The Bangor Farmers’ Market is expanding and looking toward the future after a period of growth. At the same time, federal funding cuts may be putting some of its major programs at risk.
The market won approval from the city last week to place a seasonal storage unit at the market site in Abbott Square, which will provide longer-term storage for the market’s information booth, an essential part of its food access programs, as well as provide more flexibility for future expansion of market programming.
“It’s a relatively small thing, but it is a meaningful step forward,” said farmers’ market chair Everett Ottinger, adding that he hopes the additional storage “could be a springboard for growth of the market.”
But as the Bangor market eyes expansion, the future of programs for low-income shoppers at Maine farmers’ markets is increasingly uncertain as disruptions to federal funding put these programs in peril.
About 55 farmers’ markets in Maine, including Bangor’s, accept benefits from federal programs including the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to Emily Grassie, director of food access programs for the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets. Customers who receive SNAP benefits can redeem them at a market’s information booth.
Maine also has a program called Harvest Bucks, which provides extra funds for buying local fruits and vegetables when people spend SNAP money on local food at a one-to-one match. Harvest Bucks has been running for 10 years, Grassie said.
“Pretty much universally, this is resulting in improved health outcomes,” she added.
This price matching is funded mostly by a federal nutrition incentive grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture — a grant program which has been disrupted this year, Grassie said. The grant typically provides hundreds of thousands of dollars for low-income Mainers to buy local produce, she added.
While the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets has secured federal funding for this program through April 2026, it has been unable to apply for the following cycle. The group typically would have submitted an application by this time of year, Grassie said, and it’s unclear why the government hasn’t yet opened the application.
The USDA did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.
The grant approval process can take many months, she added, so even if the application opens before the next cycle starts, there likely will still be a gap in funding.
This uncertainty, paired with the SNAP cuts included in the federal budget megabill passed earlier this month, have left the Maine farmers’ market federation scrambling to find a solution.
More than 12 percent of Maine residents are enrolled in SNAP, according to an analysis by U.S. News and World Report. Food security advocates have warned that the SNAP cuts could mean Mainers will lose 20 million meals.
Farmers and low-income shoppers will be hit “twofold,” Grassie said, because in addition to the potential loss of funding for Harvest Bucks, fewer SNAP dollars in the pockets of Mainers will also mean fewer Harvest Bucks can be provided through the matching program.
“That’s ultimately a public health issue because that’s less fruits and veggies,” she said.
Grassie also worries about the effects of these changes on local economies in Maine. “Dollars spent with a local business circulate many, many times,” she said, noting the “the significant economic impact that SNAP spending has, especially on rural communities.”
The Bangor market brought in more than $40,000 in sales last year through SNAP and Harvest Bucks, according to documents included in the market’s proposal to the city for a new storage unit.
“I feel like we are a really positive presence in Bangor,” said Ottinger, the farmers’ market chair. “The farmers’ market has had a period of rapid growth over the last few years. We kind of punch above our weight in terms of our outreach and our customer base.”
The new storage unit will allow the market to more easily store its information booth equipment, which vendors have been taking turns transporting back and forth in their personal vehicles. This method was inconvenient and limited the amount of products vendors could bring to the market, Ottinger said.
Having its own storage space will allow the farmers’ market to expand by “invest[ing] in communal property” such as seating, guest vendors, kids’ activities, musical guests, and added signage, according to the market’s proposal.
