Task Force for Local Ag Development

The Task Force was an offshoot of the Blaine House Conference on Maine's Natural Resource Based Industries held in the fall of 2003. The Conference looked at forestry, fishing and tourism as well as agriculture.

The Conference shaped 75 proposals to strengthen these businesses. The agriculture section of the report from the Conference focused on four areas: water, land, production farming and local agriculture.

The Department has good programs in place for the first three. The Task Force was established to help with recommendations on the fourth—local agriculture. It met during the fall of 2004 and disbanded after releasing its report.

Download a PDF file: Recommendations for Policies and Programs Needed to Support and Sustain Local Agriculture in Maine

Task Force Members

Governor's Steering Committee on Natural Resource-based Industries

Chair, First Lady Karen Baldacci	Blaine House
Co-Chair, Charles Spies, III
Chip Ahrens	Pierce Atwood LLP
Joseph Bouchard	J A Bouchard Farms
Richard Brzozowski	The Univ. of Maine Cooperative Ext
Dana Edwards	Graves Supermarkets
Clint Harris	Harris Farm
Arnold Luce	Luce's Meats
Wendy Pieh	Springtide Farms
Judy Powell	Staff Coordinator
Lincoln Sennett	Swan's Honey, Sennet & Sennet Blueberries
Ramona Snell	Snell Family Farm Maple Syrup
Lisa Turner	Laughing Stock Farm
Adrian Wadsworth	River Rise Farm
Peter Wallingford	Wallingford's Fruit House
John Weston	Weston's Farm Stand

Commissioner's Office

Task Force for Local Ag Development