RUMFORD – Plans are under way to showcase the many agricultural products grown and sold in Oxford County.

Annette Marin, owner of No View Farm on South Rumford Road, said Tuesday that groups including a local organization that aims to turn the former Dixfield Opera House into a local food production facility have begun planning for an Agricultural Expo to take place as early as next year. Groups also include the Threshold of Maine, and the Western Mountains Alliance.

“We want to keep agriculture vibrant in Oxford County,” she told the 20 or so people who turned out at Tuesday’s River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition meeting.

Planning meetings have been ongoing throughout the county, she said, with the next one set for Oct. 30 in Paris.

Three meetings specific to planning the expo and to discuss the ripple effect of agriculture, the future of agriculture and local food security have been set for Feb. 12 and 27 and March 12. Meetings will be held in the southern, central and northern sections of the county, including Rumford. The meetings will include consumers, farmers and service providers.

“We want meetings for the general public,” added Marin.

In a related matter, Becky Welsh, president of Western Mountains Alliance, said a conference on local food production has been scheduled for Oct. 6 and 7 at the University of Maine at Farmington.