What Makes Farming Work?
A Conversation about Farmland Access with Maine Farmland Trust
Editor’s Note: Across New England, a number of longstanding and effective conservation organizations are focused on protecting farmland and supporting a new generation of stewards in accessing conserved land. In this issue we report on such initiatives in all states in the region, with in-depth stories from Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont. This account from Maine is especially inspiring, describing innovative tools and out-of-the-box thinking to support new farmers as they seek affordable land to farm, well into the future. – Liz Thompson
Maine Farmland Trust, formed in 1999, supports land protection and conservation outcomes through the acquisition of conservation easements; provides Maine farmers with unique and essential forms of technical assistance and community building; and offers policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels resources and guidance for creating a more agriculturally-friendly future. With more farmers and more land in active production than any other New England state, combined with the lowest farmland prices in the region, Maine’s agricultural landscape is often seen as a potential home for the expanded production and processing that would be necessary to truly build a resilient regional food system. Yet, despite the unique features of Maine’s agricultural landscape, the same challenges of cost-prohibitive land, resource-strapped rural communities, and the ubiquity of cheap food from global supply chains combine to threaten the overall integrity of its local and regional food systems.
I spoke with Maine Farmland Trust’s Stacy Brenner, President and CEO, and Ellen Sabina, Director of Farmer Engagement and Organizing, to learn more about their approach to ensuring that land access and farmer success remain at the forefront of conservation and policy work.
This is an abbreviated and edited transcript of a longer interview. You can listen to the full conversation on the From the Ground Up podcast.
Alex Redfield (AR): Ellen and Stacy, thanks for talking with me today. I’m excited to talk about Maine Farmland Trust’s (MFT) work to support farmland access. From my observations of MFT’s approach over the past decade, it seems like the organization is trying to do a few different and really challenging things at the same time. First, you’re working to protect land and natural resources from development, including some of the most expensive conservation land in the state, but also, MFT is trying to support farmers in their never-ending quest to create a business that’s sustainable and that’s viable and that contributes to the food system. These are both daunting projects. Could you talk about how you see those two projects as intersecting? And why is it important to create an organization that does both of those things at the same time?
Stacy Brenner (SB): At MFT, we are seeing farmland protection and farmland access really as not at all separate from food system viability, but as foundational to it. We just don’t see a resilient regional food system without the land at the center of it. And it’s not just any land, but land that is affordable for farmers, accessible for new farmers and farmers of color who’ve traditionally been boxed out of access, and also viable for the people who are stewarding it. It is, as you say, a complex and daunting task: Land protection and viable farming are both challenging arenas on their own, but I think in Maine, and in New England in general, we have an incredible opportunity. At MFT, our work is about knitting those threads together, keeping farmland and farming together, ensuring that the people who are farming have what they need to thrive and to keep their businesses viable and successful.
AR: Ellen, could you share more on how some of that “knitting” happens? What are ways that MFT’s work is addressing both of those goals simultaneously?
Ellen Sabina (ES): One of the things that drew me to working with MFT originally was that it seemed really unique for a land trust to also be thinking about farm viability and understanding that farmland isn’t a farm without farmers working the land. Over the years, MFT has tried a variety of different things to connect farmers to the land, to support them in establishing viable businesses, and in making transitions. The other thing I appreciate about MFT here is that it’s an organization that’s willing to change gears as needed. It’s similar to farming: You try something, it doesn’t really work, then you change it up and try something else. We’ve gone through different iterations of what farmland access work has looked like. For a long time, we’ve had the Maine FarmLink program, an online database for farmers, farm seekers, and landowners to connect with each other at different points. We’ve done more active matchmaking, as well, and that’s something we’re thinking about again.
We’ve also done a lot of farm business support work through different methods. That’s included things like market development through building out a food hub to support market access. These days, we’ve really honed in on business planning cohort model programs and one-on-one technical assistance to meet farmers where they’re at in achieving their goals. But yes, it’s looked different in the past and it’s developing as the needs of farmers change and as the world changes around us too.
Hannah Hamilton and Jim Buckle prepare potatoes for a wholesale delivery to a local food bank. In 2014, the pair found farmland through Maine FarmLink and a lease-to-purchase on-ramp from MFT, and have since participated in a variety of MFT’s farm business programs. Photo © Erin Tokarz/Torchlight Media
AR: Are there other things that you’ve tried in the past you’re pivoting away from, or things that you’re excited to bring into your toolbox moving forward?
ES: The primary tool that we’ve used over time in support of farmland access is agricultural conservation easements—in particular, purchased easements. That works best for farmland access when there’s a farm that is ready to transition and an identified farmer who’s ready to buy it. The easement can offset the cost for the incoming farmer. When that has happened simultaneously (and reduced the purchase price in a property sale), it has created more affordable access for incoming farmers. But it doesn’t always happen that way. We also have recognized that that model still really relies on the incoming farmer having the ability to finance a significant land purchase, which excludes a lot of people. As we move forward, we know that we need to build off of that tool and figure out how to make that process more accessible to more people to create true affordability. We’re thinking about different ways of doing that, though I wouldn’t say we’ve gotten there yet.
Seynab Ali, Batula Ismail, Mohammed Abukar, and Jabril Abdi, the original members of New Roots Cooperative Farm, worked with MFT to find a permanent home for their farm. MFT used a Buy/Protect/Sell model to ensure the land was available as New Roots worked through a fundraising process to buy the farm outright. Photo © Alex Redfield
AR: Can you share what some of those ideas might be?
SB: Over the last few years, we’ve started more actively using a tool called the Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value (OPAV), which is an additional encumbrance that gets placed on a property, sometimes [simultaneously] with the easement and sometimes retroactively. We’re starting to noodle around a bit with the idea of using the OPAV by itself, without an easement. The idea is that this would suppress the [property’s] value at the time of the next sale.
For example, let’s say there’s a farm business where the farmer is retiring, the farmer owns the land and the business and they placed an easement on the property about a decade ago. Let’s say they’re now ready to sell, but they realize that, because of appreciation in the value of the business and the land, it’s still not affordable for an incoming farmer. Could we purchase an additional encumbrance on the property like an OPAV? The value of the OPAV would be calculated as the difference between the value of the property with its easement on the open market and the value of the property as home for an agricultural business.
One difficulty with that model is that it requires a complex appraisal and it’s challenging to determine that agricultural value. It gets additionally complex as development happens around farmland and [adjacent real estate values] get skewed. And then, when we’re talking about agricultural value, it’s tricky because we don’t necessarily quantify the difference between grassland for grazing of livestock versus laser-level flat tillable acres for crops. That’s kind of a muddy space that isn’t an exact science. But, that additional encumbrance has offered opportunities to reduce the price for new farmers coming in to purchase.
We had one really nice example of a generational transfer from a grandfather to a grandson, where an easement was already in place, but because the property was located in an area with really high development pressure outside of Portland, the grandson couldn’t afford it and the grandfather needed the capital for retirement. So, MFT placed an OPAV on the property that paid the grandfather. The value of the OPAV was sufficient for the owner to feel comfortable in retiring, and now the grandson is running the farm in Cumberland, Maine. That was an exciting example of us being able to add in one more layer of a tool and to create a pathway for access.
An OPAV addition to the easement on Wormell Farms in Cumberland helped Brendon and Brianna Wormell afford to purchase the farm from Brendon’s grandfather Lee. Photo courtesy of Maine Farmland Trust
One of the things we’ve noticed about our FarmLink program is that it is sort of like a dating app—it’s a matchmaking service. But you almost need a dating counselor to support that relationship development process. So, we’ve started to think about what it looks like if MFT gets more involved in that. What if MFT is holding the hands of both the landowner and the tenant through the lease development process and beyond? Often, the landowner has a lot of romantic ideas about what it’s going to look like to have farming on their property, and they may not be super realistic about all that’s going to be asked of them in terms of what they provide as the landlord. Then, as new tenants, young farmers are often just so excited and ambitious and eager to get on the land that they may say yes to things that don’t necessarily work for them long term or provide stability of tenure for them. Helping to broker that relationship is a place we’re thinking about getting more involved moving forward. Could we be a property management service where MFT provides some kind of buffer between the landowner and the farmer lessee?
Those are a few examples of how we’re thinking about creative ways we could engage with the landowners that we already know within our network of 345 easement-protected properties.
“Our work is about knitting those threads together, keeping farmland and farming together, ensuring that the people who are farming have what they need to thrive and to keep their businesses viable and successful.”
AR: I imagine Maine Farmland Trust may be one of the first points of contact for aspiring farmers as they try to figure out where they’re going to get started on their land search. Have you seen any trends or changes in the kind of person who wants to get started farming in Maine over the last few years? And could you describe a typical or common profile of someone who’s in that position of wanting to get started and reaching out for some land access support?
SB: I would say there’s probably not one mold, but generally we see a lot of entrepreneurial mission-driven folks. They come to farming with pretty deep values around food justice, environmental stewardship, and caring for their community. Many didn’t grow up on farms, and they often tend to come to [agriculture while] trying to balance an off-farm job of some kind with this entrepreneurial energy to build a business. That sort of financial situation in this landscape is challenging, but new farmers tend to be interested in diversified vegetable, small-scale livestock, or value-added product type operations. Increasingly they’re interested in climate-smart practices for their farms. But, I’d say the common need for all of them is land security and a need for secure land tenure in order to really bring their business ideas to fruition.
And, from a geographical perspective, we see a lot of interest around southern and central Maine. But the prices for land sort of push people farther out. Farmers are like everybody else in that they need child care and they need housing and they need community. And they want a market to sell their product into, so they don’t want to be too far away from services.
AR: Are landowners still interested in working with MFT to protect their land or make it more available? And on the other side, with all changes in both our environmental and political climates, are folks still looking to start farms?
ES: I think we’re really digging into this question as we refocus our farmland access work. Stacy alluded to all the easements we hold—we want to be following up with all those landowners to see who is interested in leasing that protected land out to farmers, and how much land like that is out there anyway? We do have landowners reaching out to us through FarmLink; now our role is evolving into coaching and vetting to make sure that the land that’s coming to FarmLink is well suited to agriculture and that those landowners are ready to engage with farmers. There’s still interest in farming in Maine. People still think of Maine as a place where there’s land available and as a good place to start a farm and to take advantage of all the support services we have here. I think we have all the ingredients here to work with; the next step is just a matter of navigating pinch points.
Those pinch points include how the post-pandemic real estate market has driven more development pressure as more people are moving to rural areas. We need to figure out how to help make farmland less competitive and more affordable. And, for all the reasons that Stacy outlined, the economics of farming are still hard. Small farmers in Maine are playing in this global market that doesn’t value what they’re doing. Whatever we can do in the policy arena or through the market to change that—it’s all necessary if more folks are going to see farming as a viable livelihood over the long term.
SB: I feel like those challenges [affordable land and the economics of production] are the two really big ones right now. I’ll just add that I think landowners are perpetually thinking about legacy. Landowners largely want to ensure that their land stays in farming. It’s transferring that land equitably and affordably, especially to farmers who haven’t historically had access to it—that’s where we need stronger systems and new tools that allow us to help those transfers happen. Even if landowners are able to protect the legacy of farming on their property, there’s still work to do to facilitate opportunities for farmers that may look at things differently or come from a different cultural background. How can we make that work and do it together?
We’re seeing a lot of momentum and real pressure on the land development side, but we do have more awareness than ever about the urgency of the work, partly because of climate change; partly supply chain vulnerabilities from COVID, like Ellen mentioned; and also an evolving arc of awareness about the importance of local food. So those are all in our favor, but at the same time the pressures in southern Maine, in particular, are strong. We’ve got the pressure of solar development. We’ve got an aging landowner population. We’ve got challenges in the dairy sector. Infrastructure just keeps getting more and more expensive. All of that effectively prices out the next generation of farmers. So how we figure out that puzzle and how we do it equitably is at the crux of the work.
ES: We’re actually really excited to connect with other folks who are thinking about these questions throughout the region and throughout the country. We don’t have a formal way to keep this conversation going at this point, but just reach out! There is a lot of thinking and conversation happening within our organization, and we’re definitely excited to tap into other brains that are thinking about this.
I’ve been listening to The Creative Act, a book about creative practice by audio engineer Rick Rubin. It introduces this theory that creative ideas are just…out there, or rather that they don’t just come from one person but that you kind of tap into ideas that are already out there in some way. Having conversations with people around the country that are thinking about farmland access work is an important way to help us tap into those creative ideas that are already out there.
SB: It’s really great to see that people are thinking about similar things in similar ways with slightly different considerations, and it’s really important to know that we’re all kind of grappling with this together and trying to find ways forward. Nobody’s figured it out yet in a perfect way, so the more that we can tap into that collective thinking and consciousness around these really complex issues, the better off we’ll be.
“People still think of Maine as a place where there’s land available and as a good place to start a farm and to take advantage of all the support services we have here. I think we have all the ingredients here to work with; the next step is just a matter of navigating pinch points.”
But, again, we have to really look at this work as a full ecosystem: land access, business viability, racial equity, climate resilience, market development—they’re all part of the same story. We’re trying to address those needs with balance and integrity, but recognizing that we’re not going to fix these things alone, we’re working to build trust with partners and with farmers and with land seekers and with consumers and with our members and more. So, we just keep asking questions. We keep asking: What makes farming work here in Maine, and what makes farming work long term? And then: How do we move our resources, our land, and our relationships toward that future with a vibrant rural economy and stores full of Maine-grown food?
AR: I think those questions are a perfect place to leave this conversation. Thanks again for sharing your perspectives and reflections.
Stacy Brenner is President & CEO of Maine Farmland Trust (MFT). Before stepping into the role in December 2024, Stacy had been engaged with MFT for 20 years, as a farmer leveraging Maine FarmLink and MFT’s Farm Business Planning programs, as a Board member, and on staff as Senior Advisor for Farmland Access. Stacy serves in the Maine Legislature as the State Senator from District 30, representing Gorham and parts of Scarborough. Stacy lives and farms at Broadturn Farm in Scarborough with her husband, John Bliss, and two daughters, Emma and Flora.
Ellen Sabina brings her passion for rural communities, farming and food, and narrative change to her work at MFT and has worked to champion local food and farmers for over 15 years. Ellen moved back to her home state of Maine in 2013 to lead MFT’s outreach and communications work, and in 2022 shifted into a new role to work across programs that foster engagement among farmers in MFT’s network, cultivating a culture that supports farmers and farming. Ellen is also currently Board President of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. She lives in Morrill, Maine, and can often be found in the fields at the tiny flower farm she co-operates, Half Hitch Flowers.
Alex Redfield is the Policy Director for Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities. On the farm, in state government, and in conservation policy circles, his work for the past 20 years has centered on supporting a just transition of New England’s landscape and food system toward an equitable future. He lives in South Portland, Maine.