Rebar speaks with media about University of Maine System’s local food pledge

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

September 1, 2015 Cooperative Extension, Outreach, UMaine in the News

John Rebar, executive director of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, was quoted in reports by the Portland Press Herald and WVII (Channel 7) on the University of Maine System announcing its pledge to offer 20 percent local food by 2020. “Maine agriculture is passing the test,” Rebar told the Press Herald of being able to supply enough food for the state’s university students. “We have the most diverse agriculture in New England. By some measures we are second only in the nation to Vermont in terms of interest in local foods.” The Bangor Daily News also reported on the pledge, stating that while UMaine in Orono, which operates on a separate contract, already draws about 18 percent of its food from local sources, and plans to hit the 20 percent mark by 2020. “For 150 years, the University of Maine has really served agriculture with education and applied research. Now we’re going to be a customer of the very folks we’ve worked with so it’s really very exciting,” Rebar told WVII.