Maine

Ellen Gibson, of Goodwill Industries of Northern New England, recently attended a day-long farm tour event hosted by the Farmer Veteran Coalition to support AgrAbility efforts with this group. The meeting, including a farm tour and locally sourced barbeque, was held at Ireland Hill Farms to spark renewed interest in the development of a Maine chapter of FVC. Jerry Ireland was honored as the first Maine veteran to use the brand “Homegrown by Heroes.” As a result of this event, Maine AgrAbility will be working with three new clients.

http://www.foxbangor.com/news/local-news/10494-state-of-maine-joins-homegrown-by-heroes-program.html
This is an article on progress being made by the Farmer Veteran Coalition in Maine. Maine encountered some stumbling blocks in trying to form a state chapter. Now the national FVC has established protocol to guide this process.

Maine Project Coordinator Lani Carlson recently attended the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference (AM-PIC) in Sioux Falls, SD. Lani received the National Award in the Search for Excellence - Farm Health & Safety category, presenting the success and impacts of the Maine AgrAbility project in Maine.

Submitted by Lani Carlson