MAINE PUBLIC • October 6, 2021
Hillandale Farms, an egg producer in Turner, has closed a plant and laid off workers. The closure may have a domino effect on organic farming in Maine. State Senator Jeff Timberlake of Turner, a farmer himself, says Maine's organic farms rely on chicken manure from Hillandale for their operations. Cutting off that supply, he says, will impact them as they struggle to compete financially with larger producers outside of Maine. "It's what helps keep the organic industry going because chicken manure is an approved organic fertilizer and once these guys go it's going to really affect that industry and it's something we need to talk about," Timberlake says.