2020 Maine Drought and Agriculture Report

Widespread drought in 2020 affected agriculture across the state of Maine. In response, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) activated permissions for emergency haying and grazing of acres normally set aside through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). In September, FSA additionally designated Aroostook County (home to Maine’s potato industry) as a primary national disaster area, opening the door for producers in Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, and Washington Counties who were negatively impacted by the drought to access federal emergency loans.

This week, the University of Maine School of Food and Agriculture, in cooperation with University of Maine Extensions and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), released a report documenting the effects of the 2020 drought on Maine agriculture. This report documents the experiences of agricultural producers from a variety of sectors, specifically their experiences with drought and its effects in 2020 and the five years prior.