The talk will be held virtually via Zoom and in-person at 107 Norman Smith Hall, UMaine.

• Virtual attendance: Complete the registration form to receive Zoom connection information.
• In-person attendance: Masks are required for all Mitchell Center talks.

Speaker: Rachel Schattman, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Maine

What do farmers need in order to adapt to increasingly common droughts in Maine? And does Maine have the professional expertise among its agricultural advisors to provide it? In 2020-2021, Dr. Rachel Schattman and colleagues conducted two complementary investigations: In the first, they asked farmers what kind of information, technical advice, or financial support they needed to deal with both too much and not enough water. In the second investigation, they asked agricultural advisors (those who provide services directly to the agricultural community on a regular basis) to share their perspectives on what skills and bodies of knowledge are needed to help farmers address water-related concerns, and whether Maine organizations currently have the capacity to meet farmer needs. Join us to hear the results of these studies, and share your thoughts on where Maine can and should invest to attend to this growing challenge.

Dr. Rachel E. Schattman is an Assistant Professor of Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Maine, in the School of Food and Agriculture. She leads the Agroecology Lab, is a Faculty Fellow with the Mitchell Center, and a Faculty Affiliate with the University of Maine Climate Change Institute. As a former commercial vegetable farmer and Extension professional, she is deeply invested in applied research that meets the needs of agricultural stakeholders. She uses participatory action research to support farming communities to address the challenges of climate change.