Sprawl, rising land costs force farmers to adapt

CUMBERLAND — Betty Weir knows the secret to being a successful farmer is not sitting around and watching the grass grow.

When she was short of money three years ago, she expanded her organic beef and vegetable farm to include maple syrup production. When her knee gave out, she turned to a tractor to get her around her 87-acre field.

“These are confusing times,” said Weir, who is 75 and operates her farm mostly on her own. “You have to be willing to diversify. You have to feel the market and figure out what people want.”

Pressured by rising land costs and the crush of residential development, farmers like Weir are being forced to change to survive. Increasingly, they seek new marketing and growing techniques that will help wring some extra dollars from their shrinking acreage.

Their search has brought a response from several state, local and private groups that have launched programs aimed at helping farmers adapt. Some efforts include the establishment of new farmers markets in several towns, such as Bridgton and Pittsfield, pushing the number of farmers markets operating in the state to a record high.

The Maine Department of Agriculture started an ad campaign in June to encourage Mainers to “Buy Maine food. It’s good for everyone.”

In 1995, the amount of land used for farming in Maine was down to 1.35 million acres, the lowest since the state began tracking the figure in 1850.