New “MaineGrown by Vets” label. First in the USA!
Press Release
Contact: Mark Wellman
United Farmer Veterans
45 Columbia St
Bangor, Maine 04401
Phone 207-478-7723
ufvmaine@gmail.com
United Farmer Veterans of Maine & Agriculture Commissioner to sign agreement on November 18th
Bangor, Maine - The United Farmer Veterans of Maine is
honored to announce an agreement between our organization
and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to promote and market Maine veteran grown agricultural products. The agreement signifies mutual marketing efforts to promote a new “MaineGrown by
Vets” label. The label will offer all Maine veterans the
opportunity to showcase their products as a veteran produced
product off a veteran owned farm in Maine.
This official
signing will be the capstone event this coming weekend at the Annual Meeting of
UFVM at their Bangor offices located at 45 Columbia Street, Bangor, Maine on November 18.
This agreement is very important in showing all military
and veterans across America that Maine is not only open for Agricultural
business, but our State has opened “both barn doors” to any and all military
and veterans looking for a great place to move, retire, or begin farming. The
future of Maine agriculture is promising, and with veterans, that
future looks even better. What a way to honor our veterans here in Maine by
purchasing a local Maine grown product from a veteran owned farm!
About “MaineGrown by Vets”
United Farmer Veterans of Maine is a 501c3 nonprofit
organization with members in three distinctions: Veterans, Patriots and
Associates. Its goals include promoting and educating veteran owned
agribusinesses, developing expanding marketing opportunities, and providing
jobs and housing for transitioning veterans who have an interest in farming.
UFVM also provides community breakfasts, education for prospective new veteran
farmers, a Pets for Vets program, and additional services.
UFVM is proud to announce its new “MaineGrown by Vets”
label. This new label appeared on a limited number of products last this summer
on veteran farms across Maine. It replaces the previous label
“Homegrown by Heroes” that was used here in Maine until July 2016, when its MOU
with the Farmer Veterans Coalition in Davis, CA expired.
Many Maine veterans, especially our brothers and sisters who
fought in the Vietnam War, did not as a whole embrace the “notion” that they
were “heroes” and many struggled to label their products that way. With no
other choice at the time, some Maine veterans joined because there was no other
option. UFVM in order to better serve all it member veterans developed over
several months a process to replace the “Heroes” label with this new MaineGrown
by Vets brand.
This challenge created an opportunity for veterans all
across Maine to get involved in a 9-month process to create a label ALL
veterans in Maine could proudly display on their products.
Upon completion the new label was a huge success for ALL our
veterans.
- It “looked agricultural”
- It put “Maine First” & allows each
individual state to maintain ownership
- It identified “Vets” not soldiers in the label
- At markets across the state it made the veteran
labeled products “fit-in” with other labels in agriculture
UFVM believes ALL veterans from ALL eras of service are very
important in building the future agricultural economy of Maine, as well as the
rest of the country. This new label marks not only a new future for veteran
produced products in Maine, but it sets an example that can be duplicated in
all 50 states.
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