A drought survey developed by University of Maine Cooperative Extension food system program administrator Richard Brzozowski, and Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) agricultural services director Dave Colson, shows more than half of the 579 farmers who responded have experienced crop damage or loss due to the dry conditions this growing season.
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (MDACF), Maine Farm Bureau, MOFGA, and UMaine Extension distributed the survey in early September to farmers and growers throughout the state.
The Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) convened the state’s drought task force for the first time in 14 years in response to the dry weather.
Their most recent report shows 15 Maine counties with abnormally dry conditions, with Aroostook the only exception.