Termination notices to Maine grant recipients said the work was ‘no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities.’ At least 2 of the 3 Maine recipients plan to appeal the termination.
agriculture
USDA funding uncertainty puts Maine farmers in a bind
As vital federal grants and project money continues to be frozen, farmers are being forced to make hard decisions.
USDA cancels $35M climate grant to Freeport demonstration farm
The termination letter said Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment failed to pay at least 65% of its climate-smart agriculture grant directly to farmers.
Farmers angry over federal funding cuts rally at Maine State House
They showed up, on their tractors, to protest millions in cuts to federal grants, canceled support for school lunches and the termination of 20% of USDA workers who support Maine’s farmers.
Lawmakers consider $10M bailout for Fairfield water crisis
A bill would expand the public water system to Fairfield residents whose private wells have been contaminated by toxic forever chemicals from the state’s former agricultural sludge-spreading program.
King-backed bill would force USDA to pay farmers’ federal contracts
Despite a judge’s orders and the Trump administration’s promise to release the funding, farmers across the country, including in Maine, are still waiting for millions in federal reimbursements for agricultural conservation projects.
Like egg prices, demand for chicks is up this year
Across Maine, and much of the country, a rise in egg prices and anxieties — over avian flu, price stability, trade — has fueled a similar increase in demand for backyard chicks.
Maine Climate Council says it’s ‘not all doom and gloom’ amid concerns about federal cuts
The council working to achieve state goals to reduce climate change emissions says it is still on track despite some funding disruptions.
Maine makes first purchase of farm contaminated by forever chemicals
The state tapped its PFAS relief fund to spend $333,000 to buy a Palermo hay field where sewage sludge was once spread as fertilizer that tested 3 times above the state’s recommended level for safe dairy forage.
Maine lawmaker wants state to help farmers affected by federal funding freeze
A proposed bill would create a state-funded no-interest loan program for Maine farmers whose federal contracts are frozen by the Trump administration.