
MaineFare: more than a celebration2013 event informs and inspires
Delicious local lunches by farmerand chef Ladleah DunnFarmers Market in downtown Belfast
MAINE FARMLAND TRUST www.mainefarmlandtrust.org WINTER2013 PAGE3
Learn more at www.mainefarmlink.org
Connecting prospective farmers to Maine farmland ownersMaine FarmLink
Land access is a particular chal-lenge for beginning farmers.
MFT’s FarmLink program helpsfarmland seekers connect withfarmland owners, in an effort tofacilitate affordable land transfer.To date, FarmLink has made 90“links” throughout the state—many helping beginning farmers.
Successful links come in manydifferent forms: sometimes afarmland seeker will buy landoutright; sometimes the seekerand owner are more comfortablewith a lease; and sometimes theowner and seeker forge an entire-ly unique arrangement.
Briis and Aaron arrived inMaine as interns at BroadturnFarm in Scarborough, after yearsof working on small farms on theWest Coast and in Europe. The
move to Maine was calculated:they had friends here, and landprices seemed remotely affordablecompared to the rest of the EastCoast. The couple perused news-paper ads and Craigslist. Theyalso heard about FarmLink, andprepared an application.
The couple assumed theywould spend years saving moneyand searching for the right farm.But then they saw the listing onFarmLink of a property owned byBrian Kent and Janet Pence.
Brian came to Maine in 1974,settling on a rolling piece ofwooded land in Litchfield, criss-
crossed with oldstone walls andstreams. In theyears that followed,Brian and Janetcarved out a home-stead for their fami-ly, growing much oftheir own food andraising chickens. Itwas never a com-mercial farm, butas the couple grewolder, they realizedthey needed newenergy to keep theland productive.They didn’t want to sell theland—at least not yet; rather, theywanted to continue living in theirhouse and create a partnershipwith people who would carry itinto the next generation.
Brian and Janet listed the prop-erty on FarmLink for two years,and had dozens of phone conver-sations with aspiring farmers whoweren’t quite the right fit. WhenAaron and Briis visited for thefirst time, both parties knew rightaway that it was a match. They allagreed on a trial year, and now,three years later, Briis and Aaron
are building a house on the prop-erty, and Brian and Janet arethrilled to see their land comingto life.
It’s not a “typical” arrange-ment. There’s no formal lease, nowritten agreement, and no moneyexchange. More than anything,Brian and Janet want to stay ontheir property and see their legacycarried on. In Aaron and Briis,they’ve found their ideal insur-ance: people they trust to reinvestin the land, and to take care ofthem as they age. Still, sharingland has its challenges. “We allhad to change a bit,” said Janet,“to loosen up and learn how towork with each other.” Opencommunication is key to the rela-tionship, and weekly farm meet-ings ensure that everyone is awareof changes and plans.
Briis and Aaron are raising veg-etables, chickens, and goats. Theysell their eggs through a neighbor-ing farm, and hope to one daystart a small goat dairy andcreamery.
FarmLink Success in Litchfield
Janet Pence and Brian Kent of Litchfield (on left) and theirnew farm partners Briis Wile and Aaron Grim
There is no “typical”match; successful linkscome in different forms.
PAGE4 WINTER2013 www.mainefarmlandtrust.org MAINE FARMLAND TRUST
MFT recently did somethingwe’ve never done: we dove
directly into the federal rule-making process. In November,we submitted formal commentsto the Food and Drug Admin-istration (FDA) critiquing pro-posed rules on the Food SafetyModernization Act (FSMA). Inaddition, we rallied many of ourmembers to take action them-selves.
MFT is not new to federalpolicy issues. But with FSMA,we went further than ever be-fore. MFT’s board sees how theproposed rules could devastatefarming in Maine.
At a “listening session” heldin Augusta this past summer,FDA officials spent considerabletime trying to allay fears. Theyspoke about how these rulesonly pertain to produce, andonly certain kinds of produce,and not any produce that was
destined for commercial process-ing. They spoke about howfarms would have several yearsto comply, and how farms thatsell under $500,000 a year di-rectly to customers would befully exempt.
This all sounds good, untilyou look a little closer. Take the$500,000 exemption. Since it ap-plies to gross sales, and the mar-gins in selling produce are tiny,more farms than one may expectexceed this threshold. Nor doesthe exemption apply to farms
that principally sell wholesale,which more and more smallerfarms are doing.
The few parts of the proposedrules that offer some flexibilitydo not apply to farms that eitherwant to do their own processingor want to aggregate productsfrom other farms—two of themore promising strategies nowemerging to help smaller farmsprosper.
And it really doesn’t matterhow long a farm has to comply,if a farm cannot afford to com-ply. The average cost burden ofimplementing the new rules isexpected to exceed the profitsthat will likely be made on manyfarms.
The proposed rules proscribethe use of manure (some ofwhich does not recognize the re-alities of Maine winters), stepsneeded to separate crops fromanimals (including unworkable
requirements to keep wildlifeout of fields), and proceduresfor testing agricultural water(which—as proposed—wouldmake farmers test irrigationwater more than restaurantstest drinking water).
Clearly, I’m troubled byFSMA’s many misguided and
unwarranted requirements. Butin some ways, I’m more con-cerned that the proposed rulesdo not respect what’s happeningin places like Maine.
It’s hard to summarize thestory of Maine agriculture overthe past 15 years, because it’scomplicated and nuanced. But afair overview would be to saythat Maine has seen rapidgrowth in smaller diversifiedfarms that raise produce andsmall livestock for sale locally.Most of these farms got started
From the Field:
Proposed federal rules threaten farming’s future
BY John Piotti,MFT President
FSMA as proposedwill unnecessarily hurt localagriculture and solidify largecorporate farms as the sourceof practically all of our food.
PHO
TOBY
GR
ETA
RYB
US
by selling direct—through CSAs,farm stands, and farmers mar-kets; but increasingly, many suchfarms are diversifying their mar-kets, selling some direct retail andsome wholesale. Moving morelocal farm products into whole-sale markets is critical to the fur-ther growth of farming in Maine,and to better serving Maine’s con-sumers. Farming here is now inan exciting period of experimen-tation.
But FDA’s rules miss this. Theydon’t deal well with farms that in-termix direct retail with whole-sale, vegetables with animals, orcrop production with processing.The rule’s various exemptionsmay sound good at first, but theyencourage farmers to stay below acertain size threshold, or not en-gage in more wholesale, or notexplore adding animals or pro-cessing. In fact, the rules are suit-ed to farms that fit into a singlecategory and will never change.They stifle innovation and cre-ativity just when it’s needed.
FSMA is supposedly all aboutfood safety; but the rules oftenapply solutions where there areno problems, and as proposed,will unnecessarily hurt local agri-culture. They will solidify theplace of large corporate farms asthe source of practically all of ourfood.
Where is the safety in that?
MAINE FARMLAND TRUST www.mainefarmlandtrust.org WINTER2013 PAGE5
MFT has raised over $18 mil-lion since launching its
Securing a Future for Farming cam-paign in 2009. That’s an impressivesum. But it’s only 36% of the full$50 million needed to protect100,000 acres of farmland and sup-port 1,000 farm families.
Through the generosity of over4,000 individuals and foundations,MFT successfully completed Part Iof its campaign in dramatic fashionin the closing hours of 2012. Thatresulted in $10 million in privategifts. Those gifts have allowedMFT to leverage another $3.8 mil-lion in government funds as well asmore in private contributions, andto attract donations of land andeasements worth millions more.
MFT is now ready to take thenext step. The plan is to raise an-other $9 million in private cash bythe end of 2015. That will enableMFT to leverage even morefunds—getting to the full $50 mil-lion.
MFT will publicly launch thisnext wave of the campaign in early2014. But without a doubt, themost crucial step occurs right now,in the remainder of 2013.
“We need to line up as much
support as we can before ‘goingpublic’ in January,” explained Tay-lor Mudge, the farmer and entre-preneur who led the initial cam-paign. “These ‘early gifts’ are soimportant. They are worth so muchmore, because they help us attractother gifts.” he added.
Fundraising campaignmoves to next phase
PHOT
OBY
BRID
GET
BESA
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The most critical timein MFT’s $50 millioncampaign is NOW, whenwe need to line up “earlygifts” for the next phase.
Last February, MFT hired Eli-zabeth Sprague to help farmers andlocal-food businesses grow andprosper. MFT saw particular needin providing business planningservices to farmers trying to inno-vate and to new businesses builtaround use of local farm products.
MFT has now provided substan-tive business planning services to adairy farm, a local food distribu-tion company, two proposed meatprocessing facilities, and two pro-posed food hubs. One of these busi-nesses—Aroostook Meats—hassince been selected as one of onlyfive food-related businesses in NewEngland to participate in a special
three-day business boot camp forinnovative start-ups.
Farm Business Development ispart of MFT’s broader efforts inFarm Viability, which include arange of services designed to helpfarms thrive. MFT’s most signifi-cant Farm Viability project to dateis the creation of a new food hub—to be located in Unity—which willenable two dozen central Mainefarms to aggregate fresh produce toreach wider markets. The foodhub, which will open in late 2014,was an early beneficiary of the in-depth business planning providedby Sprague.
Farm Business Development:A new initiative making a real difference“The services provided by MFT were a huge helpto my farm.” -Tommy Drew, Aroostook dairy farmer
PAGE6 WINTER2013 www.mainefarmlandtrust.org MAINE FARMLAND TRUST
In October,after an ex-
tensive search,we hired MarlaO’Byrne to filla newly-creat-ed position ofsenior vice pres-
ident. O’Byrne will work closelywith John Piotti, helping guideMFT to the next level of impact andsuccess.
Most recently, O’Byrne hasworked as a non-profit consultantfocusing on fundraising, strategicplanning, and organizational devel-
opment for several clients through-out New England. Before that, sheserved Friends of Acadia for 16years, including five years success-fully leading that organization as itspresident. She previously workedwith Maine Coast Heritage Trust.O’Byrne grew up in a small farmingcommunity in North Dakota.
“Marla has the full package.She’s a proven manager and a cre-ative problem-solver who under-stands conservation and is passion-ate about farming,” said MFTPresident John Piotti.
� Our Holiday Sale in the Gallery & Online �
Books � Original Art � Small Works � Calendars
Winter HoursMonday - Friday 9 am - 4 pm
Forever FarmsonWERU RadioMFT recently launched a new
radio series on WERU fea-turing interviews with farmersparticipating in the “ForeverFarms” program.
“Forever Farms” is a partner-ship between owners of protectedfarmland, MFT, and various localand regional land trusts. The goalis to celebrate those farms thathave been per-manently pro-tected throughagriculturalconservationeasements, as away to educateand encourage other landownersto do the same.
To date, 68 farms have enrolledin the program. Most participat-ing farmers proudly display aForever Farm sign, while a fewhave begun to use Forever Farmlabels on their products.
MFT has hosted special cele-brations on several of the farms—with music, farm tours, and greatlocal food. Events this past sum-mer were held at Misty BrookFarm in Albion and WinterberryFarm in Belgrade. (Look toMFT’s eNews or website in early2014 for notice of next summer’sevents.)
Forever Farms Radio is the lat-est tool to showcase some of thegreat things happening on thegrowing number of protectedfarms all across Maine. Farmersinterviewed on the broadcastsshare stories about the impor-tance of farmland protection,their lives on the farm, and whythey do what they do.
You can listen to the shows at6:30 am on Monday mornings onWERU 89.9. Alternatively, youcan go to foreverfarms.org to lis-ten to recorded podcasts, or sub-scribe to the podcast via iTunes.
Marla O’Byrne Joins MFT Staff
MAINE FARMLAND TRUST www.mainefarmlandtrust.org WINTER2013 PAGE7
Please contact me about protection options for my farm property.
Name __________________________________________________________________________________
Chris Hamilton, WhitefieldJames P. Hastings, SkowheganBambi Jones, AlnaJo D. Saffeir, PownalArthur Thompson, Presque IsleAdrian Wadsworth, North Turner
STAFF
Anna Abaldo, GalleryKurt Anderson, Land ProtectionStacy Benjamin, Municipal ServicesAdam Bishop, Land ProtectionErica Buswell, Land ProtectionTess Cleary, Farm ViabilityAndrea Denny, DatabaseAlex Fouliard, OutreachMike Gold, Farm ViabilityMartin Hayden, DevelopmentHolly Ingraham, Farm ViabilitySue Lanpher, FarmLinkMarla O’Byrne, Senior Vice PresidentLouAnna Perkins, Senior Legal CounselJohn Piotti, President and CEOTricia Rouleau, Land ProtectionEllen Sabina, OutreachKim Sanborn, Office AssistantElizabeth Sprague, Farm ViabilityRachel Taker, Executive AssistantKristin Varnum, Vice President and CFOBeth Wade, Maine Farms RealtyJamie Wood, Forever FarmsReeve Wood, Legal CounselNina Young, Land Protection
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