Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins (R) has asked U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins to provide disaster assistance to Maine’s specialty crop and livestock producers.
This comes in the wake of numerous struggles for the industry, including extreme weather, high costs, and labor shortages.
She also drew attention to the drought conditions experienced throughout the state during the summer months this year.
In a letter to Secretary Rollins, Sen. Collins specifically highlighted Maine’s wild blueberry, apple, and livestock producers as having been severely impacted by these conditions.
Collins then urged the USDA to include these producers in any federal relief efforts and to expedite the release of funds from the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) to aid farmers in purchasing feed and hay for the winter.
Click Here to Read Sen. Collins’ Full Statement
“Maine specialty crop producers are now facing tremendous challenges, such as increased costs of production, high labor costs, and extreme weather,” Collins wrote in her letter to Rollins.
“On October 30, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported that the entire State of Maine is in a drought,” she explained. “Currently, 42.65 percent of Maine is in an extreme drought, while 47.15 percent of the state is in a severe drought.”
“These conditions have dramatically affected the apple and wild blueberry producers,” continued Collins. “These crops are vital to Maine’s agricultural economy, yet they are often overlooked when USDA considers providing economic relief to producers.”
She then went on to speak of Maine’s blueberry and apple industries in more detail, pointing out how the weather has impacted their ability to produce a plentiful harvest this year.
“The wild blueberry industry has been an integral part of Maine’s agricultural heritage since the mid-1800s,” she said. “As a result of a rainy spring that interfered with pollination and the drought this summer that greatly hampered growth, the wild blueberry industry is facing losses of more than $28 million.”
“While the quality of Maine apples has been good this year, the quantity of the harvest has been greatly reduced, causing significant losses because of this year’s drought,” wrote Collins. “The Maine Pomological Society informed me that in a survey of farmers representing approximately 80 percent of the state’s total apple production, all but one farm surveyed had crop production of 50-60 percent less than 2024.”
[RELATED: Collins Teams Up with Michigan Colleague to Craft Bipartisan Bill to Protect Maine’s Specialty Crops]
Collins also explained how these conditions have affected Maine’s livestock producers, highlighting how they have struggled to purchase adequate supplies to keep their animals healthy through the winter.
“Livestock producers in Maine are also being affected by increased drought conditions, with many having to purchase feed for their livestock from places as far away as Colorado,” Collins said, urging that LFP funds be released as soon as possible.
“Inclusion of specialty crops from Maine in any relief funding and the distribution of LFP funds to livestock producers are critical to ensuring many producers’ futures,” she concluded. “The drought conditions in Maine this year have been exceptional and have continued into the fall. Without help, Maine’s wild blueberry and apple growers risk losing their acreage, and those losses will hurt rural communities across the state.”
Click Here to Read the Full Letter
The LFP is administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and is said to “[offer] financial support to livestock producers who experience grazing losses due to qualifying drought conditions or fire on federally managed rangelands.”
“LFP provides payments to eligible producers to compensate for lost grazing opportunities and to help cover additional feed costs incurred due to the disaster,” the program’s official website explains.
Collins did not specify in her letter to the Secretary of Agriculture where she anticipates aid for blueberry and apple producers to be sourced, asking only that they be considered for any relief funding.
