AUGUSTA – A farmer and his granddaughter walk hand-in-hand over rolling hills. To their right is a stand of trees; beyond that, a barn and silo and a field of crops, and in the distance, the ocean.
The scene, painted by Etna artist and agriculturist Charles Armstrong, represents agriculture in Maine – whether dairy farms, livestock, hay fields, vegetables, blueberries, tree farms or other.
It also is the design for a new agricultural recognition license plate. The slogan on the plate will read, “Support local agriculture.” Armstrong is the UMaine Cooperative Extension Service’s cranberry specialist, and the man and little girl depicted in the painting are actually his father and daughter.
Developed by the Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Association as a fundraiser, the plate will only be made available if the group can collect a little over 200 more signatures of people who would want the plate by Sept. 1. Because of new legislation, any group that proposes a specialty plate in Maine is required to collect a total of 2,000 signatures and $40,000 before it can be approved.
MAITCA, with the help of the Maine Farm Bureau, wrote legislation to introduce the plate in 2005, but it was presented to the Legislature only six weeks before the September 2005 deadline.
“It was a little more of a challenge to get the signatures than we expected,” MAITCA Executive Director Willie Grenier said. “We were disappointed, but we decided to keep going and put in for the next year.”
MAITCA was asking for $20 from each person who signed up for the plates to cover the $40,000.
“Halfway through (gathering signatures) an anonymous donor gave us enough money to cover the rest of the cost, so we just need signatures now,” said Sharon Foss, chairwoman of the Ag in the Classroom’s board of directors.
People who sign up for the plates may pay now, or choose to wait until the plates are ready to go. If the group fails to collect enough signatures, the money will be returned.
After the initial $20 cost, the renewal fee is $15, annually, with $10 going toward agricultural education programs and $5 to cover state administration and production costs. A fund will be created within the Department of Agriculture, and money will be distributed through MAITCA to be used in the organization’s programs as well as to support programs like Future Farmers of America and 4-H.
Agriculture in the Classroom, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary nationally, trains educators to teach students about agriculture, Grenier said.
“Agricultural education is deeply in need of funding,” she added. “We have 300 teachers on a waiting list for training and materials. We also provide scholarships and funding to individual educators who are doing agriculture programs.”
Foss said agricultural educational programs are important in this day and age. “There seems to be a disconnect these days,” she said. “Not many kids are raised on farms anymore or they have no knowledge about agriculture. You ask them where milk comes from and they say the grocery store.’ “
“We’re trying to get the word out about where food and clothing come from,” Grenier added.
“And it’s not just the agricultural aspect,” Foss said. “We also educate about soil and water quality. Every living thing that grows depends on soil. If we destroy the soil, there will be no more agriculture.”
To learn more about the Maine agriculture license plates, or to add your name to the list of people who want to have the plate, visit www.maineagtag.com or contact Grenier with the Maine Department of Agriculture, 287-5522.
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