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 Topic: Policy WorkThe new items published under this topic are as follows.
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The new Commissioner of Agriculture, Seth H. Bradstreet III, was impressed by the quality of the proposals received for the 2006 Agricultural Development Grant Awards that were just announced. "We established three priorities for funding, including: support for livestock operations, promotion of local foods, and (the) adoption of new technology to reduce labor costs on small farms," Bradstreet said. Four projects focusing on Maine beef production were funded, as well as other projects working with small scale dairies, direct market farms, and maple syrup producers.
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The AP reports this morning (repeated in the Boston Globe and on WLBZ-TV so far...) that the Maine Legislature's Agriculture committee unanimously endorsed the nomination of Seth Bradstreet III for Commissioner of Agriculture on Monday. The nomination now moves to the full Senate for confirmation.
UPDATE: The Senate swiftly and unanimously confirmed Bradstreet on Tuesday, one day after being endorsed by the Ag committee.
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Despite much speculation that current interim Commissioner of Agriculture, Ned Porter, would be nominated to the post vacated by Robert Spear last November, Governor Baldacci has nominated a member of the Maine Potato Board, Seth Bradstreet III, to the post.
Bradstreet, 46 years old, is from Newport and is the owner-operator of Bradstreet Farms, specializing in early generation and certified seed potatoes. "Brad displays a deep desire to promote of all aspects of Maine agriculture," Baldacci said in a statement. The nomination now goes before the Legislature's Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee for confirmation.
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Portland chefs and restaurants have joined to organize a local branch of Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit organization that works to eradicate hunger. "We are involved because there are many who do not know that there are hungry children in Maine," said Jeff Kingman, a local chef and organizer.
The new Maine chapter will hold their first fundraiser, Taste of the Nation, on June 25 dinner on Great Diamond Island. More information and tickets are available through the Portland chapter's web site: www.sosportland.org.
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On February 15, 2006 at 1pm the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee of the Maine Legislature will discuss plans for a new Food Policy proposed by a working group that met in 2005. The basis of this discussion is a stripped down version (from 22 pages to 6 pages) of the Food Policy proposal presented at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show on January 12th, 2006.
To access the Maine Food Policy proposal documents:
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On the last day of the Maine Agricultural Trades Show, a working group of government, public, and private advocates for Maine food presented a proposal to update Maine's food policy to Governor John Baldacci, last reviewed in 1984. Since then Maine has lost tens of thousands of acres of prime farm land to development, Maine's fisheries have considerably shrunk, Maine now produces only about 20% of the food needed by it's citizens, and as a result the average distance that an ingredient in our Maine meals has traveled has increased 25% to over 1900 miles.
The primary recommendation is for the creation of a Food Policy Council, similar to those that several other states have already created to increase the stability and security of their own food supply. The Council would primarily make sure that the actions across Maine's government agencies always supported Maine's Food Policy. Many of the ideas for supporting Maine's agriculture and fisheries in the present Food Policy proposal were also present in the 1984 Policy, but many were overlooked because no one in state government was responsible for carrying out the policy. The proposed cost of such a Council — made up of up to 35 representatives from all aspects of Maine's food system — would be only a single paid staff member to coordinate the work of the entire Council.
Download the Food Policy proposal (DOC format, 155Kb)
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The Jordan Farm in Cape Elizabeth is an example of trading the development rights (for $1.3 million in this case) in exchange for maintaining farmland in an area where it has almost completely disappeared. The PPH interviewed Penny Jordan, the youngest of the Jordan family and current farm manager, to explain how the rights sale happened, and what the resulting money meant for the farm, and how the farm is being structured for the long term.
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On June 13th, 2005 Maine Governor John Baldacci signed into law L.D 216, "An Act To Make Revisions to the Laws Governing Agriculture" which was the result of work by the legislature's Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources. This legislation directs the department's Commissioner to lead work on updating Maine's Food Policy, and to return a report with recommendations to the legislative committee no later than January 2, 2006.
On September 14th, 2005 the Commissioner named a Food Purchasing Coodinator as required by L.D. 216 (Mary Ellen Johnston) and announced that this Coordinator will also chair work done by an Advisory Committee of state agency representatives, as well as a Working Group of state and other groups with an interest in the future of Maine's Food Policy.
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