Courtesy / USDA Rural Development
Doug and Heather Donahue of Balfour Farm.
Updated: December 1, 2023
5 Maine farms receive USDA funds to upgrade processing, marketing
Courtesy / USDA Rural Development
Heather Donahue, an owner of Balfour Farm, in the cheese cave.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development agency this week awarded more than $1 million in grants to five Maine farms.
The grants, made under the Value-Added Producer Grants Program, were announced by Rhiannon Hampson, who directs the USDA Rural Development office in Maine.
The money is intended to help the business side of the farms develop and promote products and widen distribution. The products will include cured meats, prepared fruits and vegetables, soaps, herbal health products and a blueberry confection.
“When we help create processing opportunities for Maine farms, we shorten the local supply chain,” said Hampson. “This results in more choices for Maine consumers, as well as more opportunities and revenue for farmers.
"The Rural Development grants announced today offer businesses a chance to sustainably jumpstart growth, create jobs and enhance the multiplier effect of the dollars being awarded. These continued Biden-Harris administration investments in farmers and rural entrepreneurs are creating better economic opportunities across the whole of Maine.”
Farms had to compete for the awards.
"The proposal required an immense amount of planning, but the [value added] program is flexible enough that we can adapt as we learn and implement the grant. And although the required record-keeping and reporting are demanding, that work is helpful too. Being forced to write, reflect and to continually assess our progress makes it even more likely we will attain the goals we have set for the next stage for our farm," said Heather Donahue, who owns Balfour Farm in Pittsfield with her husband Doug.
The farms
This year five Maine farms submitted winning proposals.
Balfour Farm, an organic dairy and creamery in Pittsfield, received $249,917. It will use its working capital grant funds to expand the processing, marketing and sales of its frozen sausages and cured meats, creating one new job.
Fields Fields Blueberries, a Dresden farm owned by the Field family, received $10,000 to assess the feasibility of expanding the market for its blueberry crisp. The business will explore options for co-manufacturing and available distribution channels and will assess what would be necessary in terms of production scale.
Photo / Fred Field
Herbal Revolution founder and CEO Kathi Langelier grows medicinal plants in Union that she uses to make tonics, elixirs and other products.
Herbal Revolution Farm & Apothecary, a Union farm owned by Kathi Langelier, received $250,000 as working capital to expand the production, marketing and sales of herbal tinctures, tonics, teas, scrubs and elixirs. It will allow the operation to hire up to four additional staff.
Ledgeway Farm, a Pittston farm operated by Sarah and Matt Perkins, received $249,975 as working capital to expand processing, marketing and sales of its diverse array of goat-milk soap bar products. The effort will allow the farm to grow its customer base and create two new jobs.
William H. Jordan Farm, a fifth-generation farm in Cape Elizabeth, received $250,000 as working capital grant funds to expand processing, marketing and sales of its shelf-stable products and frozen vegetables. This project will attract more customers to the farm store and expand its line of frozen and shelf-stable products offered through retail and wholesale channels. The farm expects to add two jobs.
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