As Maine’s agriculture and food sector expands, farmers and small business owners are facing practical challenges, including lack of access to capital and legal services. We’ll look at new creative solutions designed to help this sector grow and remain sustainable for years to come. Guests: Sam May, Co-Founder, Maine Harvest Credit Project Amanda Beal, President and…
Apr 25
2017
2017
Jan 6
2017
2017
Maine Legal Food Hub Revs Up for Second Year
The Maine Legal Food Hub, which provides pro bono legal assistance and training for farmers and food businesses, celebrates its second anniversary in 2017, kicking off the year with a presence, for the second year in a row, at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show January 10-12 in Augusta. On January 11 and 12, the CLF…
Nov 21
2016
2016
Massachusetts Legal Food Hub Round-Up: 100 Farmers and Food Businesses Helped!
The Legal Food Hub just reached another milestone: its 100th case in Massachusetts. The Legal Food Hub helps small farmers and food entrepreneurs by matching them with free legal help provided by volunteer attorneys. It’s the first service of its kind in the nation and is currently available to farmers and food businesses in Massachusetts,…
May 14
2016
2016
CLF’s Hub Helps Improve New England Farms’ Uncertain Future
In late April, CLF partners American Farmland Trust (AFT) and Land For Good (LFG) released a joint study on farm succession in New England. The study reveals that our region’s farmers are aging fast – as of 2012, 85% of principal farm operators were over the age of 45, up from 76% in 2002. In…
Apr 22
2016
2016
CLF Farm and Food Initiative Honored by City of Boston
“Jenny has been an unflappable champion for New England’s farmers, food entrepreneurs and consumers, and it’s wonderful to see Mayor Walsh give her work the recognition it deserves,” said CLF president Bradley Campbell…
Legal Food Hub
CLF connects food producers with pro bono legal services.
Mar 8
2016
2016
Old Labor Laws Run up against New Farming Approaches
CLF’s Ben Tettlebaum, a staff attorney in our Maine office, is featured in this Portland Press Herald article about farmers and labor law. At the Agricultural Trades Show in Augusta last month, the Conservation Law Foundation’s Legal Services Food Hub hosted a panel on Employment Law for farmers, with the goal of “untangling the web…
Feb 18
2016
2016
CLF’s Legal Services Food Hub Crosses 100-Case Mark, Leverages More Than Half Million in Legal Assistance
CLF launched its Legal Services Food Hub with one goal in mind: keeping New England’s food producers in business. A year and a half into this new program, we are delighted to announce that the Hub has crossed a major threshold in its mission to achieve this goal: we placed our 100th case and crossed…
Massachusetts
Massachusetts is a state of extraordinary range – from our miles of coastline to the western mountains, our dense hardwood forests to our working farms, our thickly settled city neighborhoods to our rural village greens.
People & Communities
What does it take for a community to thrive? It starts with clean air and clean water and access to good jobs, education, and health care. It also takes safe and affordable transportation choices, local green spaces, and easy access to fresh, healthy food.