WEST PARIS — On four acres of farmland on Stearns Hill in West Paris, Janelle Plummer and Ross Spencer, owners of New Spoke Farm, are facing a setback.

“This grant had the opportunity to be transformational and let us leap ahead in some of the projects and investments we want to make in the business … [The revocation] is going to have a large impact on what Maine’s food system looks like. On a national scale too, this de-incentivizes beginner farmers to take the [necessary] leap of faith,” said Plummer.

New Spoke Farm owners Janelle Plummer (pictured) and Ross Spencer are looking toward an uncertain future with USDA federal funding grants cut. Rose Lincoln/Bethel Citizen

The CSCG funding they had qualified for focused on climate resilience and climate-smart practices. “It was inspiring to be enrolled in it,” said Plummer. “It’s a direct payment to farmers, paying us for practices we are already doing on the farm, like crop rotation, cover cropping, mulching, tarping – things that help build soil health, improve the farm’s ecology and biodiversity… Beyond that, it was going to fund new projects for us.”

Spencer added that, because they lease their four acres of farmland, the grants are their only option. If the couple owned the land, they might be willing to take more risks, but with little cash flow, “We can’t shoulder the risk,” said Plummer. The couple has reinvested nearly all their earnings back into their business, with their 2024 profit reaching just $4,000.

Other farmers

Plummer, along with about 10 other farmers – including the owners of Bethel’s “Food for Friends” farm –gathered at a press conference in South Portland on Feb. 28 to make direct appeals to lawmakers, hoping that the funds they rely on become accessible again.

New Spoke Farm, said Plummer, is in a better position than some other farmers, who are on the hook for significant amounts of money, since they haven’t yet received reimbursement for completed projects. “We are recalibrating, re-budgeting. We’re not in as precarious a situation as some of the other farmers. It’s gut-wrenching to hear about others being on the line for so much money, in a system that, up until recently, worked and they could rely on.”

“This weakens our local food systems, and our local economies and communities,” said Plummer. “Some of these programs are historical and have been around for almost a hundred years. The CSCG program is new, but it’s really innovative and smart, addressing the specific concerns and needs of farmers…”

Plummer added that they had planned to use the funding over the next few years to scale up their operations. “The federal government is coming at this from an efficiency perspective, whereas taking away this funding is actually reducing efficiency for small farmers.”

West Paris New Spoke Farm owners Janelle Plummer (pictured) and Ross Spencer are “recalibrating” after learning all federal farming grants are frozen, Plummer waters plants in their propagation greenhouse. Rose Lincoln/Bethel Citizen

Going forward

The New Spoke Farm owners have had success with a direct-to-consumer sales approach. This year, Plummer and Spencer aim for around 100 CSA customers. Last year, they had to cap it at 85, but with leftover crops, they’re still trying to figure out their ideal number. They own outright the propagation greenhouse and two nearby high tunnels that help them start seeding in late winter.

The perennial hedge rows and willows they had planned to grow would have added more variety and increased their crop offerings. However, these plans are now on hold, as is the $20,000 deer fencing they hoped to install. The fencing would have protected their fields from deer and porcupines.

“We see a lot of crop loss. This was going to help us protect our revenue, stop losing so much food [mostly brassicas] to wildlife, and safeguard our investments in the field.” However, the third-party reviewer working with them had his contract revoked, so that project is no longer moving forward.

At the February press conference, Plummer, in her 12th year of farming, said, “There’s just the historical precedent of these programs existing. I came up farming knowing these programs and thinking they would be available for me when I started my business.”

She added later, “These are programs that farmers rely on. It’s a really small drop in the bucket in terms of federal funding… It’s doing a lot more damage than the purported cost savings.”

New Spoke Farm owners Janelle Plummer and Ross Spencer (pictured) work in their prop greenhouse. Rose Lincoln/Bethel Citizen