‘At a crossroads’: Maine farmers call for Congress to act on climate change

With a large portion of Maine currently in moderate or severe drought, climate change is a front-of-the-line issue for Stacy Brenner and other farmers around the state. 

That’s why Brenner, an organic farmer from Scarborough running for the Senate District 30 seat as a Democrat, was one of 135 Maine farmers who recently signed a letter urging action on climate change that was delivered to the U.S. House Select Committee. 

The letter, which was also signed by over 2,100 farmers and ranchers around the country, says increased weather extremes — such as floods, droughts and heat waves — represent a grave threat to farms. However, it notes that not all communities have the same ability to fight back.

“Our rural communities lack the resources and infrastructure, making them especially vulnerable to climate change impacts,” the letter reads. Maine was the most rural state in the country, according to the last U.S. Census. 

“We recognize that these challenges are not experienced equally — disproportionately affecting socially disadvantaged communities, especially farmers and ranchers of color,” the letter continues. 

The document calls for agriculture to be part of the solution when it comes to climate change, noting that by “improving soil health and increasing soil organic matter on our farms and ranches,” farmers can “draw down atmospheric carbon levels at the root of climate change.” 

In addition, the farmers call for action at the national level to help reduce the risk to farms that implement more environmentally-friendly practices through investing funds in technical assistance as well as providing financial and research help. 

“No climate policy at the national level will be complete or effective without recognizing the role agriculture must play in avoiding the worst impacts of climate change, reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing our carbon sinks and our resiliency,” the letter states. 

Farming-centered efforts to fight climate change have been put forward at the national level by Maine U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat. In February, Pingree introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act, which aims to give “farmers the tools they need to become net-zero by 2040.” 

In contrast, Sen. Susan Collins has taken a series of votes that have contributed to making climate change worse.  

Brenner said Collins doesn’t seem to see farms as part of the fight against climate change. 

“I think that [Collins] comes from a place where she’s not thinking about farms as social entrepreneur enterprises,” she said. “A social entrepreneur is thinking about people, profit, planet as three equal legs on a stool to hold up that business. Farms have the capacity to do that, and I’m not sure she’s as interested in that outcome.”  

‘Stewards of the land’

Brenner said she signed the climate change letter because of the dramatic changes to Maine’s climate and weather pattern that have occurred over a relatively short amount of time. 

“[Farmers] are constantly paying attention to and aware of weather and weather trends and climate change,” she said. “In the 20 years I’ve been in Maine farming, things have definitely changed. We’ve had droughts pretty consistently for the last few years. So we’re working hard to be mindful about how to have our soils be retaining as much moisture and nutrients as possible.” 

State Rep. Craig Hickman, a Democrat, agreed that droughts have worsened in Maine. Hickman, who owns an organic farm in Winthrop, praised the climate letter for putting farmers at the forefront of the fight against rising temperatures.  

“Any effort anywhere in the nation from any group that would ask policymakers to consider food production, agriculture, farming and the regeneration of rural America to be an essential part of what we have to do to maintain our habitat is an effort that should be applauded,” Hickman said.

Hickman added that farmers who see themselves as stewards of the land know that now is the time to take action to combat climate change. He cited the changes in Maine’s climate in the past decade and increased drought as an issue Maine farmers of all political stripes can join together to fight against. 

“We’re at a crossroads in a lot of different ways, and I just think that farmers are going to be leading the way,” he said. 

Photo: Garlic at Stacy Brenner’s Broadturn Farm. Photo via Facebook.