CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
3.1. Study Design, Goals, and Objectives
This project was part of a larger study called Assessing Maine’s Agricultural Future (AMAF) conducted December 2010 through April 2011 by John Jemison and colleagues of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension (Jemison et al., in publication). The University of Maine Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved this study for human subject participation in focus groups. The AMAF study looked a various factors influencing the future of farming in Maine, and this study used the same data set to look at farmers’ perspectives through the lens of providing food to Maine people. Using focus groups, information was collected from farmers across the state of Maine and then examined to meet the objectives described below.
This study design used a basic, interpretive qualitative model in order to “discover and understand a phenomenon, a process, [and] the perspectives and worldviews of the [farmers] involved” (Merriam, 2002). This study was critical in the sense that it gave voice to Maine farmers as they questioned “what could be” (Merriam, 2002), and
examined the context of Maine farming, “including the larger systems of society, the
culture and institutions that shape [farming] practice, [and] the structural and historical
conditions framing practice” (Merriam, 2002).
The intention of this research was to accurately reflect Maine farmers’ stories and voice their experiences in an effort to understand their optimism and the barriers they encounter in providing food for Maine people and to understand their perceptions of their capacity to feed Maine. In doing so, the goal was to facilitate change on farmers’ behalf.
The objectives of this study are to:
● Identify Maine farmers’ optimism for providing food to feed Maine people.
● Describe the barriers farmers face that limit the am
ount of farm fresh food they
provide to Mainers.
● Characterize Maine farmers’ perceptions of their ability to grow enough food to
feed the population of Maine and the barriers preventing them from doing so.
3.2. Recruitment
Initially, mailings were sent from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension to Maine farmers representing various farming or commodity groups. Farmers who thought they would still be farming in 2025 were encouraged to attend. Mailings were sent based on mailing lists of farmers throughout the state. Ultimately, any farmer was welcome to attend. For some of the focus groups that involved farmers with different farming specialties (called mixed groups), all producers within an area were invited to attend. For larger commodity groups, such as the potato growers, invitations were sent inviting them to attend and asking them to invite others.
3.3. Participants
There were 189 participants at the 12 focus groups used in this study. Participants included fruit, vegetable, dairy, and beef farmers representing both conventional and
organic practices (Orono Winter Farmers’ Market, Agricultural Tradeshow attendees,
Belfast Farmers’ Market, MicMac farmers, potato growers, blueberry farmers, two
groups of vegetable farmers, dairy producers, organic farmers, beef producers, and apple growers). Farmers’ market groups were considered “mixed groups” and were targeted for inclusion in this study due to their potential richness of perspectives and discussion. A chart detailing the demographics (based on field notes and participant numbers at each session) can be found in the Results, section 4.1.
3.4. Focus Group Procedures
Participants arrived at the designated focus group site (see Table 4.1 for a list of groups, locations, and meeting dates). Sites were located throughout the state. As outlined in the University of Maine IRB proposal, volunteers read and signed consent information and consent agreement forms (Appendices B and C), providing them with information about the purposes of the study, the voluntary and private nature of the information being collected, potential benefits/harms from participating, and the option to complete a voluntary demographic information form (Appendix D). At the beginning of each session, the moderator explained the procedures to volunteers and the importance of everyone’s perspective, encouraging them to speak, letting them know that they did not have to respond to every question and that the sessions would be recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by researchers at the University of Maine. Food was provided at the end of most focus groups.
3.4.1. Focus group questions. The focus group participants were asked twelve questions to prompt discussion (see Appendix E). These questions included dichotomous “yes/no” questions, “why” questions as conversation starters and points of specification as described by Kreuger (1994), and “what” and “how” questions that attempted to elicit farmers’ thoughts and feelings about issues of concern.
3.4.2. Moderator’s role. Throughout the session, the moderator and those involved with the research study were careful not to reinforce what group members said, either positively or negatively. A female researcher moderated most of the groups, but the lead male researcher also participated in moderating some of the focus groups.
3.4.3. Recording and transcription. Participants were made aware at the beginning of each focus group that the focus group sessions would be taped, and the recorder was located in plain view. The conversation and answers to the moderator’s questions were audio taped with a Zoom H4N recorder. This was set in a central location in the room, and the audio recordings were transferred to a Macintosh computer at the end of each session. Backups of each file were also made. A University of Maine student was hired to transcribe the audio file. After transcription, transcripts (in the form of Microsoft Word files) were sent to each team member for review and verification. The audio files were destroyed once the transcription and verification processes were completed. The Microsoft Word documents’ contents comprised the data analyzed within this study. The transcripts are stored in a secure location at the Cooperative Extension.
3.5. Code and Theme Development
Because this was qualitative study, the processes of coding and developing themes occurred in conjunction with data analysis. The researcher, trained in qualitative research methods, independently coded all transcripts without the use of software assistance. The transcripts were read several times by the researcher before codes (Appendix F) were assigned to statements made by farmers. Codes served as labels identifying similar types of data. Once all coding was complete, data with similar codes was grouped together and categorized under the headings “barriers to providing food,” “optimism to providing food,” or “capacity to feed Maine.” The groupings under each of these headings were further clustered into related categories. After several more reads through the data sets, these groupings formed the basis for the themes that emerged. The number of quotes supporting each theme, and to which focus group the farmer belonged, were recorded in tables (Appendix G) to help direct the development of themes and to discern the breadth of an issue’s relevance across the focus groups and farming sectors.
3.6. Data analysis
Using the techniques described above, the data were analyzed according to basic,
interpretive, critical qualitative research methods. With the researcher as the primary data
analysis instrument, answers to all the focus group questions were analyzed for content
related to barriers, optimism, and the capacity of Maine farmers to feed Maine people.
The process of reading and re-reading the data sets, coding, organizing, and noting
themes that arose served as the foundation for data analysis. The researcher ascertained
whether each quote expressed one theme or several different themes, considered the data in relation to the study objectives, and contextualized this information with notes taken at the focus group sessions.
CHAPTER 4
RESULTS
4.1 Participant Demographics. Participant demographics and focus group locations are
reported in table 4.1. There were 189 participants at 12 focus groups, including 142 male participants (75%) and 47 females (25%). There were 12 focus groups representing
variety of farmers, such as vegetable and potato growers, blueberry and apple growers,
and dairy and beef producers.
4.2. Barriers to Farming in Maine and Providing Food to Feed Maine People
Maine farmers’ views of the barriers to providing food to Maine people are presented in this section. The themes generated in the focus groups are as follows: environmental concerns, financial concerns (including business profitability; farmland affordability; equipment upgrades; animal care; and divisions in Maine farming), regulations (food safety and “one-size-fits-all”), and what is needed for farmers to provide food to Mainers (including healthful foods; infrastructure; marketing, research and development; education; more local food within public institutions; stable food and fuel prices; and increased access to local markets for low-income populations. When asked about their optimism for the future of farming in Maine, many farmers wanted to start talking about the barriers they have experienced, citing that as a major reason for attending the focus groups. For example, one farmer disclosed:
[It’s] hard to be optimistic. (beef producer)
4.2.1. Environmental Concerns. When asked what they are most concerned about as they looked to the future of farming in Maine, MicMac farmers expressed concerns about environmental quality of the substrates used to produce food (soil and water) as barriers to providing healthful food to feed their people.
[The] surgeon general is...telling people to consume fish, and [yet oceans]
are very near their maximum capacity to produce. (MicMac farmer)
[The MicMac culture has] always fished and gathered. They haven’t been
able to eat fish from the local waterways because of their high mercury
content. (MicMac farmer)
4.2.2. Financial concerns. When asked what they are most concerned about as
they look to the future of farming in Maine, farmers from all twelve focus groups
discussed financial concerns as barriers that prevent them from getting into or remaining
in the profession of farming, and therefore from providing food to Maine people.
4.2.2.1. General profitability and viability. The following comments demonstrate
general financial concerns for the long-term viability of farming in Maine:
I manage … about 20 acres and I’m trying to bring it back … But I
haven’t found a way to make that all happen financially. (blueberry farmer)
I’m having to leave farming this year because I’ve been farming in Maine
for four years and now I’m like, I’m broke! … Right now I sell cheese at
$20 a pound. I should be selling it at $25 to actually make a profit, but I
can’t. (Orono Farmers’ Market member)
4.2.2.2. Farmland affordability. When asked what they are most
concerned about as they look to the future of Maine farming, farmers exhibited
concern about land costs, particularly for young farmers:
I would say access for affordability of farmland. (Belfast Farmers’ Market member)
The farmer sells houselots to make his retirement income and if you
wanna buy his fields you gotta compete on that price. (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
It’s incredibly difficult to find money to borrow now to buy land ... I feel
like there’s a lot of younger people trying to edge into agriculture who –
maybe if they had access to be able to buy land they would be at a much
greater advantage... (dairy farmer)
4.2.2.3. Equipment upgrade and animal care. Farmers voiced financial
concerns regarding the expense of meeting environmental regulations,
particularly in terms of maintaining equipment and caring for animals:
The price of [new] equipment with everyone going green… Are we going
to have to upgrade… because [older equipment is] not green?
(vegetable farmer, vegetable 1 focus group)
If I were a young farmer starting in, the price of equipment and real
estate nowadays, that would be a real concern, real prohibitive to
starting in farming. (vegetable farmer, vegetable 1 focus group)
We don’t have enough income to do all the little side projects that really
improve our ability to take care of our animals to manage nutrients to do
all these things that the public seems to have some great concern about.
(dairy farmer)
4.2.2.4. Divisions in Maine farming. Farmers pointed out that Maine has several
agricultural divisions that affect profitability and financial viability: large and small
farms, northern versus southern Maine farms, and organic versus conventional farms.
The following comments demonstrate concerns about these divisions.
The funding is still focused on larger farms … commodity. As long as that
continues we’re gonna’ keep pushing out the smaller farms, because they
can’t compete and the price keeps dropping ... [We need] to support a lot
of people’s livelihood in small farms, instead of [a few larger farms].
(Orono Farmers’ Market member)
Say you’ve got a million, 100 million pound guy down in Florida growing
blueberries. They can afford to pay whatever fines or whatever fees
necessary but if you’re a smaller scale it’s gonna’ really favor the larger
growers. (blueberry farmer)
The middle-sized farms in Maine have all been squeezed out because they
couldn’t make enough [profit] on volume … so they’ve got the big
growers left and … the small growers left. (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
Maine is two states...North of Bangor don’t exist. Everything south of
Bangor … control[s] the whole state... (beef producer)
I have the u[t]most respect for [organic farmers]. … We want to be able
to farm ... in a profitable manner and let them do the same. But ... their
[political] views … make it more difficult for us to make profit...
(blueberry farmer)
4.2.3. Regulations. Farmers across nine of the twelve focus group sectors agreed
that there are too many regulations from government agencies. Some farmers mentioned
regulatory issues as the reason for attending the focus group.
4.2.3.1. General regulatory concerns. When asked what state level changes are
needed to help to move farming into the future, farmers spoke in general about the need
for fewer, clearer, more consistent regulations:
It’s the over regulation. They decimated the … small poultry industry in
this state they annihilated it. (Belfast Farmers’ Market member)
What you really need to do is ask for straightforward regulations that
anybody can read. They should be written at a 6th grade reading level, so
they can only be interpreted one way... (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
We’ve tried setting up an ethanol plant than ran off potatoes, but there was
a lot of government regulation and there was too much – it was too time
consuming, really. (potato farmer)
There’s just so much inconsistency … we can’t guess what it’s going to be
next year, and thus you’re really hesitant to invest in infrastructure if
there’s no guarantee that that’s going to be the same regulations next year.
(Orono Farmers’ Market member)
4.2.3.2. Food safety regulations. Farmers said there were too many of the following types of regulations: food safety (dairy, livestock processing and animal slaughter), organic, environmental, corporate, labor, tax and miscellaneous regulations. Food safety regulations are the focus here. When asked about what concerns they have for Maine agriculture moving into the future, farmers in five of the twelve focus groups described food safety regulations as a major impediment to farming viability and to providing food for Mainers.
The following comments illustrate farmers’ concerns about these regulations:
Food safety and all of the new regulations…How far will the government
push? (potato farmer)
I understand that there need… to be regulations that make dairy products
safe … it just seems like the bureaucracy makes [them] … not really smart.
(Orono Farmers’ Market)
It’s now illegal to process poultry outdoors. … you to have a facility for
the processing. You can kill outside but you have to have processing
inside. (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
Well, actually it’s … the department’s interpretation of the food code
[regarding poultry processing indoors versus outdoors]. … When we
asked for clarity of that interpretation, this is what we get for law. … I
mean … the department interprets … it differently and it has been a
change. (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
Inspection laws related to food safety are complicated for potato farmers. The
fresh pack state inspection service requires every bag of potatoes to be inspected.
The potatoes shipped out of state require an additional federal inspection.
Almost everything goes out of state, so if there’s an issue with the
potatoes on the other end, we have to [pay for] … a federal inspection,
which is more or less the same as the state inspection. (potato farmer)
4.2.3.3. Food safety regulations for “two agricultures.” Maine farmers
participating in six of the twelve focus groups asked for scale appropriate regulations that
consider the needs of their farm size. It is clear that two agricultures informally exist in
the state, magnified by a “one-size-fits-all” approach to large and small farms.
Farmers running smaller farms expressed that policies favor larger farms and that
many food safety and food production regulations are a “one size fits all” problem:
The food safety issues … those are really important on a government
level... looked at from … a science-based perspective … realizing that a
one size fits all sort of food safety standards does not help small farmers.
(organic farmer)
Potential to put family farms out of business because you kind of have to
run it like a corporation, especially food safety wise. (potato farmer)
Farmers from five of the twelve focus groups asked for more support in adhering
to regulations, and one farmer suggested consequences when asking the government for
help. You’re asking the government for more help, you’re asking them for more
regulations. So be careful what you ask for. (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
4.2.4. What is needed to provide healthful foods? This section presents what is
needed for farmers to provide healthful foods to Maine people. Maine farmers noted a
lack of healthful foods; infrastructure for processing and distribution; a need for adaptation to fuel prices; more marketing, research, and economic development; education; local foods within public institutions; stable food prices; and increased use of
farmers’ markets by low-income populations.
4.2.4.1. Healthful food availability. When asked what they are concerned about
as Maine farming moves into the future, farmers representing four of twelve focus groups
spoke about a general shortage of healthful food production in Maine.
It’s kind of a disappointment that we’re spending half of our land resource
producing French fries and potato chips. (vegetable farmer, vegetable 2 focus group)
We rarely sell any potatoes that stay in the state… (potato farmer)
We’re going to have to raise a lot more food that people actually want to
eat, and should be eating, if we’re going to continue to put a larger dent
in the amount of food that gets brought into the state. (Orono Farmers’ Market member)
4.2.4.2. Adaptation to food and fuel prices. Members from eight of the twelve
focus groups were realistic about the influence of both food and fuel prices on feeding
Maine people. Farmers made the following comments when asked about barriers to farming in Maine:
There’s a lot of people in this state who need food but we can’t sell it to
them at a price they can afford... and that we can make money at. … So
there’s a real problem with pricing... People need to eat and we need to
make money and those things don’t go together. (Orono Farmers’ Market member)
We just don’t pay enough for food in the United States. We’re just so used
to cheap food. … [but] the days of cheap food are done. (potato farmer)
Most [customers] will admit they don’t, when they form their household
budget they’ll budget for a vacation before they’ll … budget for food.
(apple grower)
[A great deal] of Mainers are on food stamps... When I talk to people
about local food the biggest barrier I hear is price and it’s not that [the
price is] that much more expensive, it’s just the price difference. We all
know that if you walk into a grocery store [and] the local fresh red tomato
is the same price as the pale pinkish tasteless tomato, there’s no question
what people are going to buy. So, getting prices right is really, really
important. (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
When asked how volatile energy pricing has affected farm operations and if there
are any changes farmers anticipate making based on these prices, farmers from three
focus groups said:
We are not going to wait until later on. We see the economy. We see what
is happening with fuel prices and we know that will be a real problem here
in the future. Therefore we have to do something to make sure that we can
get affordable food and healthy food to our people at the exact same time.
(MicMac farmer)
As the oil prices keep going up, and I think they’re gonna keep going up,
it makes more and more sense to do things locally. … Growing
raspberries I could easily undersell the ones that were airlifted in from
Chile with much better product... (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
4.2.4.3. Infrastructure: processing and distribution. When asked what they are
most concerned about as Maine agriculture moves into the future, farmers representing
seven of the twelve focus groups expressed concerns about lack of infrastructure to
process and distribute their products.
We’ve lost infrastructure, we’ve lost our gristmills, we lost the processing
plants - have to rebuild. (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
[There is] no USDA slaughterhouse in the county. (vegetable farmer,
vegetable 2 focus group)
We dry wild blueberries and 25 millions pounds of frozen blueberries in
2008 got shipped outta’ this state to dryers in New York state, Michigan,
Oregon, and California … ‘That’s not cost effective... And then they’re
shipping them all the way back to the east coast to be used in valueadded
products.’ (Belfast Farmers’ Market member)
The Maine Food and Farmer Study Association that predates pretty much
all of you in the room, late 1976, 1977 through ’79 … laid out the need for
new farmers – the need for more infrastructure, land access issues...
(organic farmer)
Potato farmers cited the large number of potato growers in Aroostook County
versus the small number of processors and wholesalers, and the need for an organic
processor for the leftover potatoes:
We have a lot of pick outs, especially with Yukons and reds. We cannot
find a market for [them]. We need help finding a market for organic
processing … because we are losing so much money. SO, if the state
could help us find markets or … cooperate together, then that would be
really ideal. (vegetable farmer, vegetable 2 focus group)
It’s just too bad we didn’t … have a factory … that could take our
services. … In Olake, Ohio, they’ve got all these tomatoes and they got
juice factories. … A factory … need[s] a constant supply … You gotta’
develop the side of the infrastructure, you gotta’ develop the side of …
agricultural supply. (vegetable farmer, vegetable 1 focus group)
As part of this infrastructure that is needed, distribution resources are at the top
of the list:
Basically what we’re talking about is a distribution system - some type of
system that can maximize the marketing the products within the state and
outside of the state. (vegetable farmer, vegetable 1 focus group)
I’m a little concerned about distribution... if you wanna’ feed in Maine …
there’s not [a] real method to distribute those products anywhere. … It
would take some massive amount of money from the federal government
and a value added producer grant … or something that would [establish]
a distribution network. … Nobody’s working on it. (beef producer)
There was a place down in Bangor called “Bangor Beef”. You know,
they bought local beef and distributed it … They’re all gone. There’s no
place for your local beef to go and hit the local market. (beef producer)
When asked to look into their crystal balls and predict what Maine farming would
be like in 2025, farmers were clear about their vision:
[There will be a] cannery in every county. They’ll be a slaughterhouse
or a processor house in every county. There will be a distribution center
in every county. (organic farmer)
[There will be] a lot more … small food processing facilities where
farmers can funnel their crops and … ultimately … a more sustainable
and predictable pricing structure so that people who live in Maine can
actually afford to eat the food that is grown in Maine. (Belfast Farmers’ Market member)
4.2.4.4. Marketing, research, and economic development.
When asked what state level changes are needed to help move Maine farming
into the future, farmers representing seven of the twelve focus groups said that they need
increased and more effective marketing, research, and development to provide more
food to Maine people. The following comments illustrate the need for more marketing:
Every state you [visit] promotes what they do, but this state
[government], you don’t see that. They don’t really care. (beef farmer)
More state involvement in the development of marketing opportunities,
brokers, or cooperatives processing facilities. (vegetable farmer, vegetable 2 focus group)
Continue with more marketing. … Promote that Maine product…
(vegetable farmer, vegetable 1 focus group)
Some farmers talked about the support that they need not in terms of state
government support, but support from large retail chains that sell Maine foods.
I called Wal-Mart a couple days ago because as soon as you walk in the
door there, there’s a big sign that says, “We support local farms” ...
Well, that’s great, but nothing else [other than Moo Milk] you have there
is from [Maine]. Huge egg farm, they’re in Newport, [but the eggs are]
not [in Walmart] ... they don’t even sell [Maine] potatoes there... (beef farmer)
Farmers from two focus groups developed marketing ideas for moving their farms
into the future. Indoor farmers’ markets would provide a year-round venue for selling
farm fresh products:
The problem is that [farmers’ markets are] always outside. Here we are
offering a chance for an indoor farmers market where people can bring
their stuff in and sell it year around... We want to make it an event...you
will feel like this whole party atmosphere because that’s what we are
trying to capture inside that building. (MicMac farmer)
[South Carolina] cooperatively invest[s] with farmers and establishes
amazing market facilities that are mobbed every weekend. They sell
everything from smoked hams to pastries and every … variety of
vegetables and flowers. It’s underwritten with farmers and the state both
contributing. It gets everybody under one roof, and everybody gets to take
advantage of … crowds of people that come through.
(vegetable farmer, vegetable 2 focus group)
The Salad Palace is an idea that the MicMac farmers have to add value to
their farm fresh lettuce product:
When you’re dealing with lettuce and … you have to give it away for two
dollars and it really took you 5-6 dollars work of effort to produce it then
you have to figure out how to get the added value. (MicMac farmer)
Can’t sell the lettuce and get your money out of it? How can you get your
value out of that money? There is only one way. So now we have got to
sell it in a salad. (MicMac farmer)
An aquaculture venture would restore fish to the diets of MicMac people
in a sustainable way, without the worry of heavy metal contamination:
([The] fish hatchery is going to be in one of the buildings, and a general
store in one to sell the produce, crafts, salads). It’s a way to add value...
Salad soups, chowders, healthy menu... It will be one of the only healthy
food options if someone is looking for healthy lunch in central Aroostook.
(MicMac farmer)
It is all about recirculating aquaculture where there is very little fresh
water input and you have bio filters that naturally degrade the waste. They
are sustainable and they have an environmentally friendly footprint.
(MicMac farmer)
Along with marketing, Maine farmers cited lack of research and development
specifically focusing on lack of value-added products as a barrier to getting their food
into the hands of Mainers.
I don’t think there’s enough research and development that’s funded by
the state. … (blueberry farmer)
Issue from the blueberry industry as a whole not having that federal
money coming in to help support these researchers products.
(blueberry farmer)
Why can’t we put the money into the land grant university and do the
research that’s needed and have the conversations that we need to have?
(agricultural tradeshow farmer)
4.2.4.5. Education. When asked what barriers they face, farmers from six of the
twelve realized the importance of education – the need to teach (re-teach) people how to
cook with whole foods, where and how food is grown, how to grow it themselves, along
with the true cost of inexpensive food.
Couple years ago we had a health fair ... We brought in some really nice
produce... generated a lot of interest, but … I could see, especially
younger women... they just didn’t know what to do with leaf lettuce.
(MicMac farmer)
I’ve seen these WIC coupons, which [are] good...they can buy pumpkins,
but they can’t buy apple cider. You mean to tell me these young girls are
going to cook pumpkin pie…? I mean... 99% are not going to make a
pumpkin pie out of [those] pumpkins. (Orono Farmers’ Market member)
The people … from lower income who are using the food stamps... Many
don’t have the resources or the knowledge base to actually … prepare …
food that is locally grown. Without that knowledge and without that
confidence to do it, [purchasing fresh, local food] seems a lot less
realistic. (organic farmer)
People aren’t really learning … to eat properly. … [We] don’t have much
of a culture around quality food anymore. … A lot of people’s kitchens
aren’t even set up to properly produce food, process food.
(organic farmer)
I’d love to see this state take a stronger role in helping educate state
consumers about where their food comes from and … the cost of the cheap
food that we get from outside of Maine... [The] whole subsidy thing with
how we’re getting so much cheap food from away and what it’s doing to
our natural resources… I think that if the citizens of Maine understood that
cost they’d be much more likely to support farmers of Maine so education
is a big deal. (Belfast Farmers’ Market member)
Maine farmers representing five focus groups viewed educational programs as
essential to the future of farming in Maine.
Public school systems [should] help ... educat[e] ... our children … to
become more aware of what we’re feeding them. … (organic farmer)
In the school system, … present farming as a valid occupation at a
younger age. (agricultural trade show member)
[We’re] building the capacity through onsite training programs - want to
start one through the Caribou school, maybe Future Farmers of America
and the school farm, already offered in Presque Isle. (MicMac farmer)
4.2.4.6. Local foods within public institutions. Farmers representing two of the
focus groups asserted that more Maine foods should be served in Maine institutions:
I went to the high school yesterday, which is surrounded by farms … Most
of that food is, you know [not provided in the school] … [We need to]
continue to work with getting more local foods into the school system.
(organic farmer)
[The] state needs to make it a lot easier for schools and universities,
institutions, hospitals to buy directly from farmers. (Orono Farmers’
Market member)
Gardens at schools and having the … cafeterias use the food that’s grown
there. (Belfast Farmers’ Market member)
4.2.4.7. Increased use of local markets by low-income populations. When asked
about barriers they perceive for farming moving into the future, farmers from two focus
groups discussed the cumbersome nature of accepting government food assistance
program electronic benefits transfer cards (EBT) at farmers’ markets. Farmers mentioned
that programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women,
Infants, and Children (WIC) need to educate recipients about using benefits at farmers’
markets. SNAP and WIC are programs that provide nutritional assistance to “low-income
pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and
children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk” (USDA Food and
Nutrition Service, 2013).
A customer today asked if I could take food stamps and I said, “No I’m
sorry I just can’t It’s, um, I guess there is a way for food stamps to be
done at farmers markets, but I think it’s, my understanding is it’s very
cumbersome. (Orono Farmers’ Market member)
There’s 29 million dollars a month coming into the state of Maine for
food stamps right now, every month, and that’s a hell of a lot of money …
even if 1% of that came back into local farming. But in order to do that,
the state needs to make it less cumbersome for being able to accept EBT.
(Orono Farmers’ Market member)
DH[H]S should be advertising that you can use your food stamp cards ...
[providing people with] a list of the farmer’s markets in the area, because
they’re not promoting it at all. (Orono Farmers’ Market member)
4.2.5. Conclusion to barriers. Participants in all twelve of the focus groups
mentioned financial concerns and farmers in nine out of twelve focus groups spoke about
regulations. Farmers from all twelve focus groups mentioned issues that fit into a large
grouping of themes collected under the heading “What is needed to provide healthful
foods?” Environmental concerns were mentioned by one of the focus groups.
4.3. Optimism in Maine farming and providing food to feed Maine people
The following sections describe Maine farmers’ optimism in providing their food
to Maine people, as they were asked about why they chose farming as a profession, what is working well for Maine agriculture, and their vision for the future of farming in Maine. Central to the reasons Maine farmers chose to farm included personal enjoyment, a sense of responsibility, family and community connection, and a mission to provide healthful food. Young farmers, the emergence of smaller, more diversified farms, local markets (farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), “Buy Local,” “Get Real, Get Maine,” and local niche markets), and Maine’s rich natural resources were also points of optimism.
4.3.1. Reasons to Farm. Maine farmers in eleven of the twelve focus groups
voiced four major reasons to farm: personal enjoyment, sense of responsibility to steward
the land, community and family connection, and to provide healthful foods for others.
Personal enjoyment and sense of responsibility are grouped together because the
statements made about sense of responsibility rang with a true sense of enjoyment.
4.3.1.1. Personal enjoyment and sense of responsibility. When asked why they
chose farming as a profession, farmers made statements about the enjoyment of farming
in terms of their connection with the soil and their sense of place, a feeling of being
grounded in the right profession. They also felt a sense of responsibility to continue the
legacy of farming in Maine, and to care for the environment. These sentiments were
identified in eight of the twelve focus groups.
Characteristic statements included the following:
[Farming is] what I always wanted to do. I enjoy doing it. (potato farmer)
I love animal husbandry. And I also enjoy physical labor. (Orono
Farmers’ Market member)
We have such a profound impact [upon the earth] that farming seems like
a way to make a positive impact. (organic farmer)
[I] really like playing in the dirt.
(vegetable farmer, vegetable 2 focus group)
I did not choose this as a career path it chose me. … felt obligated to
continue the agriculture permanence of the property... [There is an]
agricultural, historical piece of living here and we just can’t let it go to
the wayside. (blueberry farmer)
These farmers chose to farm through a love and sense of responsibility for
working the land, working with animals, and being connected to the soil.
4.3.1.2. Community and family connection. Optimism in providing Maine-grown
food to their local Maine communities and to their own families, as well as forming
strong community connections as a result, was voiced by members of eight of the twelve
focus groups.
[I] want to be farmer and involved here for community reasons.
(Belfast Farmers’ Market member)
I also really enjoy the family part of it. … The ability to work with your
kids and ... brothers and sisters. It’s a very nice community sort of
occupation. (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
I was brought up in a farming family, fourth generation farmer. It’s in my
blood, and I like it. (beef farmer)
Farmers expressed optimism in the reciprocal, shared relationship that can
develop between a farmer and the local community, the relationships with family that
develop from working together as part of the community, as well as the economic
benefits that the community can incur.
4.3.1.3. Healthful food provision. When asked why they farm, farmers from six
of the twelve focus groups said that they chose to farm because they believe in providing
healthful food for others.
I want to share good food with people that aren’t growing it themselves.
(Belfast Farmers’ Market member)
[I’m a] retired teacher after 31 years, and we’ve always gardened and
done farmers markets. … We do it because we want to bring healthy food
to Washington County. (Belfast Farmers’ Market member, male)
We think that everybody should have a chance for good nutritional food.
(MicMac farmer)
Producing food...it’s wonderful watching people eat, you know, really
love what you’re … sharing [with] them. … a blueberry smoothie
everyday… (blueberry farmer)
I have got a commitment to that social piece of a lively food network that
will allow [Maine-grown] food to be more readily available. (vegetable
farmer, vegetable 2 focus group)
Specifically mentioned during the MicMac focus group was the importance of
growing healthful food for people struggling with diet-related diseases and hunger.
Every day I see the debilitating effects of poor diet. I see diabetes, obesity,
cardiovascular disease. These are all disease[s] that the MicMac tribe has
[historically] never really known...Our community does not have access to
[healthful] foods...[Farming is] really about the community having access
to good food and about healthy nutrition for our people. (MicMac farmer)
It is really about the community having access to good food. … We have a
need for food for our community… we have 800 acres of really productive
farmland. We’[ve] got … a hungry population that does not have access to
food. It seems so ridiculous … driving by and seeing all that productive
land that could be producing a healthy product. … If you have a good
productive farmland that [is] just growing weeds, and you have hungry
people, somebody is not thinking. (MicMac farmer)
4.3.2. Young farmers. When asked what is working well for farming in Maine,
farmers conveyed hope in the next generation of younger farmers, sentiments echoed in
seven of the twelve focus groups.
From a personal standpoint [what’s working well is] that I can see just
today is the number of young people that are seeking to make a living in
agriculture. (dairy farmer)
I suppose just seeing the amount of interest in agriculture from young
people - from motivated, smart, hard-working young people - is really
thrilling to me. (organic farmer)
There’s a lot of infants [at] market now, and I think that says a lot about
farming in Maine and how successful it is right now, and how desirable it
is, and that’s awesome. (Orono Farmers’ Market member)
Seeing some young boys [who] want to continue to [farm] as an
occupation. (potato farmer)
4.3.3. Small, diverse farms. With youth coming into farming, farmers in eight of
the twelve focus groups noted growth in the number of smaller farms, a transition that
many saw as positive for the future of Maine farming and for their abilities to continue to
provide food to feed Mainers.
I’m optimistic to see the growth in small farms and the demographics of
the small farmer. (Orono Farmers’ Market member)
Definitely know a lot of people my age that are really excited about
smaller scale agriculture ... And I’m excited that there are a lot of people
… certainly in Maine that are very excited about agriculture, [and] food
production... (organic farmer)
There’s an opportunity here in some of these niche, or smaller scale
[markets], where people will pay to know the source, and that it’s fresh,
hasn’t lost its nutrients. (MicMac farmer)
Eight groups of farmers spoke about the importance of diversity on and among
Maine farms:
What’s working well for Maine agriculture, in the large part, is how
diverse it is. … (Orono Farmers’ Market member)
The best hedge against that unpredictability is diversity. … People here
understand that intuitively and use diversity as a tool, … it’s something
that has multiple benefits. … This is an ecological principle … all the long
term ecological studies that are comparing … conventional soil
management with … ecological [soil management], really show that
ecological soil management is really much less vulnerable to climate
variability and unpredictability ... (organic farmer)
Looking to the future of Maine farming farmers predicted increases in the number
of smaller, diversified farming operations:
I think size of the average farm is going to continue to get smaller. More
small, diversified niche type things. (Belfast Famers’ Market member)
I think there’s an opportunity for small, diversified farm[s]. I think you’re
gonna’ see more of them. ... [the] landscape lends itself. (dairy farmer)
4.3.4. Local markets. Maine farmers representing all twelve focus groups revealed optimism in the popularity of farmers’ markets and community supported agriculture (CSA), the “Buy Local” movement, “Get Real, Get Maine” marketing, and niche markets, allowing them to provide healthful food to Mainers through these venues.
We started a CSA 7 years ago… ... The CSA model works terrifically well
for a small, organic, retail farm operation ... (Belfast Farmers’ Market
member)
I’m optimistic that Hannaford will continue to … buy local. … They want
to … have product on their shelf that is locally grown. … I think the customers appreciate knowing where their food is coming from. (apple grower)
It’s a healthier movement that people want to do things more locally and
support one another - provide good food that’s locally grown. (MicMac
farmer)
Buy local, the huge push for it... It’s amazing the number of people that
want to talk about their food. They want to know where it came from, how
it was raised, and so forth. (beef farmer)
We decided to work on this more local agriculture … Get Real, Get Maine
program ... And that has caught on … this is local food ...
(vegetable farmer, vegetable 1 group)
When you say Maine food [to] people from away, they get really excited
because of the quality that comes from us… (organic farmer)
[There is a] push for more specialty crops, specialty [niche] markets, …
because that’s where the smaller growers get their stability. (blueberry farmer)
The more parents get upset about the quality of food in schools … I think
that’s gonna’ be something we see huge growth in … schools ‘cause it’s
[a] consistent [market]. … (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
A subset of farmers at the focus groups noted that people value the nutritional
quality and taste of local food. Farmers recognized consumers’ value of their food as an
important part of being able to provide local food for Mainers.
People want… to know and care… about the nutrition being in their milk,
and [about] knowing the animals. (organic farmer)
We had all these folks using WIC year after year...They’d say, ‘These are
the greatest carrots I ever tasted…’ (Orono farmers’ market member)
People really value food and they recognize the fact that we’re going to
have to feed each other and support each other if we want to continue to
be alive. (organic farmer)
4.3.5. Natural resources. Maine farmers representing five of twelve focus groups
spoke positively about Maine’s natural resources for farming when asked what is
working well for farming in Maine.
Every time I listen to the news and hear about... global… issues [like]
lack of water, good resources like that, I realize that Maine is just sitting
in this great place... agriculturally speaking, so I think the potential is
huge and I think that’s awesome! (Belfast Farmers’ Market member)
[The global] demand for water will push agriculture to the Northeast.
(apple grower)
If you take a picture of these fields … it’s gorgeous. … They can produce
a lot of food. (vegetable farmer, vegetable 2 focus group, male)
4.3.6. Looking to the future. When asked to look into their crystal balls and
predict the future of agriculture in Maine, farmers from four focus groups communicated
their vision in terms of local foods.
I’d like to see people eating local foods: traditional Maine products -
maple syrup and small fruits, greens and vegetables, animals...
(agricultural tradeshow member)
People are going to appreciate the value of local grown food … farmers
markets the CSAs and the small farms and they’re all gonna’ be
supporting each other. (Belfast Farmers’ Market member)
Each town will have its amount of farms and growers that are feeding the
town and stocking that general store and providing that food for the
school. (organic farmer)
It would be great if there were a Maine brand or an advertising
promotional efforts about local products in general from the state... ...
beyond Get Real, Get Maine. Bring more depth to what that means.
(organic farmer)
Farmers were matter of fact about being an essential part of the future:
Farmers make life possible. (vegetable farmer, vegetable 1 focus group)
We all have to eat! (apple grower)
4.3.7. Conclusion of optimism section. Farmers were optimistic about their reasons to farm. Farmers representing 92% of the focus groups (eleven out of twelve) spoke about their choice to farm in terms of personal enjoyment, sense of responsibility, community and family connection, and providing healthful food to others. Farmers representing 58% of the focus groups were positive about the increasing number of small, diverse farms in Maine, and increase in young farmers. Farmers from 100% of the focus groups expressed hope in the growing “Buy Local” movement to consume locally produced foods. Farmers from 17% of the focus groups expressed optimism in Maine’s clean and abundant natural resources, and farmers from 48% of the focus groups expressed confidence that farming in Maine will continue to thrive into the future.
4.4. Capacity to feed Maine: Can Maine farmers grow enough food to feed Maine?
One of the follow up questions asked of the focus groups read as follows: “Based on [the] future [that you envisioned through your crystal ball], what is our capacity to produce food to feed Maine people?” This question asked about farmers about their ability to feed Maine’s entire population.
4.4.1. Requests for evaluation of capacity and goal development. Two agricultural tradeshow farmers and one Belfast Farmers’ Market member requested evaluation of their capacity to feed Maine and goal development for food production (before specifically being asked about their capacity to feed Maine). The first statement was stated as the primary reason this farmer selected farming as a career path:
[I’d like to] assess how we can put more food on Maine plates.
(agricultural tradeshow farmer)
[I] would like the state to evaluate Maine’s capacity for its farms to feed
Maine people. (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
I think specific goals are important. How much are we going to produce
to feed our own people by when? Can we set a goal of 50% of Maine food
being produced by Maine people in ten years? (Belfast Farmers’ Market)
4.4.2. No, We Don’t Have the Capacity. Three farmers did not believe that
Maine farmers have the capacity to feed the entire state of Maine:
To successfully feed the state of Maine, or the United States, or to export
food, it’s a pipe dream. (potato farmer)
I agree with people who say we cannot feed ourselves necessarily.
(blueberry farmer)
I don’t know if we’ll be able to feed [Maine] … some of ‘em aren’t
interested in, you know, the quality of food we have to offer and some
can’t afford it. (agricultural tradeshow organic farmer)
4.4.3. Practical barriers to feeding Maine. Several farmers representing eight
of the twelve focus groups stated that they have the capacity to feed Maine, but
presented practical barriers that prevent them from doing so, such as needing
infrastructure, a longer growing season, general support, and the fact that consumers
would have to adapt to regional eating.
4.4.3.1. Have enough land; need infrastructure. Farmers representing four
different agricultural groups spoke about the abundant land available in Maine to grow
food, as well as the need for infrastructure to help use that land. Unprompted by the
specific question about capacity to feed Maine, at the beginning of the focus group
meeting when asked about the first words that came to mind upon being invited to the
meeting, a beef farmer said:
Aroostook County could feed the whole state of Maine. We have so much
land. The land base is fantastic, but we’re not doing it. We’re not raising
the cattle, we’re not raising the sheep, the pigs, or whatever, but we
could. But you look at the future, that carbon footprint [involving] how
much diesel is being wasted trucking cattle from pinelands to
Pennsylvania to be slaughtered and then trucking them back. We could
do that right here with a little infrastructure. (beef farmer)
Other farmers discussed the amount of farmland not being used in the state and
the need for agricultural land protection.
There is so much land going to waste and barns falling down in this state
that are just growing back up into woods. It wouldn’t take a lot of effort to
revert them back [to farmland]. Maine could feed all of New England
easily. (vegetable farmer, vegetable 2 focus group)
If we could protect the farmland, I think that the farmers will be there to
grow what we need to grow [to feed Maine].
(vegetable farmer, vegetable 1 focus group)
4.4.3.2. Need a longer growing season. A potato and a MicMac farmer believed
that we can certainly increase our capacity to feed Maine, but we will need to take
advantage of season extension methods.
If you want to feed the people in Maine … we would need something year-round,
because we only have 120 days here in the [traditional growing]
season, and if you’re going to grow vegetables, most of the time, you need
more than 120 days. So, if we were to feed the people of Maine … we
could if more people wanted to make that investment to put more ground
under glass... (potato farmer)
Hydroponics. … If we want to eat year around we have to be able to
control the environment. (MicMac farmer)
4.4.3.3. Need to adapt to regional eating. Farmers from three focus groups
understood that people would have to adapt to eating regionally in order for them to feed Maine. Farmers recognized that they would need people’s acceptance of how they would have to eat in order for Maine farmers to feed them, noting that if Mainers don’t want to eat what they grow, it doesn’t matter how much food they can produce.
Part of [Maine farmers’] capacity to feed the people depends on the diets
of the people. (vegetable farmer, vegetable 1 focus group)
I think it’s easy for us to say that we can [feed Maine], but right now,
we’d be eating a lot of potatoes. (Orono Farmers’ Market member)
Blueberry farmers wondered whether feeding Maine would be possible, based on demand and nutritional needs. They considered the possibility that we might need to trade oranges for blueberries, for example, to balance nutritional needs and preferences.
[The] new question is just the demand. I mean, how much can you get
Maine people to buy Maine food is the big question. (blueberry farmer)
Trade blueberries for oranges I guess if you like orange juice.
(blueberry farmer)
4.4.3.4. Need support. Others agree that they have the capacity, but need support
in overcoming certain barriers if they are going to be able to feed the Maine population.
[We] have the capacity, but not the resources … support.
(Orono Farmers’ Market member)
Clearly there’s the potential to grow a lot more food of our own, but in
order to make that happen it’s going to require a significant amount of
effort and investment … essentially on individual farms.
(Orono Farmers’ Market member)
4.4.3.5. Growing population. Farmers either agreed or disagreed that they have
the capacity to feed Maine due to growing populations, climate change and increasing
fuel prices, as well as food affordability and access. Farmers voiced the viewpoint that an increasing population makes the farming profession more profitable, and that they
certainly would have the capacity to produce food to feed Maine; others said a large
population creates more mouths to feed, making it difficult to feed Maine.
The following quotes demonstrate these conflicting views:
We’re in the best place to grow food because there are just so many
hungry mouths south of here that don’t realize where their food is gonna’
come from in the next 20-30 years. (Belfast Farmers’ Market member)
I read an article on the Internet the other day that said by 2050, there
would be about [10] billion people in the world. And, I said, there’s not
enough landmass on the earth to feed that many people. (potato farmer)
4.4.3.6. Climate change, fuel prices. Farmers from three focus groups indicated
that climate change and increasing fuel prices would drive food production and transport
back to local levels, inspiring hope in their ability to provide for their own people but
recognizing that transition would involve adaptation.
Feeding Maine’s people … would depend on our ability to adjust to
[energy challenges]. (blueberry farmer)
The era of cheap oil is obviously coming to an end … [What people] need
to be looking at is how we’re gonna’ feed ourselves. … I think Maine is
poised to be able to do that more easily than most places in the country, so
we have … a really magnificent opportunity to lead. (Belfast Farmers’
Market member)
[Farmers are] kind of essential and I think that as climate change, and as
fuel prices … I think we’re going to become more important as a sector …
because we’re going to have to feed Maine because we can’t afford to
truck [the food] in. (Orono Farmers’ Market member)
4.4.4. Yes, we have the capacity. Maine farmers representing eight of the twelve
focus groups shared the view that Maine is poised to lead the way in feeding Maine.
These farmers affirmed their capacity to feed Maine.
I think we can feed our people. (vegetable farmer, vegetable 1 focus
group)
There’s enough arable land in this state that we could grow enough food
to feed our people … [It’s] critical that we grow as much as we can and
make it profitable. (blueberry farmer)
Maine actually has the capacity to feed 1.3 million residents with what we
have for land in the state and we actually can provide them with a
nutritionally balanced diet. (agricultural tradeshow farmer)
Farmers believe we not only have the capacity to feed Maine but also to feed New
England:
We could feed New England and never even breath hard. (vegetable
farmer, vegetable 2 focus group)
Maine can be the breadbasket of New England … by working together
whether we’re conventional, organic, permaculture – whatever you wanna’
label us – we’re all doing the same thing … we all wanna’ grow food.
(Belfast Farmers’ Market member)
I don’t think that there’s any question that we’ll be able to feed Maine
people and a good share of southern New England. But we need the
opportunity to do it. (dairy farmer)
We already feed Boston and New York and that area [in part], so if food
wasn’t already shipped out there and it stayed in the state, we wouldn’t
have any trouble feeding anyone, depending on how many people … [we
need to feed]. (potato farmer)
4.4.5. Conclusion to capacity to feed Maine. Farmers from two groups (17% of the groups) asked for an evaluation of their capacity to feed Maine. Farmers representing
eight of the twelve focus groups (67% of the focus groups) stated that certain barriers
would need to be overcome in order for them to feed Maine: infrastructure; people’s
adaptation to regional eating; the need for a longer growing season. Other farmers cited
the benefits and challenges of a rising population, of climate change, of increasing fuel
prices, and of affordability and access. Farmers from eight of the focus groups (67%)
indicated that yes, they believe they have the capacity to feed Maine. Farmers
representing three of the twelve groups (25%) directly stated that they do not believe
Maine farmers have the capacity to feed Maine.
Stay tuned for section 5 - Discussion and section 6 - Conclusions.
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