In 2025, Maine is celebrating the Year of Youth in Agriculture, an initiative dedicated to inspiring and supporting the next generation of farmers, foresters, and agricultural leaders.

Real Maine will be spotlighting farms and producers incorporating youth and youth initiatives, including Martin Woods Farm - read how their farm inspires and supports the next generation of farmers, foresters, and agricultural leaders.

We're looking for more farms and producers to spotlight during this Year of Youth In Agriculture in Maine! What does “youth in agriculture” mean to you and your business? Email us at DACFRealMaine@maine.gov to let us know!

The Maine Senior FarmShare Program's participant 2025 enrollment started April 1.

Through MSFP, farmers provide fresh, unprocessed, locally grown produce directly to eligible older adults. Each participant receives a $50 share during the growing season. All produce is grown in Maine and may include fruits, vegetables, culinary herbs, and honey.

Older adults who benefit from MSFP must sign up directly with participating farms throughout the state or with one of the enrolled farmers’ markets.

Lists of farms and farmers’ markets by county, as well as eligibility guidelines, are available on the MSFP website. Additionally, farms participating in the MSFP can be found on the Real Maine website.

This project has been funded at least in part by Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Bowdoin College in Brunswick serves 2,000 students in two dining halls. According to its website, “local purchasing is elemental to Bowdoin's sustainability mission for two reasons: environmental and community impact.” The college estimates that approximately 30 percent of the food served is local—from Maine or within 250 miles of its campus—and plans to increase that by 1 percent yearly. Two purchasing coordinators help source local food directly from farms and food producers and through their food distributor. 

The college purchases more than 67,000 pounds of squash, carrots, green peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, corn, and zucchini from R. Belanger & Sons Farms annually. They buy apples and cider from Greenwoods Orchards, beef from L.P. Bisson and Sons, chicken from Maine Family Farms, tofu from Heiwa Tofu, milk from HP Hood, and bread from Lepage Bakeries. They also purchase white fish from Maine Shellfish Company and lobster from Ready Seafood, and 65 percent of the seafood they purchase is certified sustainably harvested in the Gulf of Maine by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

Bowdoin also has a half-acre organic farm that works closely with the dining program and is an educational resource for the students. The farm typically grows higher-value crops such as greens, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, and eggplants, and estimates that it provides approximately 10,000 pounds of produce to the kitchens. The dining department has also collaborated with sustainability courses to create educational posters about the local food in the dining halls.

To learn more about Maine’s Local Foods Procurement Program, and how to help Maine’s state-funded institutions achieve farm-to-institution goals, reach out to Brittany Peats, Maine DACF Institutional Market Development Coordinator, at brittany.peats@maine.gov.

The Maine School Garden Network has launched a new fundraiser - the 2026 School Garden of the Month Calendar.

Twelve school gardens in Maine have been selected to be in the inaugural calendar from photographs entered by Maine school gardens who are listed in MSGN's Garden Directory.

Calendars can be ordered now and will be shipped starting in May. For more information, go to msgn.org and click on the Calendar button at the top of the page.

ALSO: Maine School Garden Day 2025 will be held on Saturday, May 10th, at Messalonskee High School in Oakland. Find out more and register here.

From squash, carrots, and winter storage crops to microgreens and frozen Maine wild blueberries, an abundance of in-season fruits and vegetables is a feast for the palette; incorporate fresh and vibrant Maine fruits and vegetables into your daily meals.

Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that takes several years to get established, but can live for many years if cared for properly. It’s one of the earliest “hefty” vegetables to market, and is highly sought after by food lovers.

Explore What's In Season

Be sure to sign up for virtual and in-person sessions offered at this year's Maine Food Convergence. 

The goal of the 2025 Convergence Event is to co-create a space for the Convergence Community to explore how shifts in the food system can advance social and racial equity while also increasing climate resilience.

The Maine Food Convergence Project increases the public’s understanding that those with firsthand knowledge hold the keys to how programs, menus, services, and policies can be most impactful. 

Did you know that the 2021 and 2023 Convergences grew roots that led to the Maine Marinara Collaborative/Maine Greens Collaborative, the Local Food Switchboard Project, Cross-sector communications strategies, food policy coalitions, and many more connections and collaborations?

Join the conversation at the 2025 Convergence!

Mark McBrine has been selected as the Director of From Farm to Table for the Maine Department of Corrections.

McBrine has worked as Food Service Manager at the Mountain View Correctional Facility. His leadership has earned the MDOC's team national recognition from organizations like Impact Justice and The Vera Institute. His efforts have been covered by media outlets, including the Portland Press Herald and The New York Times, and are the focus of the recent documentary "Seeds of Change." In 2022, McBrine was awarded food services operator of the year by the Association of Correctional Food Service Affiliates.

In his new position, McBrine will coordinate local purchasing, manage food processing, assist with scratch-cooking opportunities, and lead agricultural efforts.

Use this trip-building tool and save your next Maine agritourism adventure. Whether you’re a Maine resident looking to travel to a new region of the state, or you’re a visitor planning for a future trip, there is an agritourism activity or event to satisfy all ages and interests. 

There are many upcoming events where you can interact with Real Maine members and their farms and businesses. Use the Events Calendar on RealMaine.com to help you plan your Real Maine experiences. Real Maine members - submit your event for the calendar!

Real Maine members have access to all Real Maine merchandise, including stickers, flags, hang tags, manager signs, aprons, and more.

Email DACFRealMaine@maine.gov to let us know what other promotional items you would like to see available to Real Maine members.