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MPD Home > Farmland Preservation

Maine's Farmland Protection Program

Mission: To protect currently active and potentially productive farmland as a means to sustaining economically viable agricultural communities.

The Program assists:

  • Farmland owners with enrolling in Maine’s farmland property tax program.
  • Farmland owners with information on how to permanently protect their farmland.
  • Farmland owners and land trusts with technical assistance to apply to the Land for Maine’s Future Program & the USDA Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program.
  • Farm owners with business planning and investment support grants through the Farms for the Future Program.
  • Towns, land trusts, legislators and community leaders with planning and policy guidance for the promotion of agricultural businesses and the protection of farmlands.

Program Goal: To protect 250,000 acres of Maine’s 1.6 M acres of currently active farmland by 2025.

Program Accomplishments as of July 2009:

• Over 18,000 acres of working farm and forest land have been protected for 7 years through the Maine Farms for the Future Program.

• 97,000 acres of active farmland and 113,000 acres of farm woodlots are enrolled in Maine’s farmland property tax program.

• 30 farms have received public and private funds for development rights and granted permanent agricultural conservation easements on a total 8,025 acres of farmland in 10 counties.

• More than 200 landowners have donated permanent conservation easements on nearly 25,000 acres of farmland in all of Maine’s counties.

Program Contact:

Stephanie Gilbert, Farmland Protection Specialist
Maine Department of Agriculture Food, and Rural Resources
28 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0028

Office: 287-7520
Mobile: 557-2036

Helpful Links:

The Land for Maine's Future Program

Maine Farmland Trust

Maine FarmLink

Farmland Property Tax Program

Tree Growth PropertyTax Program

GrowSmart Maine (pdf file)