TIMES RECORD • April 16, 2024
A pending lease for Ferda Farms, a Brunswick-based oyster farming operation, through the Department of Marine Resources will help the business consolidate its farms and grow its small operation. After a lengthy, three-year process, the department held its first public hearing at Brunswick Town Hall for the application. The DMR said it will make a decision within a few months. The slow timeline of the application has not prevented the farm, which was founded in 2018, from working to grow on a social scale. “Community outreach — you can’t really do enough of it, really,” co-owner Chris Burtis said.