AUGUSTA — State Rep. Peter Edgecomb has been appointed to the state’s Board of Agriculture, a 20-member panel that advises the University of Maine System on matters pertaining to agricultural research. The board was established in Maine law in 1997.
House Speaker Robert Nutting made the appointment in late January. Under the board’s charter, two members of the committee having jurisdiction over agricultural matters must serve on the panel. Rep. Edgecomb is the House chair of the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
Rep. Edgecomb (R-Caribou), a fourth-term legislator, said he is honored by the appointment. “The board is critical to farming in our state, particularly in research. The members come from all the important areas — the Maine Potato Board, the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine, the vegetable, fruit, livestock and dairy sectors, as well as representatives of the nursery and florist growers,” stated Edgecomb. “There’s also a member from a statewide organic farmers and growers association and one representing aquaculture.”
The agriculture board advises the chancellor of the UMaine System and the president of the University of Maine’s flagship campus in Orono on matters regarding the operation and management of agricultural research conducted by the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station and university farm-based programs, including those of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service.
The board’s duties are limited to advising the chancellor and president on research and programs related to agriculture while articulating the mission of the Maine Agriculture Experiment Station. It also provides an annual report to the Legislature with an evaluation of the Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service programs. The assessment includes recommendations regarding changes to the program and the budget. Additionally, the board consults with agricultural commodity advisory committees on research and extension priorities.
