Press Releases

In Wiscasset on November 18, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree hosted a workshop and roundtable on the Farm Bill--a critical piece of legislation that authorizes numerous federal programs important for farming, food assistance, the environment, rural development and more. 

Below is video of the workshop with Congresswoman Pingree's opening remarks, a panel of Mainers who've worked with Farm Bill programs, and a question and answer session. 

Handouts from the workshop
Farm Bill_handout.pdf
USDA_handout.pdf

Panel members:

• Rhiannon Hampson of Grace Pond Farm 
• Jerry Ireland, of the United Farmer Veterans of Maine & Ireland Hill Farms
• Emilie Knight of the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets
• Beth Schiller of Dandelion Spring Farm 
• Colleen Halon Smith of the Unity Food Hub

BACKGROUND

The current Farm Bill is set to expire in 2018 and Congress will soon begin the process of its reauthorization. 

Pingree is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, which oversees funding for the USDA, and formerly served on the House Committee on Agriculture.  She has been a vocal proponent of reforming federal policies to better support small- and medium-sized farms and invest in farms to help them meet the rising consumer demand for locally produced food. 

She was successful in getting several of these reforms into the 2014 Farm Bill, including increased funding for key grant programs, better crop insurance for diversified farms, and expanding programs allowing consumers to use food assistance benefits to purchase food directly from producers. 

Pingree plans to propose additional reforms for the next Farm Bill.  She will be holding listening sessions in Maine to get on-the-ground feedback on what should be included as well as inform people on how they can be involved in the reauthorization process.