Policy is not often at the forefront of what we do here at Maine Farmland Trust. Both state and federal government can, however, have a large impact on on-ground realities for both Maine farmers and their supporters, and we make sure to play a role when certain influential legislation or other political action is in question.
One such bill is LD 1378, “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Issuance of Bonds and To Effectuate the Issuance of Bonds To Support Maine’s Natural Resource-based Economy.” Essentially, it requires the governor of our state to release bond funding for projects approved by voters.
LD 1378 is a good government bill, ensuring that the current or future governor cannot interfere with the will of Maine people. It makes sense to support this bill simply on those grounds.
Furthermore, the impetus for this bill is that the current governor has held up funding of voter-approved bonds that are designed to flow to state-approved projects under the Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program. The LMF program has traditionally been supported by a large majority of Mainers, because it simultaneously protects vulnerable land and supports various forms of rural economic development, including hunting, fishing, farming, and tourism. The last LMF bond was overwhelmingly approved by nearly 419,000 voters. LMF projects are thoughtfully vetted by the LMF board using consistent criteria, yet the Governor has said he will pick-and-choose which projects he will decide to fund.
The LMF program has played a big part in much of the recent growth in Maine agriculture, which provides state funding to purchase easements that protect farmland from future development. There are many good reasons to protect farmland: most people immediately think of benefits like retaining open space, protecting wildlife habitat, and maintaining opportunities for hunting and snowmobiling—but the primary reasons to protect farmland are economic.
First, many farmers have all of their assets tied up in their land. For them, protecting their land (by selling an easement through LMF) can free up assets, which is often critical if the farmer is to innovate or expand. At Maine Farmland Trust, we find that the vast majority of farmers who are compensated for protecting their land turn around and reinvest that money in other aspects of their farm operations.
The second reason that protecting farmland serves a major economic function is that protected farmland is more affordable farmland. This is critically important to recruiting beginning farmers. Maine desperately needs young farmers to replace those who retire, but would-be farmers are often prevented from entering the field by the high cost of land. The more we increase the inventory of protected farmland, the greater the opportunities we will have to attract new farmers.
Four farmland protection projects are threatened by the current hold up in LMF funds. This is damaging to the farmers who have had their competitive applications approved by the LMF board, set certain expectations, and are now thrown out of the predictability essential to running a business. Furthermore, that limbo is hazardous to countless other farmers who will be weary of whether they can ever count on the LMF program in the future.
Maine agriculture is adversely affected by the circumstances that this bill aims to correct. Our own John Piotti testified in support of LD 1378 to this effect before the legislature on May 11. On June 2, the State and Local Government Committee split on its recommendation to pass this bill. Despite this split along party line, we hope that our State Legislature will see that this is the right thing to do, and pass this bill.
Contact your legislators and voice your support for Maine farms.
