For Immediate Release
Monday, July 20,
2015
Contact: Samantha Howard (207) 287-7620
26th Annual Maine
Open Farm Day
A Maine
tradition, farms will open their gates to the public this Sunday
AUGUSTA – Visit select Maine farms this Sunday, July 26. All across
the State of Maine, close to 100 family farms will open their doors to the
public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Held each
year, Open Farm Day is an opportunity for consumers to learn about Maine food
producers and for farms to show the public their products.
“On behalf of Maine citizens, I thank our farmers and producers for their work bringing fresh and
natural products to our tables every day,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “This is an
exciting time for Maine-made products and Maine agriculture. The number of
Maine farms is on the rise and so is the market value of our agricultural
products. Since the last Census of Agriculture, the market value of Maine’s
agricultural products has increased 24%. At a time when the number of farms in
the United States is declining, the number of Maine farms has increased to
8,174, up from 7,196 in 2002. This growth coincides with renewed consumer interest
in locally grown foods.”
Maine
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Commissioner Walt
Whitcomb urged families to “take advantage of this day to connect to life on
the farm.” “There is a story, even a lesson that surrounds all the food and
other farm products that we grow right here in Maine,” said Whitcomb. “While
traveling to Maine farms on Open Farm Day, people will drive by hay fields,
potato and grain fields, farm wood lots, orchards and large vegetable patches
all growing crops that feed the economy before they fill dinner plates or
supply other products that are important to our lives.”
Open Farm
Day is an annual family event that connects consumers with the men and women
who help produce their food. Farms throughout Maine will open their gates to
offer the public an opportunity to learn about the business of
agriculture. Many farms will have demonstrations, displays, farm-raised
products for sale and animals and crops to experience.
Activities
may include barn and field tours, milking, hay rides, petting zoos, nature
trails, beautiful scenery, samples for tasting and refreshments. Events like
Open Farm Day have an impact on the Agri-Tourism in the State of Maine.
According to the USDA, in 2012, AG Tourism &
Recreational Services in Maine increased 78% (Increasing from $1,012,000 to
$1,803,000) and participating farms increased by 141% (112 to 270 farms).
Now is a great time for consumers to visit and support Maine’s
farms and be part of the growing support for locally grown foods. According to
Gary Keough, New England Field Office State Statistician, National Agricultural
Statistics Service, “the average size of a Maine farm is 178
acres, up seven percent since 2007. Organic production and aquaculture sales
increased from the last Census and the value of aquaculture sales increased
from $26.3 million to $75.1 million (ranking us eighth nationally); organic
products increased from $23.3 million to $36.4 million.”
For
more details on participating farms visit:
http://www.getrealmaine.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/home.showpage/pageID/119/preview/true
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