PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 11, 2020
Federal funding programs created to help businesses weather the coronavirus pandemic have fallen short of meeting the needs of Maine’s farmers, Agriculture Commissioner Amanda Beal told lawmakers Thursday. Speaking before the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee, Beal said the state’s share of funding streams from the $2 trillion CARES Act that passed in April – including the Paycheck Protection Program and the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program – has been insufficient. Loss of revenue is the biggest concern among Maine’s more than 13,000 farmers.