From Aroostook County potato farms to Downeast blueberry fields to southern Maine’s pick-your-own apples and strawberries, agriculture is important to our communities and our economy.

Supporting locally-sourced food helps keep food accessible and affordable and protect our local and global environment. Creating more Maine markets for Maine producers and increasing access to Maine food is one of our “Maine Won’t Wait” climate action goals. As your state senator, I am committed to continuing our efforts to support Maine’s farmers and build a food system that benefits all Mainers.

According to a report by New England Food System Planners Partnership, only 3.4% of the $12.8 billion spent on food, beverage, and alcohol went toward local New England farms. This number is low for a state that has historically been a leader in our nation’s agriculture industry. One advantage of buying locally is that less fossil fuel is burned in transportation. Locally grown produce travels much fewer miles when it goes from farm to table. Local foods can be procured through gardens, farmers markets and farm stands.

Weekly subscription boxes bought from farms directly are a convenient way to get the benefits of local harvests. The farmer and member share the risk and reward of a given farming season.

Girard Farm in Waterboro offers 18 weeks of seasonal veggies with convenient pick-up at MacArthur Library on Main Street in Biddeford. For more information, visit www.GirardFarm.com. For more information on CSAs, the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association is an excellent resource and has lists of all the participating farms throughout the state. Visit www.mofga.org.

Biddeford Community Gardens is another resource that helps our community access local food. The organization runs four gardens throughout Biddeford and their communal system allows gardeners to work together and to share in the harvest. In 2023, Biddeford Community Gardens donated nearly 1,300 pounds of fresh veggies to the Biddeford Food Pantry, Bon Appetit Meal Program, and others.

As Senate Chair of the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, I made it a priority to advocate for programs like these that incentivize locally produced food to support small farms and food producers. Thanks to programs like Maine Harvest Bucks and Farm Fresh Rewards, shoppers with low incomes who use SNAP have been spending over $1.2 million a year since 2021 on local food. These programs boost positive health goals, support small farms and food producers, and direct dollars into the local economy.

With continued State & Federal support, we should see the share of SNAP dollars spent on local food continue to increase. This year, thanks to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry’s Nutrition Incentive Fund, which I am a champion of, these programs are seeing a 30% boost in local food sales at their participating locations.

The Maine Federation of Farmers Markets’ Bumper Crop program allows employers to give their employees gift certificates to spend at farmers’ markets as a workplace wellness or employee appreciation gesture. Another program is the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry’s Maine Senior Farm Share Program, which provides eligible low-income seniors a $50 share of first-quality, fresh, local produce at no cost directly from 100 participating Maine farmers during the growing season.

The success of these programs highlights that we must continue to encourage local food getting into the kitchens of all Mainers, regardless of income.

If you have any questions about the information here or would like to reach out with a comment, question or concern, you can reach out to me any time. You can also follow me on Facebook at Facebook.com/IngwersenForMaine or on Instagram at @senhenryingwersen for more frequent updates. You can also sign up for my email newsletter at mainesenate.org.

Henry Ingwersen represents Senate District 32 which is made up of Arundel, Biddeford, Dayton, Hollis and Lyman. He can be reached at Henry.Ingwersen@legislature.maine.gov or 207-287-1515.