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American Farmland Trust in Maine 1-21-09 |
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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.
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. |
