Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham is among four farms that received matching grants from Maine Farmland Trust upon completion of the trust’s Farming for Wholesale program.
The farms, which received grants totaling $200,000, will implement business plans focused on scaling up for wholesale by investing in equipment and infrastructure to streamline their production, improve their ability to sell to wholesale markets, and make their businesses more profitable.
Dandelion Spring Farm, an organic vegetable farm in Bowdoinham, will use the grant funds to build a pack shed and multi-purpose barn, where they will have increased storage and processing for winter wholesale crops.
“This program not only is helping to finance our vision, but more importantly, brought us through the process of clearly articulating what is important for the next steps of Dandelion Spring,” said Dandelion Spring Farm owner Beth Schiller. “The whole team is lifted with excitement and confidence about building the next stage of our business.”
The other 2021 grantees are Sheepscot Valley Farm, an organic dairy farm in Whitefield; the Milkhouse Dairy Farm & Creamery, an organic creamery in Monmouth; and South Paw Farm, an organic diversified vegetable farm in Freedom.
“This year’s awardees have created business plans that are responsive to the marketplace changes caused by COVID,” said Alex Fouliard, Farm Business Planning co-manager at the trust. “They’re well-positioned to take advantage of new opportunities, and these investments in equipment, infrastructure, and marketing will mean they can act on those opportunities right now.”
Each farm was awarded $50,000, and will match the grants with $50,000 of their own investments, introducing a total of $100,000 of new funding to grow their businesses.
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