PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Aroostook County Farm Bureau invites the public to hear guest speakers Jennifer Brennan and Dr. Alicyn Smart on Tuesday, March 28, at 6 p.m. at the Aroostook Agricultural Center, 744 Main St, Presque Isle.
Brennan, the Greater Portland Council of Government’s director of special projects, will talk about the USDA Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). REAP offers competitive grants for 25 percent of the total project costs of installing renewable energy systems, with a maximum of $500,000 per project.
Smart, executive director of the Maine Farm Bureau, will give a legislative update on farming issues currently under consideration in Augusta. The Maine State Legislature is almost halfway through the session and a total of 1,070 bills have been printed, many of them related to agriculture.
Smart will also discuss bills the Farm Bureau has initiated, including the repeal of the Maine personal property tax, lessening the restrictions on the purchase of certain animals, and increasing the charge of those found defacing property posting signs, among others.
