Maine gets funds to develop hops industry
A new federal grant will support 10 agricultural initiatives in Maine, including one that aims to develop a hops industry that would support the state's growing craft beer industry.
Maine is receiving a total of $602,679 in specialty crop block grants from U.S. Department of Agriculture, the department announced Thursday. The grants seek to increase the competitiveness of Maine specialty crops such as potatoes, wild blueberries, maple syrup and other fruits and vegetables.
The supported initiatives include:
• Aiding specialty crop growers with food safety audit preparation.
• Increasing nutritional awareness and consumption of specialty crops.
• Increasing awareness of Maine maple syrup for producers and consumers.
• Improving potato yields through enhanced rotation techniques.
• Aiding potato farmers with integrated pest management.
• Enhancing the competitiveness of New England specialty crops.
• Investigating pesticide exposure to Maine's honeybees.
• Increasing food safety for wild blueberries.
• Improving integrated pest management for wild blueberry producers.
• Developing a hops industry for Maine.
The development of a hops industry will involve a federal study conducted by the University of Maine's Food Science Laboratory, evaluating 12 varieties of hops that will be planted at an experimental agricultural station in Monmouth. The results of the study will be shared with farmers and brewers through workshops, fact sheets and other material posted online.
Agriculture Commissioner Walter Whitcomb said in a prepared statement that "these investments will benefit Maine farmers and consumers by funding research and marketing that is critical to the growth of Maine specialty crops."
He added: "Selected projects will help growers make food safety enhancements, solve research needs for better pest management, make better informed decisions to increase profitability and sustainability and encourage the next generation to enter into commercial agriculture enterprises."
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