#smallfarms — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #smallfarms, aggregated by home.social.
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From yesterday. The smallest goat is the toughest one. It kept pushing bigger goats off the table - which it's claimed for itself 🐐 This vid shows it shoving a bigger goat off. It didn't let any other goat share the table - every attempt was met with shoving defense defiance 😅
You can meet some goats & chickens at Island View Farm (not a petting farm).#goats #FarmAnimals #Saanich #IslandViewFarm #VictoriaBC #FunnyFarmAnimals #VancouverIsland #NorthSaanich #Saanichton #SupportLocalFarms #SaanichFarms #YYJFarms #VanIsle #SmallFarms #TimelineCleanse
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From yesterday. The smallest goat is the toughest one. It kept pushing bigger goats off the table - which it's claimed for itself 🐐 This vid shows it shoving a bigger goat off. It didn't let any other goat share the table - every attempt was met with shoving defense defiance 😅
You can meet some goats & chickens at Island View Farm (not a petting farm).#goats #FarmAnimals #Saanich #IslandViewFarm #VictoriaBC #FunnyFarmAnimals #VancouverIsland #NorthSaanich #Saanichton #SupportLocalFarms #SaanichFarms #YYJFarms #VanIsle #SmallFarms #TimelineCleanse
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From yesterday. The smallest goat is the toughest one. It kept pushing bigger goats off the table - which it's claimed for itself 🐐 This vid shows it shoving a bigger goat off. It didn't let any other goat share the table - every attempt was met with shoving defense defiance 😅
You can meet some goats & chickens at Island View Farm (not a petting farm).#goats #FarmAnimals #Saanich #IslandViewFarm #VictoriaBC #FunnyFarmAnimals #VancouverIsland #NorthSaanich #Saanichton #SupportLocalFarms #SaanichFarms #YYJFarms #VanIsle #SmallFarms #TimelineCleanse
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From yesterday. The smallest goat is the toughest one. It kept pushing bigger goats off the table - which it's claimed for itself 🐐 This vid shows it shoving a bigger goat off. It didn't let any other goat share the table - every attempt was met with shoving defense defiance 😅
You can meet some goats & chickens at Island View Farm (not a petting farm).#goats #FarmAnimals #Saanich #IslandViewFarm #VictoriaBC #FunnyFarmAnimals #VancouverIsland #NorthSaanich #Saanichton #SupportLocalFarms #SaanichFarms #YYJFarms #VanIsle #SmallFarms #TimelineCleanse
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From yesterday. The smallest goat is the toughest one. It kept pushing bigger goats off the table - which it's claimed for itself 🐐 This vid shows it shoving a bigger goat off. It didn't let any other goat share the table - every attempt was met with shoving defense defiance 😅
You can meet some goats & chickens at Island View Farm (not a petting farm).#goats #FarmAnimals #Saanich #IslandViewFarm #VictoriaBC #FunnyFarmAnimals #VancouverIsland #NorthSaanich #Saanichton #SupportLocalFarms #SaanichFarms #YYJFarms #VanIsle #SmallFarms #TimelineCleanse
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Trump and his pals get to buy farmland cheap now. They all are crooks. Capitalism is fascism with a big smile, wearing a suit and a tie, offering trinkets at an imaginary discount.
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#NickOfferman: America's #SmallFarms Are Being Slaughtered by #Corporations | #TheDailyShow
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Not just Smiling Hill Farm, other #MaineFarms are feeling the effects of the #Drought!
#SevereDrought causing concern for #Maine farmers
Some farmers say they are down at least 30% and are either making adjustments, or looking ahead to next season
Sep 17, 2025
Jackie Mundry, ReporterTURNER, Maine — "Whether it's beef, apples, or corn, farmers in Maine are having to cut corners or make other plans because we haven't seen enough rain this year.
" 'You need at least one inch of rain to grow a good crop,' Russ Black of Black Acre Farm said.
"He typically saves his second crop of hay to feed his cows over the winter, but he's already using it because the grass hasn't grown fast enough for hay. [Smiling Hill Farm is having the same problem.]
" 'We haven't seen it this dry, so it's definitely a year to stand out,' Jared Hood of Hood Farm said.
"Hood grows corn and sells it to dairy farmers to feed their cows. He says the corn stalks are typically 10-12 feet tall, but right now some are less than 5 feet.
" 'We have some irrigation up here, but we can't irrigate it all. We're on top of a hill,' Jeff Timberlake of Ricker Hill Orchard said.
"Timberlake added that despite the lack of rain, there will still be plenty of apples at the orchard's U-Pick.
"He's hoping for rain not just for the rest of apple season but for next year's apples because the flowers for that are growing now.
"Ricker Hill Farm and Hood Farm are down at least 30-60%
" 'This apple right now is about an inch and a quarter. It's dehydrated. It's shriveled up,' Timberlake said, showing off his apples.
"Black told Maine's Total Coverage he hasn't seen it this dry since the early 2000s; at that time, he had to make adjustments.
" 'I sold some cows. I had to buy a lot of feed. You know, I might have to buy feed this year if I can find it,' he said.
"Black said he hopes we get more rain in the next four weeks, while Timberlake and Hood are looking ahead to next year."
Source:
https://www.wmtw.com/article/severe-drought-causing-concern-maine-farmers/65997555#MaineDrought #Drought #NewEnglandDrought
#ClimateChange #SmallFarms #MaineFarms -
Not just Smiling Hill Farm, other #MaineFarms are feeling the effects of the #Drought!
#SevereDrought causing concern for #Maine farmers
Some farmers say they are down at least 30% and are either making adjustments, or looking ahead to next season
Sep 17, 2025
Jackie Mundry, ReporterTURNER, Maine — "Whether it's beef, apples, or corn, farmers in Maine are having to cut corners or make other plans because we haven't seen enough rain this year.
" 'You need at least one inch of rain to grow a good crop,' Russ Black of Black Acre Farm said.
"He typically saves his second crop of hay to feed his cows over the winter, but he's already using it because the grass hasn't grown fast enough for hay. [Smiling Hill Farm is having the same problem.]
" 'We haven't seen it this dry, so it's definitely a year to stand out,' Jared Hood of Hood Farm said.
"Hood grows corn and sells it to dairy farmers to feed their cows. He says the corn stalks are typically 10-12 feet tall, but right now some are less than 5 feet.
" 'We have some irrigation up here, but we can't irrigate it all. We're on top of a hill,' Jeff Timberlake of Ricker Hill Orchard said.
"Timberlake added that despite the lack of rain, there will still be plenty of apples at the orchard's U-Pick.
"He's hoping for rain not just for the rest of apple season but for next year's apples because the flowers for that are growing now.
"Ricker Hill Farm and Hood Farm are down at least 30-60%
" 'This apple right now is about an inch and a quarter. It's dehydrated. It's shriveled up,' Timberlake said, showing off his apples.
"Black told Maine's Total Coverage he hasn't seen it this dry since the early 2000s; at that time, he had to make adjustments.
" 'I sold some cows. I had to buy a lot of feed. You know, I might have to buy feed this year if I can find it,' he said.
"Black said he hopes we get more rain in the next four weeks, while Timberlake and Hood are looking ahead to next year."
Source:
https://www.wmtw.com/article/severe-drought-causing-concern-maine-farmers/65997555#MaineDrought #Drought #NewEnglandDrought
#ClimateChange #SmallFarms #MaineFarms -
Not just Smiling Hill Farm, other #MaineFarms are feeling the effects of the #Drought!
#SevereDrought causing concern for #Maine farmers
Some farmers say they are down at least 30% and are either making adjustments, or looking ahead to next season
Sep 17, 2025
Jackie Mundry, ReporterTURNER, Maine — "Whether it's beef, apples, or corn, farmers in Maine are having to cut corners or make other plans because we haven't seen enough rain this year.
" 'You need at least one inch of rain to grow a good crop,' Russ Black of Black Acre Farm said.
"He typically saves his second crop of hay to feed his cows over the winter, but he's already using it because the grass hasn't grown fast enough for hay. [Smiling Hill Farm is having the same problem.]
" 'We haven't seen it this dry, so it's definitely a year to stand out,' Jared Hood of Hood Farm said.
"Hood grows corn and sells it to dairy farmers to feed their cows. He says the corn stalks are typically 10-12 feet tall, but right now some are less than 5 feet.
" 'We have some irrigation up here, but we can't irrigate it all. We're on top of a hill,' Jeff Timberlake of Ricker Hill Orchard said.
"Timberlake added that despite the lack of rain, there will still be plenty of apples at the orchard's U-Pick.
"He's hoping for rain not just for the rest of apple season but for next year's apples because the flowers for that are growing now.
"Ricker Hill Farm and Hood Farm are down at least 30-60%
" 'This apple right now is about an inch and a quarter. It's dehydrated. It's shriveled up,' Timberlake said, showing off his apples.
"Black told Maine's Total Coverage he hasn't seen it this dry since the early 2000s; at that time, he had to make adjustments.
" 'I sold some cows. I had to buy a lot of feed. You know, I might have to buy feed this year if I can find it,' he said.
"Black said he hopes we get more rain in the next four weeks, while Timberlake and Hood are looking ahead to next year."
Source:
https://www.wmtw.com/article/severe-drought-causing-concern-maine-farmers/65997555#MaineDrought #Drought #NewEnglandDrought
#ClimateChange #SmallFarms #MaineFarms -
Not just Smiling Hill Farm, other #MaineFarms are feeling the effects of the #Drought!
#SevereDrought causing concern for #Maine farmers
Some farmers say they are down at least 30% and are either making adjustments, or looking ahead to next season
Sep 17, 2025
Jackie Mundry, ReporterTURNER, Maine — "Whether it's beef, apples, or corn, farmers in Maine are having to cut corners or make other plans because we haven't seen enough rain this year.
" 'You need at least one inch of rain to grow a good crop,' Russ Black of Black Acre Farm said.
"He typically saves his second crop of hay to feed his cows over the winter, but he's already using it because the grass hasn't grown fast enough for hay. [Smiling Hill Farm is having the same problem.]
" 'We haven't seen it this dry, so it's definitely a year to stand out,' Jared Hood of Hood Farm said.
"Hood grows corn and sells it to dairy farmers to feed their cows. He says the corn stalks are typically 10-12 feet tall, but right now some are less than 5 feet.
" 'We have some irrigation up here, but we can't irrigate it all. We're on top of a hill,' Jeff Timberlake of Ricker Hill Orchard said.
"Timberlake added that despite the lack of rain, there will still be plenty of apples at the orchard's U-Pick.
"He's hoping for rain not just for the rest of apple season but for next year's apples because the flowers for that are growing now.
"Ricker Hill Farm and Hood Farm are down at least 30-60%
" 'This apple right now is about an inch and a quarter. It's dehydrated. It's shriveled up,' Timberlake said, showing off his apples.
"Black told Maine's Total Coverage he hasn't seen it this dry since the early 2000s; at that time, he had to make adjustments.
" 'I sold some cows. I had to buy a lot of feed. You know, I might have to buy feed this year if I can find it,' he said.
"Black said he hopes we get more rain in the next four weeks, while Timberlake and Hood are looking ahead to next year."
Source:
https://www.wmtw.com/article/severe-drought-causing-concern-maine-farmers/65997555#MaineDrought #Drought #NewEnglandDrought
#ClimateChange #SmallFarms #MaineFarms -
Not just Smiling Hill Farm, other #MaineFarms are feeling the effects of the #Drought!
#SevereDrought causing concern for #Maine farmers
Some farmers say they are down at least 30% and are either making adjustments, or looking ahead to next season
Sep 17, 2025
Jackie Mundry, ReporterTURNER, Maine — "Whether it's beef, apples, or corn, farmers in Maine are having to cut corners or make other plans because we haven't seen enough rain this year.
" 'You need at least one inch of rain to grow a good crop,' Russ Black of Black Acre Farm said.
"He typically saves his second crop of hay to feed his cows over the winter, but he's already using it because the grass hasn't grown fast enough for hay. [Smiling Hill Farm is having the same problem.]
" 'We haven't seen it this dry, so it's definitely a year to stand out,' Jared Hood of Hood Farm said.
"Hood grows corn and sells it to dairy farmers to feed their cows. He says the corn stalks are typically 10-12 feet tall, but right now some are less than 5 feet.
" 'We have some irrigation up here, but we can't irrigate it all. We're on top of a hill,' Jeff Timberlake of Ricker Hill Orchard said.
"Timberlake added that despite the lack of rain, there will still be plenty of apples at the orchard's U-Pick.
"He's hoping for rain not just for the rest of apple season but for next year's apples because the flowers for that are growing now.
"Ricker Hill Farm and Hood Farm are down at least 30-60%
" 'This apple right now is about an inch and a quarter. It's dehydrated. It's shriveled up,' Timberlake said, showing off his apples.
"Black told Maine's Total Coverage he hasn't seen it this dry since the early 2000s; at that time, he had to make adjustments.
" 'I sold some cows. I had to buy a lot of feed. You know, I might have to buy feed this year if I can find it,' he said.
"Black said he hopes we get more rain in the next four weeks, while Timberlake and Hood are looking ahead to next year."
Source:
https://www.wmtw.com/article/severe-drought-causing-concern-maine-farmers/65997555#MaineDrought #Drought #NewEnglandDrought
#ClimateChange #SmallFarms #MaineFarms -
Saw a piece about this on the local news...
#SmilingHillFarm (post from FB): "Because of the drought, we have been moving our cows around to different pastures… in search of green grass. We cannot recall the last time the cows grazed in the shadow of our Big Red Barn. The fields are just that dry… and not growing fast enough to sustain them. 😢 "
#MaineDrought #Drought #NewEnglandDrought #ClimateChange #SmallFarms #FamilyFarms #MaineFarms
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Saw a piece about this on the local news...
#SmilingHillFarm (post from FB): "Because of the drought, we have been moving our cows around to different pastures… in search of green grass. We cannot recall the last time the cows grazed in the shadow of our Big Red Barn. The fields are just that dry… and not growing fast enough to sustain them. 😢 "
#MaineDrought #Drought #NewEnglandDrought #ClimateChange #SmallFarms #FamilyFarms #MaineFarms
-
Saw a piece about this on the local news...
#SmilingHillFarm (post from FB): "Because of the drought, we have been moving our cows around to different pastures… in search of green grass. We cannot recall the last time the cows grazed in the shadow of our Big Red Barn. The fields are just that dry… and not growing fast enough to sustain them. 😢 "
#MaineDrought #Drought #NewEnglandDrought #ClimateChange #SmallFarms #FamilyFarms #MaineFarms
-
Saw a piece about this on the local news...
#SmilingHillFarm (post from FB): "Because of the drought, we have been moving our cows around to different pastures… in search of green grass. We cannot recall the last time the cows grazed in the shadow of our Big Red Barn. The fields are just that dry… and not growing fast enough to sustain them. 😢 "
#MaineDrought #Drought #NewEnglandDrought #ClimateChange #SmallFarms #FamilyFarms #MaineFarms
-
Saw a piece about this on the local news...
#SmilingHillFarm (post from FB): "Because of the drought, we have been moving our cows around to different pastures… in search of green grass. We cannot recall the last time the cows grazed in the shadow of our Big Red Barn. The fields are just that dry… and not growing fast enough to sustain them. 😢 "
#MaineDrought #Drought #NewEnglandDrought #ClimateChange #SmallFarms #FamilyFarms #MaineFarms
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NOT JUST MAINE! #USDA ending local purchasing programs for #Maine #FoodBanks and #schools
#MainePublic | By Nicole Ogrysko
Published March 12, 2025"The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ending two national programs that help food banks and schools in Maine — and around the country — purchase produce from local farmers.
"USDA told Maine officials and partners late last week that it has terminated the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program. It helped #GoodShepherd Food Bank buy produce from about 100 Maine farmers, which is then distributed to local food banks around the state.
"'That program is incredibly important to the state of Maine, both in food today — food that we source and distribute today — and in food tomorrow, which is the economic viability for those 100 #farmers and for our partner agencies to experience fresh, nutritious produce," said Good Shepherd President Heather Paquette.
"At the same time, Paquette said the food bank recently learned that USDA will stop delivering about 1 million pounds of food through the Emergency Food Assistance Program to Maine. Those deliveries are on hold for Good Shepherd — and food banks around the country — through at least June.
"Paquette said the USDA delivery represented about 20% of food that Good Shepherd moves around the state.
"The cuts — both to government food deliveries and to funds that Good Shepherd used to buy local produce — are concerning, Paquette said, because more Mainers are experiencing #FoodInsecurity.
"Our need is up every year," she said. 'This year we distributed 10% more food cases than we distributed the year before that, and that year was 10% over the [prior] year. So we're experiencing double-digit need increase in the state of Maine.'
"A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry said the state received about $1.3 million for the Local Food Purchase Assistance program.
"USDA has also terminated the Local Food for Schools program, which provided more than $720,000 last year to Maine schools. Schools used those funds to buy food directly from local farmers to serve in their cafeterias.
"The program provided a big boost to the state's farmers, because more than 100,000 students eat at Maine schools every day, said Anna Korsen of the food security non-profit Full Plates Full Potential.
"'That has a huge impact on local economies, on #SmallFarms, and it's just better for kids," she said. 'The food's healthier, they're getting fresh, local foods in the school cafeteria.'
"A spokesperson for Maine's Department of Education said the state was expected to receive nearly $2.8 million for the Local #FoodForSchools program over the next three years. The funding was supposed to be disbursed later this spring.
"Maine still has a statewide local food purchasing program for schools. But Korsen said the federal program provided more purchasing power for Maine schools. In 2023 before Maine received federal #LFS funding, schools in the Pine Tree State spent just more than $168,000 on local food, Korsen said.
"These USDA programmatic cuts are separate from those that the department is making at the University of Maine System [which were just reversed]. And unlike those impacting UMaine, the termination of USDA's local purchasing programs affects food banks and schools around the country."
https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2025-03-12/usda-ending-local-purchasing-programs-for-maine-food-banks-and-schools
#KillThePoor #USPol #MadKingTrump #RESIST! #FoodIsLife #WorkingPoor #SNAP #SaveTheFarms -
NOT JUST MAINE! #USDA ending local purchasing programs for #Maine #FoodBanks and #schools
#MainePublic | By Nicole Ogrysko
Published March 12, 2025"The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ending two national programs that help food banks and schools in Maine — and around the country — purchase produce from local farmers.
"USDA told Maine officials and partners late last week that it has terminated the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program. It helped #GoodShepherd Food Bank buy produce from about 100 Maine farmers, which is then distributed to local food banks around the state.
"'That program is incredibly important to the state of Maine, both in food today — food that we source and distribute today — and in food tomorrow, which is the economic viability for those 100 #farmers and for our partner agencies to experience fresh, nutritious produce," said Good Shepherd President Heather Paquette.
"At the same time, Paquette said the food bank recently learned that USDA will stop delivering about 1 million pounds of food through the Emergency Food Assistance Program to Maine. Those deliveries are on hold for Good Shepherd — and food banks around the country — through at least June.
"Paquette said the USDA delivery represented about 20% of food that Good Shepherd moves around the state.
"The cuts — both to government food deliveries and to funds that Good Shepherd used to buy local produce — are concerning, Paquette said, because more Mainers are experiencing #FoodInsecurity.
"Our need is up every year," she said. 'This year we distributed 10% more food cases than we distributed the year before that, and that year was 10% over the [prior] year. So we're experiencing double-digit need increase in the state of Maine.'
"A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry said the state received about $1.3 million for the Local Food Purchase Assistance program.
"USDA has also terminated the Local Food for Schools program, which provided more than $720,000 last year to Maine schools. Schools used those funds to buy food directly from local farmers to serve in their cafeterias.
"The program provided a big boost to the state's farmers, because more than 100,000 students eat at Maine schools every day, said Anna Korsen of the food security non-profit Full Plates Full Potential.
"'That has a huge impact on local economies, on #SmallFarms, and it's just better for kids," she said. 'The food's healthier, they're getting fresh, local foods in the school cafeteria.'
"A spokesperson for Maine's Department of Education said the state was expected to receive nearly $2.8 million for the Local #FoodForSchools program over the next three years. The funding was supposed to be disbursed later this spring.
"Maine still has a statewide local food purchasing program for schools. But Korsen said the federal program provided more purchasing power for Maine schools. In 2023 before Maine received federal #LFS funding, schools in the Pine Tree State spent just more than $168,000 on local food, Korsen said.
"These USDA programmatic cuts are separate from those that the department is making at the University of Maine System [which were just reversed]. And unlike those impacting UMaine, the termination of USDA's local purchasing programs affects food banks and schools around the country."
https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2025-03-12/usda-ending-local-purchasing-programs-for-maine-food-banks-and-schools
#KillThePoor #USPol #MadKingTrump #RESIST! #FoodIsLife #WorkingPoor #SNAP #SaveTheFarms -
NOT JUST MAINE! #USDA ending local purchasing programs for #Maine #FoodBanks and #schools
#MainePublic | By Nicole Ogrysko
Published March 12, 2025"The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ending two national programs that help food banks and schools in Maine — and around the country — purchase produce from local farmers.
"USDA told Maine officials and partners late last week that it has terminated the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program. It helped #GoodShepherd Food Bank buy produce from about 100 Maine farmers, which is then distributed to local food banks around the state.
"'That program is incredibly important to the state of Maine, both in food today — food that we source and distribute today — and in food tomorrow, which is the economic viability for those 100 #farmers and for our partner agencies to experience fresh, nutritious produce," said Good Shepherd President Heather Paquette.
"At the same time, Paquette said the food bank recently learned that USDA will stop delivering about 1 million pounds of food through the Emergency Food Assistance Program to Maine. Those deliveries are on hold for Good Shepherd — and food banks around the country — through at least June.
"Paquette said the USDA delivery represented about 20% of food that Good Shepherd moves around the state.
"The cuts — both to government food deliveries and to funds that Good Shepherd used to buy local produce — are concerning, Paquette said, because more Mainers are experiencing #FoodInsecurity.
"Our need is up every year," she said. 'This year we distributed 10% more food cases than we distributed the year before that, and that year was 10% over the [prior] year. So we're experiencing double-digit need increase in the state of Maine.'
"A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry said the state received about $1.3 million for the Local Food Purchase Assistance program.
"USDA has also terminated the Local Food for Schools program, which provided more than $720,000 last year to Maine schools. Schools used those funds to buy food directly from local farmers to serve in their cafeterias.
"The program provided a big boost to the state's farmers, because more than 100,000 students eat at Maine schools every day, said Anna Korsen of the food security non-profit Full Plates Full Potential.
"'That has a huge impact on local economies, on #SmallFarms, and it's just better for kids," she said. 'The food's healthier, they're getting fresh, local foods in the school cafeteria.'
"A spokesperson for Maine's Department of Education said the state was expected to receive nearly $2.8 million for the Local #FoodForSchools program over the next three years. The funding was supposed to be disbursed later this spring.
"Maine still has a statewide local food purchasing program for schools. But Korsen said the federal program provided more purchasing power for Maine schools. In 2023 before Maine received federal #LFS funding, schools in the Pine Tree State spent just more than $168,000 on local food, Korsen said.
"These USDA programmatic cuts are separate from those that the department is making at the University of Maine System [which were just reversed]. And unlike those impacting UMaine, the termination of USDA's local purchasing programs affects food banks and schools around the country."
https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2025-03-12/usda-ending-local-purchasing-programs-for-maine-food-banks-and-schools
#KillThePoor #USPol #MadKingTrump #RESIST! #FoodIsLife #WorkingPoor #SNAP #SaveTheFarms -
NOT JUST MAINE! #USDA ending local purchasing programs for #Maine #FoodBanks and #schools
#MainePublic | By Nicole Ogrysko
Published March 12, 2025"The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ending two national programs that help food banks and schools in Maine — and around the country — purchase produce from local farmers.
"USDA told Maine officials and partners late last week that it has terminated the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program. It helped #GoodShepherd Food Bank buy produce from about 100 Maine farmers, which is then distributed to local food banks around the state.
"'That program is incredibly important to the state of Maine, both in food today — food that we source and distribute today — and in food tomorrow, which is the economic viability for those 100 #farmers and for our partner agencies to experience fresh, nutritious produce," said Good Shepherd President Heather Paquette.
"At the same time, Paquette said the food bank recently learned that USDA will stop delivering about 1 million pounds of food through the Emergency Food Assistance Program to Maine. Those deliveries are on hold for Good Shepherd — and food banks around the country — through at least June.
"Paquette said the USDA delivery represented about 20% of food that Good Shepherd moves around the state.
"The cuts — both to government food deliveries and to funds that Good Shepherd used to buy local produce — are concerning, Paquette said, because more Mainers are experiencing #FoodInsecurity.
"Our need is up every year," she said. 'This year we distributed 10% more food cases than we distributed the year before that, and that year was 10% over the [prior] year. So we're experiencing double-digit need increase in the state of Maine.'
"A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry said the state received about $1.3 million for the Local Food Purchase Assistance program.
"USDA has also terminated the Local Food for Schools program, which provided more than $720,000 last year to Maine schools. Schools used those funds to buy food directly from local farmers to serve in their cafeterias.
"The program provided a big boost to the state's farmers, because more than 100,000 students eat at Maine schools every day, said Anna Korsen of the food security non-profit Full Plates Full Potential.
"'That has a huge impact on local economies, on #SmallFarms, and it's just better for kids," she said. 'The food's healthier, they're getting fresh, local foods in the school cafeteria.'
"A spokesperson for Maine's Department of Education said the state was expected to receive nearly $2.8 million for the Local #FoodForSchools program over the next three years. The funding was supposed to be disbursed later this spring.
"Maine still has a statewide local food purchasing program for schools. But Korsen said the federal program provided more purchasing power for Maine schools. In 2023 before Maine received federal #LFS funding, schools in the Pine Tree State spent just more than $168,000 on local food, Korsen said.
"These USDA programmatic cuts are separate from those that the department is making at the University of Maine System [which were just reversed]. And unlike those impacting UMaine, the termination of USDA's local purchasing programs affects food banks and schools around the country."
https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2025-03-12/usda-ending-local-purchasing-programs-for-maine-food-banks-and-schools
#KillThePoor #USPol #MadKingTrump #RESIST! #FoodIsLife #WorkingPoor #SNAP #SaveTheFarms -
NOT JUST MAINE! #USDA ending local purchasing programs for #Maine #FoodBanks and #schools
#MainePublic | By Nicole Ogrysko
Published March 12, 2025"The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ending two national programs that help food banks and schools in Maine — and around the country — purchase produce from local farmers.
"USDA told Maine officials and partners late last week that it has terminated the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program. It helped #GoodShepherd Food Bank buy produce from about 100 Maine farmers, which is then distributed to local food banks around the state.
"'That program is incredibly important to the state of Maine, both in food today — food that we source and distribute today — and in food tomorrow, which is the economic viability for those 100 #farmers and for our partner agencies to experience fresh, nutritious produce," said Good Shepherd President Heather Paquette.
"At the same time, Paquette said the food bank recently learned that USDA will stop delivering about 1 million pounds of food through the Emergency Food Assistance Program to Maine. Those deliveries are on hold for Good Shepherd — and food banks around the country — through at least June.
"Paquette said the USDA delivery represented about 20% of food that Good Shepherd moves around the state.
"The cuts — both to government food deliveries and to funds that Good Shepherd used to buy local produce — are concerning, Paquette said, because more Mainers are experiencing #FoodInsecurity.
"Our need is up every year," she said. 'This year we distributed 10% more food cases than we distributed the year before that, and that year was 10% over the [prior] year. So we're experiencing double-digit need increase in the state of Maine.'
"A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry said the state received about $1.3 million for the Local Food Purchase Assistance program.
"USDA has also terminated the Local Food for Schools program, which provided more than $720,000 last year to Maine schools. Schools used those funds to buy food directly from local farmers to serve in their cafeterias.
"The program provided a big boost to the state's farmers, because more than 100,000 students eat at Maine schools every day, said Anna Korsen of the food security non-profit Full Plates Full Potential.
"'That has a huge impact on local economies, on #SmallFarms, and it's just better for kids," she said. 'The food's healthier, they're getting fresh, local foods in the school cafeteria.'
"A spokesperson for Maine's Department of Education said the state was expected to receive nearly $2.8 million for the Local #FoodForSchools program over the next three years. The funding was supposed to be disbursed later this spring.
"Maine still has a statewide local food purchasing program for schools. But Korsen said the federal program provided more purchasing power for Maine schools. In 2023 before Maine received federal #LFS funding, schools in the Pine Tree State spent just more than $168,000 on local food, Korsen said.
"These USDA programmatic cuts are separate from those that the department is making at the University of Maine System [which were just reversed]. And unlike those impacting UMaine, the termination of USDA's local purchasing programs affects food banks and schools around the country."
https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2025-03-12/usda-ending-local-purchasing-programs-for-maine-food-banks-and-schools
#KillThePoor #USPol #MadKingTrump #RESIST! #FoodIsLife #WorkingPoor #SNAP #SaveTheFarms -
Happy Tenth Birthday Canadian Food Studies!
#HappyBirthday #TenYearsOld #OpenAccess
FS - The gift of food sovereignty
Annette Desmarais
#FoodSovereignty #LaViaCampesina #Food #Peasants #SmallFarms #RuralWomen #FarmWorkers #SmallScale
#Read all you want! #OpenAccess
#Share generously! #KnowledgeSharing
#Grow your understanding of #Food
#Repeathttps://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/115
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Happy Tenth Birthday Canadian Food Studies!
#HappyBirthday #TenYearsOld #OpenAccess
FS - The gift of food sovereignty
Annette Desmarais
#FoodSovereignty #LaViaCampesina #Food #Peasants #SmallFarms #RuralWomen #FarmWorkers #SmallScale
#Read all you want! #OpenAccess
#Share generously! #KnowledgeSharing
#Grow your understanding of #Food
#Repeathttps://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/115
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Happy Tenth Birthday Canadian Food Studies!
#HappyBirthday #TenYearsOld #OpenAccess
FS - The gift of food sovereignty
Annette Desmarais
#FoodSovereignty #LaViaCampesina #Food #Peasants #SmallFarms #RuralWomen #FarmWorkers #SmallScale
#Read all you want! #OpenAccess
#Share generously! #KnowledgeSharing
#Grow your understanding of #Food
#Repeathttps://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/115
-
Happy Tenth Birthday Canadian Food Studies!
#HappyBirthday #TenYearsOld #OpenAccess
FS - The gift of food sovereignty
Annette Desmarais
#FoodSovereignty #LaViaCampesina #Food #Peasants #SmallFarms #RuralWomen #FarmWorkers #SmallScale
#Read all you want! #OpenAccess
#Share generously! #KnowledgeSharing
#Grow your understanding of #Food
#Repeathttps://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/115
-
Happy Tenth Birthday Canadian Food Studies!
#HappyBirthday #TenYearsOld #OpenAccess
FS - The gift of food sovereignty
Annette Desmarais
#FoodSovereignty #LaViaCampesina #Food #Peasants #SmallFarms #RuralWomen #FarmWorkers #SmallScale
#Read all you want! #OpenAccess
#Share generously! #KnowledgeSharing
#Grow your understanding of #Food
#Repeathttps://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/115
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One of the many things that I love about living where I do is the “parking lot” trade and barter. This morning I met up with another beekeeper who had the 6 chicks she hatched out for me in her incubator. I had a month old rooster for her to diversify the genetics in her flock. (she was a little late because she had spent the night with a baby pig wrapped in a blanket on her lap in front of the wood stove because he had fallen into the water trough- lol- he’s fine now)
I have bought/ bartered frozen pork, fresh veggies, honey, storage onions and potatoes and traded chickens this way many times. Always in some random parking lot. Always with cash.
I pick blueberries from a different beekeeper’s place down the road from me, and have made mead with the berries and honey from his place.
I have also left eggs in exchange for a nice houseplant someone was giving away at the end of their drive, and shared with new neighbours where the wild berries and volunteer plums grow for everyone.
In the larger agri area about 75km away, there is farm gates sales, markets everywhere, and most farms happily let you see what they do and how the food is grown, how their animals are treated. I have pet the cows and learned their names who’s milk I’ve bought. (lately with the bio-security, it’s a bit more complicated)
With or without government intervention, this type of community prevails, always has and always will.
This type of community is more precious than anything.#Homesteading #SmallFarms #community #BarterTrade #FoodSecurity
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One of the many things that I love about living where I do is the “parking lot” trade and barter. This morning I met up with another beekeeper who had the 6 chicks she hatched out for me in her incubator. I had a month old rooster for her to diversify the genetics in her flock. (she was a little late because she had spent the night with a baby pig wrapped in a blanket on her lap in front of the wood stove because he had fallen into the water trough- lol- he’s fine now)
I have bought/ bartered frozen pork, fresh veggies, honey, storage onions and potatoes and traded chickens this way many times. Always in some random parking lot. Always with cash.
I pick blueberries from a different beekeeper’s place down the road from me, and have made mead with the berries and honey from his place.
I have also left eggs in exchange for a nice houseplant someone was giving away at the end of their drive, and shared with new neighbours where the wild berries and volunteer plums grow for everyone.
In the larger agri area about 75km away, there is farm gates sales, markets everywhere, and most farms happily let you see what they do and how the food is grown, how their animals are treated. I have pet the cows and learned their names who’s milk I’ve bought. (lately with the bio-security, it’s a bit more complicated)
With or without government intervention, this type of community prevails, always has and always will.
This type of community is more precious than anything.#Homesteading #SmallFarms #community #BarterTrade #FoodSecurity
-
One of the many things that I love about living where I do is the “parking lot” trade and barter. This morning I met up with another beekeeper who had the 6 chicks she hatched out for me in her incubator. I had a month old rooster for her to diversify the genetics in her flock. (she was a little late because she had spent the night with a baby pig wrapped in a blanket on her lap in front of the wood stove because he had fallen into the water trough- lol- he’s fine now)
I have bought/ bartered frozen pork, fresh veggies, honey, storage onions and potatoes and traded chickens this way many times. Always in some random parking lot. Always with cash.
I pick blueberries from a different beekeeper’s place down the road from me, and have made mead with the berries and honey from his place.
I have also left eggs in exchange for a nice houseplant someone was giving away at the end of their drive, and shared with new neighbours where the wild berries and volunteer plums grow for everyone.
In the larger agri area about 75km away, there is farm gates sales, markets everywhere, and most farms happily let you see what they do and how the food is grown, how their animals are treated. I have pet the cows and learned their names who’s milk I’ve bought. (lately with the bio-security, it’s a bit more complicated)
With or without government intervention, this type of community prevails, always has and always will.
This type of community is more precious than anything.#Homesteading #SmallFarms #community #BarterTrade #FoodSecurity
-
One of the many things that I love about living where I do is the “parking lot” trade and barter. This morning I met up with another beekeeper who had the 6 chicks she hatched out for me in her incubator. I had a month old rooster for her to diversify the genetics in her flock. (she was a little late because she had spent the night with a baby pig wrapped in a blanket on her lap in front of the wood stove because he had fallen into the water trough- lol- he’s fine now)
I have bought/ bartered frozen pork, fresh veggies, honey, storage onions and potatoes and traded chickens this way many times. Always in some random parking lot. Always with cash.
I pick blueberries from a different beekeeper’s place down the road from me, and have made mead with the berries and honey from his place.
I have also left eggs in exchange for a nice houseplant someone was giving away at the end of their drive, and shared with new neighbours where the wild berries and volunteer plums grow for everyone.
In the larger agri area about 75km away, there is farm gates sales, markets everywhere, and most farms happily let you see what they do and how the food is grown, how their animals are treated. I have pet the cows and learned their names who’s milk I’ve bought. (lately with the bio-security, it’s a bit more complicated)
With or without government intervention, this type of community prevails, always has and always will.
This type of community is more precious than anything.#Homesteading #SmallFarms #community #BarterTrade #FoodSecurity
-
One of the many things that I love about living where I do is the “parking lot” trade and barter. This morning I met up with another beekeeper who had the 6 chicks she hatched out for me in her incubator. I had a month old rooster for her to diversify the genetics in her flock. (she was a little late because she had spent the night with a baby pig wrapped in a blanket on her lap in front of the wood stove because he had fallen into the water trough- lol- he’s fine now)
I have bought/ bartered frozen pork, fresh veggies, honey, storage onions and potatoes and traded chickens this way many times. Always in some random parking lot. Always with cash.
I pick blueberries from a different beekeeper’s place down the road from me, and have made mead with the berries and honey from his place.
I have also left eggs in exchange for a nice houseplant someone was giving away at the end of their drive, and shared with new neighbours where the wild berries and volunteer plums grow for everyone.
In the larger agri area about 75km away, there is farm gates sales, markets everywhere, and most farms happily let you see what they do and how the food is grown, how their animals are treated. I have pet the cows and learned their names who’s milk I’ve bought. (lately with the bio-security, it’s a bit more complicated)
With or without government intervention, this type of community prevails, always has and always will.
This type of community is more precious than anything.#Homesteading #SmallFarms #community #BarterTrade #FoodSecurity
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When the Department Head of Agriculture where you work and his wife also run a small farm and catering business . . . you get to buy apple pie baked that morning from scratch for pi day . . . and it is glorious.
#JCfarms
#AlamanceCommunityCollege
#SmallFarms #AlamanceCounty #piDay #ChathamCounty #NorthCarolina -
When the Department Head of Agriculture where you work and his wife also run a small farm and catering business . . . you get to buy apple pie baked that morning from scratch for pi day . . . and it is glorious.
#JCfarms
#AlamanceCommunityCollege
#SmallFarms #AlamanceCounty #piDay #ChathamCounty #NorthCarolina -
When the Department Head of Agriculture where you work and his wife also run a small farm and catering business . . . you get to buy apple pie baked that morning from scratch for pi day . . . and it is glorious.
#JCfarms
#AlamanceCommunityCollege
#SmallFarms #AlamanceCounty #piDay #ChathamCounty #NorthCarolina -
When the Department Head of Agriculture where you work and his wife also run a small farm and catering business . . . you get to buy apple pie baked that morning from scratch for pi day . . . and it is glorious.
#JCfarms
#AlamanceCommunityCollege
#SmallFarms #AlamanceCounty #piDay #ChathamCounty #NorthCarolina -
When the Department Head of Agriculture where you work and his wife also run a small farm and catering business . . . you get to buy apple pie baked that morning from scratch for pi day . . . and it is glorious.
#JCfarms
#AlamanceCommunityCollege
#SmallFarms #AlamanceCounty #piDay -
Recalibrating Data on Farm Productivity: Why We Need Small Farms for Food Security
More on page 7 of our Fall 2023 Newsletter
https://foodstudies.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Fall-2023-Newsletter-CAFS.pdf
#Food #Farms #SmallFarms #FoodSecurity #Agriculture #FarmProductivity #OpenAccess
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Recalibrating Data on Farm Productivity: Why We Need Small Farms for Food Security
More on page 7 of our Fall 2023 Newsletter
https://foodstudies.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Fall-2023-Newsletter-CAFS.pdf
#Food #Farms #SmallFarms #FoodSecurity #Agriculture #FarmProductivity #OpenAccess
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Recalibrating Data on Farm Productivity: Why We Need Small Farms for Food Security
More on page 7 of our Fall 2023 Newsletter
https://foodstudies.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Fall-2023-Newsletter-CAFS.pdf
#Food #Farms #SmallFarms #FoodSecurity #Agriculture #FarmProductivity #OpenAccess
-
Recalibrating Data on Farm Productivity: Why We Need Small Farms for Food Security
More on page 7 of our Fall 2023 Newsletter
https://foodstudies.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Fall-2023-Newsletter-CAFS.pdf
#Food #Farms #SmallFarms #FoodSecurity #Agriculture #FarmProductivity #OpenAccess
-
Recalibrating Data on Farm Productivity: Why We Need Small Farms for Food Security
More on page 7 of our Fall 2023 Newsletter
https://foodstudies.info/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Fall-2023-Newsletter-CAFS.pdf
#Food #Farms #SmallFarms #FoodSecurity #Agriculture #FarmProductivity #OpenAccess
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“Agrarian localists like Smaje argue that we can’t separate people from nature, and […] we should focus on reducing our impact by working more directly with our local environments: farming at a smaller scale, incorporating rewilding principles into our farming practices, and relying more on human power than internal combustion.”
https://civileats.com/2023/11/15/re-localizing-the-food-system-to-fight-a-farm-free-future/ -
“Amid a nationwide rise in worker-owned businesses of all types, small farms across the country are foregoing traditional farm ownership and reaping the benefits of cooperative farming.”
https://civileats.com/2018/10/03/co-op-farming-models-might-help-save-americas-small-farms/ -
What was suppose to be a quick morning trip to the blueberry apiary to pick a few buckets of berries and support our local farm turned into a 5 hour slog. It involved them not taking interact, out-of-order ATMs, massive road construction delays, long drive, more road construction delays, 2 trips across a small ferry and back.. But still, worth it to support local food producers. I'm hot and tired now, got nothing else done. Tea time. In future, I think I'm going to just use more cash.
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#Copacogeca claims to speak for “over 22 million European farmers and their family members.”
There’s just one problem with that assertion: It isn’t true.
https://www.politico.eu/article/copa-cogeca-farmering-lobby-europe/
#Europe #CAP #Farming #Agroecology #JustTransitions #SmallFarms #SustainableFarming
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#Copacogeca claims to speak for “over 22 million European farmers and their family members.”
There’s just one problem with that assertion: It isn’t true.
https://www.politico.eu/article/copa-cogeca-farmering-lobby-europe/
#Europe #CAP #Farming #Agroecology #JustTransitions #SmallFarms #SustainableFarming
