Mitchell Center to host talk on dealing with drought, meeting the needs of farmers, March 27

The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine will host a talk, “Dealing with Drought: Aligning farmer needs and advisor confidence, skills, and expertise” on Monday, March 27 at 3 p.m. 

Rachel Schattman, assistant professor of sustainable agriculture at the University of Maine in the School of Food and Agriculture, will be the featured speaker. In 2020–21, Schattman and her 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, 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. In this talk, Schattman will share the results of these studies. Attendees are also invited to share their thoughts on where Maine can and should invest to attend to this growing challenge.

  All talks in the Mitchell Center’s Sustainability Talks series are free and are offered both remotely via Zoom and in person at 107 Norman Smith Hall. Registration is required to attend remotely; to register and receive connection information, see the event webpage.

Please note that face coverings are required for all persons attending Mitchell Center Sustainability Talks. 

Updates for this event will be posted to the event webpage. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Ruth Hallsworth, 207.581.3196 or hallsworth@maine.edu.