Bond to support farm and forestry funding will not be on November ballot

MAINE MONITOR • May 1, 2026

Washington County farmers face mounting economic uncertainty, but they will not see a proposal for relief funds on the November ballot. Lawmakers made several attempts to revive L.D. 2094, a bill that would have directed a $45 million bond into existing grant and low‑interest loan programs for farmers and the forestry sector. The legislative session ended in mid‑April with the bond proposal stalled between the House and Senate, without a consensus. “Farmers aren’t looking for a handout,” Shelley Megquier, policy and research director at Maine Farmland Trust, said. “It’s heartbreaking, but not devastating,” she added, referring to the lack of funding secured for agriculture during a time when economic futures are historically unstable from drought and tariff price hikes, among other concerns.