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Farmers plan out the new year at annual agriculture trades show

The show featured cutting-edge technology, aid resources, and its first agritourism summit.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine farmers by and large, are ready for a fresh start this year. 

2022 brought drought; 2023 brought frequent rain.

This week was a chance for Maine's farming community to network and plan for the year, at the 83rd Maine Agricultural Trades Show. More than 100 exhibitors greeted visitors for the first day of the show Tuesday. 

Alongside fancy tech displays, state officials spoke about the PFAS fund that's expected to help impacted Mainers.

"We're finally getting to the place where the fund can start spending money; to make farmers whole; the support, the research, the medical initiatives,"  Fund Director Beth Valentine, said.

Meanwhile, for the first time, the show planned an agritourism summit, as more and more farmers find opportunities with visitors who are interested in where their goods come from.

Farmers like Darcy Wilson and her husband, who run High View Farm in Harrison.

"I think we're encouraged," she said. "To think about where we were— a pandemic just a few years ago—to now. It seems like people have found the value of local foods."

Sarah Alexander, executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), was thrilled to see the evolution of tourism among Maine farms, which often pulls visitors off the beaten path, from typical destinations.

"I think we have a beautiful state that people love to come visit, and I think also people are more and more interested in where their food is coming from," Alexander said. "So, that makes a wonderful combination for agritourism in the state of Maine."

While agritourism might be new to Mainer's vocabularies, institutions like the Common Ground Fair have been doing it for more than 40 years. Put on by MOFGA, Alexander and Fair Director April Boucher unveiled 2024's version of the often popular logo: an owl sitting on an apple tree branch.

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