Maine Farmland Trust

Come grow the future for farming with us at MFT!

Help us spread the word: we're looking for a passionate advocate and inspiring leader to serve as President and CEO. The president and CEO oversees and guides strategy for public engagement and philanthropy and works in close collaboration with MFT’s leadership team to advance the organization’s strategic vision, deepening its impact. The president and CEO is instrumental in broadening MFT’s base of support, inspiring new levels of public and private commitment and enduring partnerships, including through the planning and execution of comprehensive fundraising campaigns; further magnifying farmers’ voices; and accelerating the changes needed to serve Maine farmers, secure Maine farmland, and protect Maine’s future. More information & how to apply: https://lnkd.in/e_ayAWMR

This week Governor Janet Mills announced new Land for Maine's Future projects, including four farms MFT is partnering with to protect by leveraging this public funding. Protecting farmland to ensure that it can continue to feed our rural communities and economies is critical to our state's future, and that's something we can all invest in by supporting public funding for farmland protection through programs like LMF. Thanks, Maine! https://lnkd.in/e2MUN-RF

This week Governor Janet Mills announced new Land for Maine's Future projects, including four farms MFT is partnering with to protect by leveraging this public funding. Protecting farmland to ensure that it can continue to feed our rural communities and economies is critical to our state's future, and that's something we can all invest in by supporting public funding for farmland protection through programs like LMF. Thanks, Maine! https://lnkd.in/e2MUN-RF

Are you interested in collaborative partnerships and advancing strategies to grow a thriving future for Maine farms? Join our team! We’re currently hiring for two roles: Municipal Policy Planner and Executive Assistant. The Municipal Policy Planner offers a unique opportunity to work closely with Maine towns on farm-friendly policy and planning initiatives. This role manages MFT's efforts to provide information and technical assistance to municipal officials and communities across the state that want to enact municipal policies or engage in planning processes to better support farming and farmland protection efforts within their communities. The deadline for Municipal Policy Planner applications is August 21st, 2024. The Executive Assistant is a full-time position providing general support to the President & CEO, Vice President & CFO, and Leadership Team to develop and advance the strategic objectives of the organization, including supporting the creation and advancement of Leadership Team initiatives; supporting coordination of the Board and Board Committees; advancing key organizational projects and convenings; and managing the Portland office property and budget. The priority deadline for Executive Assistant applications is August 16th, 2024. For more information about these roles, check out the job postings at the link below. MFT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. People from diverse backgrounds, including those traditionally underrepresented in agricultural leadership, are encouraged to apply. https://lnkd.in/e_ayAWMR

Passionate about protecting Maine farmland? Join our team! We’re currently hiring for two roles: MFT Farmland Protection Project Manager / NRCS Easement Specialist and Farmland Protection & Stewardship Administrative Assistant. The MFT Farmland Protection Project Manager / NRCS Easement Specialist offers a unique opportunity to work closely with Maine Farmland Trust and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), supporting the promotion and administration of NRCS easement programs. The Project Manager/Easement Specialist will be employed and supervised by MFT staff as a member of MFT’s Farmland Protection team, while working closely and learning from NRCS staff. The Farmland Protection and Stewardship Administrative Assistant provides general support for the operations of Maine Farmland Trust’s Farmland Protection and Stewardship departments. For more information about these roles, check out the job postings at the link below. Priority deadline for applications is July 5th. MFT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. People from diverse backgrounds, including those traditionally underrepresented in agricultural leadership, are encouraged to apply. https://lnkd.in/e3hqUjte

We are excited to share that we are hiring for our next President & CEO at Maine Farmland Trust. This important leadership role oversees and guides strategy for public engagement and philanthropy and works in close collaboration with MFT’s leadership team to advance the organization’s strategic vision, deepening its impact. The President and CEO is instrumental in broadening MFT’s base of support, inspiring new levels of public and private commitment and enduring partnerships, including through the planning and execution of comprehensive fundraising campaigns; further magnifying farmers’ voices; and accelerating the changes needed to serve Maine farmers, secure Maine farmland, and protect Maine’s future. Interested candidates can find more information about the role, read the full leadership statement, and learn how to apply on our website (linked below). The application deadline is Friday, June 28th, and review of all submissions will begin immediately thereafter. We look forward to hearing from you. https://lnkd.in/e3hqUjte

Are you excited by the prospect of working with Maine Farmland Trust to support the long-term viability and resiliency of farms in Maine? Positions for our MFT/NRCS Conservation and Climate Planner, Climate Resilience Program Manager, and Farm Business Planning Project Manager are now open and we would love to hear from you! The MFT/NRCS Conservation and Climate Planner role offers a unique opportunity to work closely with Maine Farmland Trust (MFT) and NRCS, supporting the enrollment of farmers and landowners in Farm Bill programs while also providing technical assistance to farmers to create holistic climate adaptation plans and access additional sources of funding. The Climate Resilience Program Manager leads MFT’s Climate Resilience Program, which is staffed by a small cross-departmental team consisting of three shared staff positions. As team leader, the Climate Resilience Program Manager coordinates team meetings, develops connections with other MFT programs, supports outreach for the program to farmers and the general public and is responsible for identifying and pursuing opportunities to sustain or expand climate resilience programs at MFT. The Farm Business Planning Project Manager provides direct technical assistance and training to farmers participating in MFT’s Farm Business Planning program, in service of helping farmers move towards their self-determined business goals and long-term sustainability. This includes building trusting, honest relationships with farmers, identifying and clarifying goals and challenges within a business, and creating action plans to address those goals and challenges. For more information about these three roles check out the job postings linked below. Priority deadline for applications is May 31st. MFT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. People from diverse backgrounds, including those traditionally underrepresented in agricultural leadership, are encouraged to apply. https://lnkd.in/e_ayAWMR

In case you missed it- the Second Edition of Cultivating Maine’s Agricultural Future: A Policy and Planning Guide for Towns was recently released! An update to the original 2011 publication by Maine Farmland Trust, American Farmland Trust, and the Mainewatch Institute, MFT produced this Second Edition in 2024 in collaboration with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. We are extremely grateful to the many town officials, farmers, partner organizations, and other municipal and agricultural stakeholders across the state and region who contributed insight and information for updating this important resource. Access the full guide here- https://lnkd.in/eQyU7_-i

It's not every day you get to visit the White House! Last week we traveled to DC to share how Maine farms - and our food and farming system as a whole - can become more profitable and resilient with access to federal programs. MFT's Katie Boss joined community leaders and organizations across northern New England at "Communities in Action: Building a Better Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont," a roundtable discussion with Biden-Harris Administration staffers and Cabinet members about the work we are doing in our communities to strengthen our local and regional economies, bolstered by investments from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Through the IRA, over 90 grants have been distributed to Maine farms through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), enabling them to construct new high tunnels to extend their growing season and add storage capacity for fall crops, install energy-efficient heating and renewable energy resources to alleviate costs and carbon footprints, and grow soil health and improve water management systems to become more resilient to the impacts of climate change. And with funding from the ARPA, the DACF's Agricultural Infrastructure Investment Program delivered nearly $20 million in grants to 64 farms and food processors to expand Maine's in-state food production and processing, as part of Governor Mills' Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan. ARPA funding also fueled the USDA FSA's Land, Capital, and Market Access Program to increase access to farmland and business sustainability for underserved producers. We applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for recognizing that Maine’s 7,036 farm businesses are significant rural economic development engines, and for championing these investments in Maine’s farms so that our agricultural sector can grow the infrastructure needed to increase production, create more jobs, and remain resilient into the future. Here are a few pictures from the roundtable, including some friendly faces from Maine: Katie Boss (right) is pictured here with Maureen Drouin (center), ED of Maine Conservation Voters and Charles Rudelitch (left), ED of the Sunrise County Economic Council