Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. I I JA N UA R Y 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 12 T ractors, harvesters, tillers and seeds filled the Augusta Civic Center Jan. 10-12 as the 76 th annual Maine Agricultural Trades Show came to town, bringing in the most attendees and exhibitors ever. "We drew more than 5,000 attend- ees and 120 exhibitors," says John Bott, spokesman for the show's sponsor, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. "Dozens of organizations hold their annual meetings here, and there are classes. We had more people than ever." e Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and the Maine Cheese Guild were among those holding meetings. A Maine meat workshop released the results of e Reinvestment Funds 2016 Supply Chain Matrix study of the red meat industry in New England. Bott attributes the rush to good weather and more promotion of the show over the past four years, includ- ing ramping up social media and pro- viding an insert for all the major daily newspapers in the state. "It reflects the overall trend of Maine agriculture," he says of the packed house. "A rising tide lifts all boats." Notably, he says the hops class was packed, as that's a growing area for farmers in the state with the continu- ing strong demand for craft beers. e department also expanded beginner farming classes and set them up by how long the people have been farming. e last census by the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that overall in the United States, the number of farms fell by 5%, but in Maine they increased, especially because of the influx of young farmers to the state, he adds. Also popular were workshops on how to scale up a farm and those explaining the USDA's new Food Safety and Modernization Act and what farms need to do to meet its requirements, he says. Renewable energy financing Renewable energy sessions also drew a lot of attention for those hoping to reduce their energy costs using renew- able energy derived from wind, solar and biomass. Sue Jones, president of Community Energy Partners and sub-contractor to the Greater Portland Council of Governments, and Brian Wilson, busi- ness and cooperative programs special- ist for the USDA in Maine, talked about grants and loans for farmers and rural small businesses through the Rural Energy for America Program. The 76th annual Maine Agricultural Trades Show attracted the most attendees and exhibitors in the event's history. Sue Jones, president of Community Energy Partners, and Brian Wilson, business and cooperative programs specialist at the USDA, spoke at the show. Jones urged greater use of biomass energy, while Wilson encouraged farmers to improve energy efficiency. P H O T O / L O R I VA L I G R A P H O T O S / L O R I VA L I G R A Can't be a food hub without farmers Annual Maine farm show draws largest crowd in 76 years B y L o r i V a l i g r a

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