Maine products featured at agricultural show

AUGUSTA – The smell of an Anson sausage maker’s products filled the air at the Augusta Civic Center on Tuesday, the opening day of the 66th annual Maine Agricultural Trade Show, just one of the many made-in-Maine products featured.

Row after row of equipment dealers, nurseries, bee keepers, sausage makers, feed suppliers, aquaculture representatives and shepherds filled the busy auditorium, while classes ranging from how to find a market to what to do with all that manure were held throughout the building.

These are the people who feed Maine, and smack in their midst was a tiny table manned by the Maine School Food Service Association.

“There are so many obese children in Maine,” said Helen Rankin, MSFSA lobbyist. “We must really do something.”

MSFSA’s goals are to get kids to exercise and eat right, with the emphasis on using locally grown food. “We need to foster that link between the farm, the school and the table,” she said.

A recent MSFSA study of 19 school districts showed the possibilities: If local food was purchased, the districts would buy a combined 4,200 pounds of potatoes, 3,500 pounds of carrots, 1,700 pounds of broccoli, 1,600 pounds of blueberries, 60,000 apples, 1,000 dozen eggs, and 2,900 pounds of ground beef.

School nutrition programs are the solution to healthier students, Rankin said.

Daily, more than 99,000 Maine students eat the lunch prepared by 2,200 school nutrition staff. Linking those students with locally grown, nutritious food is key, she said.

Rankin suggests advocating for change in school districts while understanding there may be constraints, such as availability and cost.

Money is an issue in the cafeteria, she said. “Where else can you buy a meal for $2?” she said.

The Farm to School program is one success story, with almost 400 school districts in 22 states, including Maine, operating such programs. The Farm to School program links local producers with school lunch programs and helps create school gardens.

The trade show features more than 100 exhibitors, seminars and meetings sponsored by various agricultural associations, door prizes, food, and more.

Events are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday.

A full listing of all programs and a schedule of events may be found at the Maine Department of Agriculture’s Web site, www.getrealmaine.com.