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Did you know?
It is the mission of the Cape Farm Alliance to bring community members together to
seek ways to ensure the viability and sustainability of Cape Elizabeth's agricultural
assets, so that all citizens can enjoy the open space, fresh local products, rural scenery,
and recreational opportunities they provide.



Important “Rules of the Road” You Need to Know
about Horses on Roadways


The Cape Farm Alliance Horse Owner's
committee has surveyed Cape Elizabeth and found
that there are well over 125 horses stabled here in
the town.  With the beautiful weather we have had
this fall you should expect to see more and more
riders along our roadways.  Many of the trails
used by equestrians in town are only accessible by
traveling short distances along our roads.

Read more.........
Around Town






Farm Scoop
Newsletter

Click Here for Info!
Planning Board Reviewing Farming
Ordinances



Farm Alliance members Carol Anne Jordan
and John Greene met with the Cape
Planning Board at a workshop January 5th
to discuss the final draft of proposed
ordinance changes benefiting local farms.
The Ordinance and Taxation Committee of
the Alliance has been working for almost
two years on ordinance changes that will
directly affect farms in Cape Elizabeth.

Some key proposals include a new,
broader definition of agriculture; the ability
to maintain existing agricultural ponds;
clear standards for creating new agricultural
fields; and less stringent site plan review
standards for certain agricultural structures.

  The Planning Board draft will be ratified
later this month and then scheduled for a
public hearing sometime in February. If all
goes well at the public hearing, the draft
ordinance language will then be sent to the
Town Council for further review.


Locally Grown Foods NOT more Expensive

A new study by the Leopold Center for Sustainable
Agriculture is out to disprove the myth that local
food is more expensive than its non-local
counterpart...in Iowa, at least. After examining
Iowa-grown vegetables, eggs and meat, the study
concludes that local food does in fact have very
competitive prices compared to non-local,
supermarket varieties.  Rich Pirog, Leopold Center
associate director and project collaborator sums it
up like this: "We found that during peak season,
produce items at farmers' markets were very
competitive and in several cases lower than prices
for the same non-local items found at
supermarkets."















Critics of local food claim higher prices make it
unfeasible for many Americans to purchase it.
However, local food - especially when purchased
directly from farmers, through farmers markets,
farm stands, CSA's etc- can be a crucial boost to
farmer's bottom lines.  Improving the economic
viability of farmers is a key step towards keeping
the land in agriculture.
To learn more about the study, visit the Leopold
Center's Study homepage.