“Farming is a Public Service: How Public Dollars Support America’s Food System and Rural Economies in a Way That Benefits Us All ”

Americans have traditionally enjoyed lower grocery bills than many of our global counterparts, yet food insecurity and inflation have risen sharply in recent years, threatening to derail household budgets — even for those growing the food. With more than half of all Maine farms operating at a net loss, it is clear that the cost of production is outpacing the financial capacity of the consumer. The first food assistance program was created in 1939 as part of the federal response to the Dust Bowl crisis when the U.S. government recognized the need to move public dollars into the agricultural sector. With programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) creating a measurable economic multiplier effect, why do our policymakers struggle to define the need for publicly funded agricultural support programs? Keynote speakers Jim Hightower, radio commentator, author, and former Texas Agriculture Commissioner, and Rhiannon Hampson, farmer and rural development specialist, will make the case for public funding for Maine’s farms and food consumers. Joined by Sarah Alexander, executive director of MOFGA, the two will discuss where we’re headed and what’s needed to build a food system that works for everyone.

Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, New York Times best-selling author, and twice-elected Texas Agriculture Commissioner who has spent four decades championing ordinary Americans against corporate and political elites. Known as “America’s most popular populist,” he broadcasts daily radio commentaries to over 150 stations, publishes the monthly newsletter “The Hightower Lowdown,” and delivers more than 100 speeches annually across the country. His seven books, including bestsellers like “Thieves In High Places” and “There’s Nothing In the Middle Of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos,” combine serious political analysis with his trademark Texas humor. Hightower believes the true political divide is not left versus right but top versus bottom, advocating for the 80% of Americans he says have been left behind by Washington and Wall Street powers.

Rhiannon Hampson, alongside her husband Gregg Stiner and their family, runs Grace Pond Farm, a certified organic dairy and pastured livestock farm in Thomaston, Maine. Having spent decades in advocacy and public policy, Hampson has worked off-farm for Congresswoman Pingree and recently served the Biden-Harris Administration as the presidentially appointed Maine state director for USDA Rural Development. Now at Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Hampson continues to champion Maine’s heritage industries and rural economic development.