Agriculture Day showcases Maine’s farming diversity

AUGUSTA – From crisp apples offered by Maine’s orchards to icy sliced salmon from the state’s aquaculture industry and spinach wraps made by Maine’s organic gardeners, Agriculture Day at the State House, celebrated Tuesday, clearly illustrated the diversity of the industry.

Legislators and staff were astounded at the wide range of artisan cheeses produced by the State of Maine Cheese Guild at one booth, while they learned more about the state’s poultry and beef industries at others.

“I’ve been smelling this all day,” said one legislator who was tasting specialty sausage created in Madison.

In the midst of it all, Maine Agriculture Commissioner Robert Spear said that the ability of Maine’s farmers and growers to provide a wide range of diverse products is the key to the state’s agricultural future.

Most of the other New England states have concentrated areas within agriculture. For example, the greatest agriculture sector in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island is horticulture, not food.

“In Vermont, almost 80 percent of their agriculture is dairy,” Spear said. “When something goes wrong, the entire state suffers. When the price of dairy dramatically dropped, Vermont was in trouble.”

In Maine, he said, there is a balance. Agriculture is spread across a wide range of sectors, putting Maine in a unique position to be able to feed all of New England, with expansion.

“Our diversity allows us to supply food throughout New England in a variety of ways,” Spear said. “Eggs, apples, beef, horticulture, milk, potatoes, berries – you could go on and on.”

The Department of Agriculture’s Web site, www.getrealmaine.com, lists 54 commodities grown or raised in Maine. The industry has a $1.2 billion impact on the Maine economy.

Maine is the largest producer of brown eggs and wild blueberries in the world. It ranks eighth in the country in production of potatoes and second for maple syrup. It ranks second in New England in milk and livestock production. Spear said this balance allows the entire agriculture industry to thrive. “When we have a bad year in blueberries, we might have a good year in dairy,” he pointed out.

Spear said that having such a diverse industry creates a lot more work for the department. “We have to cover a lot more commodities,” he said. “But it makes it a lot more interesting and safe for the state’s agricultural health.”

All of this, he said, increases the amount of open space in Maine, which bolsters Maine’s tourism industry. Maine farmers are the stewards of 1.25 million acres, much of which is open to the public for recreation and open space.

“Agritourism has become a very large part of the diversification plan for many farmers,” Spear said, referring to farm vacations, farm bed-and-breakfast inns and farm stands with entertainment, such as corn mazes and haunted hayrides.

“For them, it’s not just a matter of producing, it’s a matter of getting people to the farms,” Spear said.