TURNER — Clumped like the apples hanging on the trees behind them, a group of Maine farmers, state lawmakers and small-business owners stood behind Republican U.S. House candidate Kevin Raye on Thursday as he spoke about the challenges facing family farms.

On a two-day trip across Maine’s vast 2nd Congressional District, Raye said he was heartened by the support he’s seeing from farmers as he works to defeat the Democratic incumbent, U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud.

Raye, the outgoing Maine Senate president, stopped by Ricker Hill Orchard with Rep. Jeff Timberlake, R-Turner. Timberlake’s family has owned the orchard for generations.

Raye, a family business owner himself, said he could relate to the struggles of the working family farm. He also took the opportunity to tout his recent endorsement by the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

He spoke about the urgency needed in extending federal tax breaks set to expire in December, including one that exempts family farms worth less than $5 million from a federal inheritance tax.

“We are about to revert back to the oppressive death tax that makes it more difficult for Maine’s family farmers and small businesses to pass that business along to the next generation and ensure the survival of those jobs and that economic driver across our state,” Raye said.

Raye and Timberlake, along with Rep. Russell Black, R-Wilton, also spoke about recent state law changes they helped advance in the Legislature in 2012, including regulatory reform that reduced some of the constraints on farmers regarding the use of pesticides and other chemicals in Maine.

Timberlake said many of the reforms were common sense, and Raye said most were aimed at creating a more business-friendly culture in state government.

“Day in and day out as I travel across the state, I am hearing from small-business people who are spending more time dealing with paperwork and trying to make sure they don’t run afoul of federal regulation,” Raye said.

“They are seeing the impact of the reforms we brought to Augusta, where state government is changing its regulatory culture,” Raye said, “to one of helping small-business people achieve what is required rather than viewing themselves as the hammer that’s going to come down in sort of a punitive way.”

Raye said that’s the kind of change he wants to bring to Washington. 

He also took the opportunity to challenge Michaud’s low ranking with the American Farm Bureau Federation and his lack of support from the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

He compared Michaud’s 11 percent approval rating from the Farm Bureau to the 70 percent ranking held by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. He said Michaud received a “zero” score from the NFIB.

Michaud’s campaign responded, saying the rankings of the Farm Bureau were based on 10 votes that were largely on issues that would have hurt Maine’s small farms. Three of those votes were on free-trade agreements that Michaud opposed, Michaud campaign spokesman Dan Cashman said.

“I’m surprised that Kevin Raye would cite inside-the-beltway vote ratings to attack Mike Michaud,” Cashman said. “If he’s using those votes against Mike, he must be saying that he supports the three damaging free-trade agreements they scored. He must also want to keep in place the massive subsidies that go to major agribusinesses outside of Maine. 

Cashman said Michaud has been a consistent fighter for Maine farmers.

“He’s secured critical funding for blueberry and potato research,” Cashman said. “He’s fought to change federal farm policy to benefit specialty crops grown in Maine. He has also stood by our dairy producers, reconstituted the Congressional Dairy Caucus and worked to open export opportunities for cattle.”

He said the rankings Raye was touting were from partisan groups and groups that supported more free trade with Asia. 

“While Mike Michaud was in Norridgewock (at a New Balance factory) today fighting for Maine jobs, his opponent was touting numbers from an organization that supports a partnership that would directly hurt Maine businesses,” Cashman said. “That is a stark difference between the two candidates in terms of staying focused on what makes a difference for Maine families.”

 sthistle@sunjournal.com

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