BANGOR — America’s booming brewing industry and farmers alike are bothered and befuddled by a proposed U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule change that could alter a partnership that dates back to Neolithic times. In Maine and across the country, brewers and farmers have formed handshake agreements: Brewers brew beer, producing barrels or truckloads full […]
farmers
Posted inBusiness, Maine, sj-web
Federal farm bill to impact potato, dairy, blueberry industry in Maine
PRESQUE ISLE — President Barack Obama on Friday signed a $956 billion farm bill that is expected to give a boost to farmers in Maine but includes cuts to the food stamp program. Obama signed the bill at Michigan State University during a speech in which he spoke of the benefits of a thriving agricultural […]
advertisement
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Aroostook farmers win $1.1M in suit against lawyer
PORTLAND (AP) — A jury has awarded $1.1 million to the owners of an Aroostook County potato seed farm who claimed in a lawsuit that their defense lawyer failed to properly represent them in a previous case. The jury ruled for Vaughn and Mary Sleeper of Island Falls last week after a five-day trial in […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Christmas tree growers hopeful about season as plastic rivals make gains
FORT KENT — Few things embody the sights, scents or sentiments of the holiday season better than a freshly cut Maine Christmas tree. “Things are looking pretty good,” according to Gaye Richards, a Mapleton tree farmer and president of the Maine Christmas Tree Association. “My sales over the last three days are bigger than the […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Oxford Hills
Local farmers hear from federal agriculture official
NORWAY — Passage of the Farm Bill will be critical to ensure the continuation of small farms across Maine and the country, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Edward Avalos told a group of local farmers Friday morning. “It’s not fair for Congress to keep farmers and ranchers hostage,” he said. “If Congress […]