Maine farm businesses gaining tools to grow: meet the 2025 cohorts

This winter season, we are kicking off another cycle of our farm business planning programs, Business of Farming and Farming for the Long Haul, welcoming on board a whole new group of farmer participants from 20 farms around the state.

Together with their peers, MFT staff, and guest speakers, this group of farmers will dive deep into financial analysis, identify growth and sustainability goals for their business, discuss brand and marketing strategies, and beyond. These tools help farmers to identify ways to grow their profitability, and assist established farms in pivoting their businesses towards new ventures or honing in on their strongest market(s).

Participating farmers also have the rare opportunity to connect with other farmers from across the state and a diverse background of sectors, to share experiences, build relationships, and problem-solve together. (This was a highlight for Catherine Caswell of Caswell Farm, who writes about her experience in BOF 2024 in this blog post.)

Our goal is for all farms to have the ability to run a viable and flourishing business. We are excited to welcome the 20 farms participating in this year’s cohorts:

Business of Farming:

In our one-year Business of Farming program participants take part in a series of workshops to analyze financials and identify business goals, and receive one-on-one technical assistance and a small grant to help implement new learnings.

• Abraham's Goat Farm & Creamery - Newport
• Broadturn Farm - Scarborough
• Dancing Harvest Farm - South Portland
• Eden Street Flowers - Bar Harbor
• Fair Share Farm - Wayne
• Goranson Farm - Dresden
• Hart Farm - Holden
• New Spoke Farm - West Paris
• Newdawns Farms - Mount Chase
• Old Wells Farm - Limington
• On the Mountain Farm - Warren
• Pemaquid Falls Farm - Pemaquid
• Seven Moon Farm - Etna
• Slow Rise Farm - Pittston
• Wandering Root Farm - Waterford
• Wanderwood - Nobleboro
• Wormell Farms - Cumberland

Farming for the Long Haul:

The Farming for the Long Haul program takes place over the course of two years and supports experienced farmers with planning for their farm’s long-term business growth and sustainability through individualized technical assistance, peer learning, and an opportunity to apply for a grant to implement their business plan.

• Hardy Farm - Farmington
• Sparkplug Farm - Leeds
• Treworgy Family Orchards - Levant

Click here to learn more about our Farm Business Planning programs, or read these recent blog posts featuring Caswell Farm and Brigeen Farms to hear farmers share how they’ve leveraged these programs to grow their businesses.

Special thanks to Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NE-SARE), the Bingham Trust, TD Charitable Foundation, Kennebec Savings Foundation, and the Ram Island Conservation Fund at the Maine Community Foundation for their support in making these farm business planning programs possible.