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)
