WHEREAS,  recent statistics show that Maine has about 8,000 farms, the bulk of which are small, family-owned operations, that provide full-time and part-time employment to more than 90,000 workers, approximately 13% of the State's workforce; and

WHEREAS,  Maine's agricultural enterprises provide more than $684,000,000 through the sale of farm products and contribute more than $2,000,000,000 annually to the State's economy; and

WHEREAS,  an overwhelming majority of Maine people believe that buying local Maine agricultural products helps the State; and

WHEREAS,  Maine farmers are the stewards of 1,360,000 acres of land, a vital resource in maintaining the food security of Maine people; and

WHEREAS,  Maine is first in New England in the production of food, first in New England in the value of aquaculture sales, first in the world in the production of wild blueberries, the world leader in the production of brown eggs, third in the Nation in the production of maple syrup, eighth in the Nation in the production of fall potatoes, second in New England in milk and livestock production and the only state anywhere involved in the commercial production of fiddleheads; and

WHEREAS,  apple orchards across the State produce a crop of significant economic benefit as well as contributing to the State's tourism and recreation industries; and

WHEREAS,  agriculture shaped Maine's past, maintains much of Maine's scenic open space, provides recreational opportunities, makes a significant contribution to the nature and character of Maine's many rural communities and provides for a strong future; now, therefore, be it