BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 16, 2022
Second generation farmer Tony Carroll has a pretty succinct view on the state of farming in Maine these days. “It’s tough sledding,” the 69-year-old said. “It’s hard to know what to do this year.” As the planting, hatching, calving and kidding seasons start, farmers have more stacked against them than many can remember ever seeing at a single time. Climate change, increased costs for fertilizer and fuel, pandemic-related supply chain disruptions and labor shortages, avian flu and the ongoing “forever chemical” issues are creating disastrous conditions for Maine farmers. At the end of the day for Carroll, he can’t imagine not being a farmer regardless of the hardships.