UNION — The Midcoast Farmers Alliance and Maine Coast Heritage Trust are hosting an open house for farmers and the community to check out the new Midcoast Farmers Union site at the former Coastal Blueberry Services facility, 61 Common Road, in Union. The open house will be Tuesday, July 18, from 5 - 7 p.m. 

This is a chance for the public to see the space, learn about the work happening there this year, and connect with farmers in the area. Snacks will be provided. 

The Midcoast Farmers Union Site is open to farmers to set up pop-up retail markets and use the space for storage for the 2023 season.

“This is a great opportunity for farmers to sell their products directly to consumers,” said Maine Coast Heritage Trust, in a news release. “Farmers can set up the pop-up markets on their own schedule or combine efforts with other farmers to host markets at the same time. The site also offers storage space for farmers to keep excess dry goods or equipment safe and secure.”  

Maine Coast Heritage Trust and Maine Farmland Trust are collaborating so Midcoast farmers can use the space for retail pop-ups and storage for the 2023 season. Midcoast Farmers Alliance (MFA) is a program within Maine Coast Heritage Trust, whose goal is to build a support network of area farmers by connecting them to resources and to one another. The establishment of the Midcoast Farmers Union Site is supported by Maine Farmland Trust, who purchased the property in 2022 and plan to facilitate its resale to the MFA as the Midcoast Farmers Union Site grows.  

A bit of history: The property was a blueberry aggregation facility under the ownership of Coastal Blueberry Services, Inc. It was a core part of the blueberry farming industry in Union and the surrounding areas for decades. As this processing building and other blueberry land holdings in the Midcoast region transition in ownership, Maine Farmland Trust and MFA saw the opportunity to give this building a new life to fill infrastructure gaps for Midcoast-area farmers and contribute to the long-term viability of Maine agriculture. The property has one retail space and four separate storage spaces with loading dock access.  

For more information contact Aaron Englander at aenglander@mcht.org or 207-236-2739. 

About Maine Farmland Trust: MFT is a statewide, member-powered nonprofit working to protect farmland, support farmers, and advance the future for farming. Since its founding in 1999, MFT has permanently protected over 350 farms and has helped to keep over 68,000 acres of farmland in farming and support a network of over 500 farms with critical services. More at www.mainefarmlandtrust.org 

About Maine Coast Heritage Trust: MCHT is a dynamic, multifaceted organization with initiatives ranging from high impact ecological work focused on reconnecting waterways and improving coastal resiliency to climate change to preserving coastal access for communities. A leader in Maine’s nationally renowned land conservation efforts since 1970, MCHT maintains a growing network of over 150 coastal and island preserves free and open to everyone and leads the 80-member Maine Land Trust Network to ensure that local land conservation provides benefits to all Maine communities. Get involved at www.mcht.org