Jackson speaks with WABI at Maine Farmland Trust conference

Tori Jackson, an associate professor of agriculture and natural resources with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, spoke with WABI (Channel 5) at a Maine Farmland Trust conference. For the last three years, the conference has been bringing farmers, service providers, and current and future landowners together to make connections and discuss issues related to Maine’s changing farmlands, WABI reported. Jackson and several other advisory council members of the Beginning Farmer Resource Network (BFRN), which was co-founded by UMaine Extension, spoke at the conference. Organizers said land access is a major issue in ensuring a strong agricultural economy in Maine and one of the biggest hurdles new farmers face when it comes to finding property they can live and work on affordably while developing a successful business. “Whether it’s price, location, conservation easements, all of those things,” said Jackson, chair of BFRN.