AUGUSTA — Growing and sustaining a farm business requires planning and partnerships. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) partners with producers to offer technical assistance and funding, but the complex agency can seem confusing. To help dispel confusion and inspire more farmers to get to know local staff, USDA will host a panel discussion at the 2025 Maine Agricultural Trades Show in Augusta on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 10 a.m.

The Maine Agricultural Trades Show takes place at the Augusta Civic Center January 14-16, 2025, and is free and open to the public. (New this year, RSVP online to receive helpful updates and enter prize drawings.)

Farmers Carl Johanson (Goranson Farm), Everett Ottinger (Nettie Fox Farm), and Pheonix and Megan O’Brien (Hall Brook Farm) will comprise the panel. They will discuss how they have leveraged various USDA programs to grow their businesses. USDA Rural Development State Director Rhiannon Hampson, Farm Service Agency (FSA) Deputy Executive Director Lucia Brown, and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist Matt Walker will facilitate the discussion and field audience questions. 

Each of the farmer panelists has worked with local USDA staff to leverage expertise, training, and funding opportunities. They offer examples of how farmers can incorporate specialized federal programs as part of their farm business planning.  

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• -Nettie Fox Farm in Newburgh, Maine was founded in 2009. Molly Crouse and Everett Ottinger grow 3 acres of MOFGA certified organic vegetables on the 33-acre farm. Their produce is available via an annual CSA program and at the Bangor Farmers’ Market. Recently the farm benefitted from Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). (Learn more about the farm and the couple’s commitment to sustainability in relation to their work with a USDA RD REAP grant at this link: tinyurl.com/yjwapjvh.)

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• -Goranson Farm, a certified organic family farm, produces wholesome food using environmentally sustainable farming practices. Located in Dresden, the farm’s products are available year-round at the farm store, farmers' markets, a CSA program, and independent grocers and health food stores throughout the midcoast. The farm has worked with NRCS on multiple programs including its Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Agricultural Management Assistance. The farm has also participated in REAP.

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• -Hall Brook Farm is a certified organic, commercial-scale vegetable farm located in Thorndike, owned and operated by Pheonix and Megan O’Brien since 2014. They grow 20 acres of produce in the field and 2/3 of an acre in greenhouses, marketing to grocery stores from Midcoast Maine to eastern Massachusetts. The farm specializes in select vegetable crops to maintain the highest quality possible, increase efficiency, and meet market demand. Hall Brook Farm has worked with the Farm Service Agency and received a REAP grant.

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The panel session, titled “Making USDA Work for You,” will take place on the Maine Stage during the opening day of the three-day event. (See the full conference schedule online.) Information sessions about USDA programs will be offered throughout the show, including programs about the Value Added Producer Grant program (1:00 pm) and REAP (2:00 pm) on both Tuesday and Wednesday.

USDA FSA, NRCS, and Rural Development each have multiple offices across Maine staffed by people who know and love the state. To learn more or to find your nearest office, visit the agency websites: Farm Service Agency (fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/Maine), Natural Resources Conservation Service (nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/maine), and Rural Development (rd.usda.gov/me).