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LD 437 – An Act To Establish the Maine Healthy Soils Program
Sponsored by Senator Stacy Brenner
Summary: This is MOFGA’s top legislative priority and we’re working closely with Maine Farmland Trust and the Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club to advance this important bill. Maintaining soil organic matter levels is at the heart of organic farming. Not only does organic matter improve structure, but it is the key to supporting the dynamic balance of the soil system by feeding bacterial and animal life as well as plants. Farmers across the management spectrum reap benefits from healthy soils practices especially as they face dramatic shifts in weather patterns. The goal of this legislation is to create a one-stop shop for farmers seeking healthy soils information including: healthy soils management practices; technical assistance services provided by both governmental and non-governmental entities; connections to farmers who are using these practices successfully; and funding opportunities to support the use of these practices. The Program would have a fund associated with it that could receive state funding in future years, but, in the interim, could be a depository for any federal or philanthropic funding.
Status: This bill has been assigned to the Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. A public hearing will take place on Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. You may submit written comments and/or register to give oral testimony here.