This project is beneficial to the agricultural community and also to the community at large.  It is not often that farmers get to see the in-depth working of other farms and to hear them tell their stories.  In websites and books like Ms. Doyle’s this is made possible.  Through her work farmers can discover other farmers in Maine and make connections that will enhance their own farm and create a greater agricultural web in the state.  It is also beneficial to those outside of the farming circle to see what is behind the food they eat or the farmer that they see at the market.  It makes a connection that is deeper than the product.  This gives valuable support to our state’s agriculture in the general population.  The various formats of this work, slideshow, printed book and website, allow many different audiences to experience the information.  By showcasing farms and farmers, the audience will see the value of farming is not only in the products but also in the support of our local economy, and preserving the landscape that is our agricultural heritage.

                 Sara Faull and Genio Bertin- Mandala Farm - Gouldsoro, Maine

Mary has visited our hatchery a number of times over the past year to photograph and document what we do.  I appreciate and truly believe that such a project that profiles Maine farms in this way is something that should be supported.  Her goal of publication and her securing funding to provide every public library a complimentary copy of the Unique Maine Farms book, is admirable.  Another highlight of her work is her future plans for an educational outreach program consisting of a traveling photo and slideshow exhibit of her work for presentation and discussion at various schools and community organizations.  I have shared Mary’s website and her YouTube video with my co-workers, friends, teachers, and the general public as they visit our hatchery.  I consider her professional work to be a very useful way of conveying the nature of how and why the State of Maine is involved in aquaculture.

                       Tim Knedler, Supervisor, New Gloucester Fish Hatchery

I see such tremendous value in Mary’s book.  As the refugees with whom I work understand so well, there is something wrong with a society that has become entirely disconnected with where food and natural resources come from.  Mary’s book tells the story of where our food comes from in a uniquely perfect way.  She doesn’t tell the story of the stereotypical America farmer growing broad acreage of government subsidized cash crop, she instead tells the story of dozens of farmers that form the true reality of agriculture in Maine - each and every farm is a unique and distinct entity growing and raising food and natural resources to the best of his or her abilities.  I deeply believe that Americans need to know much, much more about farms and farmers and they need to know that each farm is different and that different is a good thing.

I believe that Mary’s book is as important for educating farmers

about the endless ways of being a farmer in Maine as it is to educate the general public.  I believe that as both farmers and consumers become more educated about the many, many realities of farming, our state’s food security is strengthened.  I am proud to be a part of Maine’s very old agricultural history and I cannot think of a better way to recognize, celebrate, and uphold the current state of agriculture in Maine than with the publishing of Mary Doyle’s book.

Sarah Bostick - Refugee Farmer Specialist - Cultivating Community - Portland

As an educational technician in a kindergarten through second grade school, I see students being introduced to farm animals and the products they provide in the school curriculum. I feel Mary’s project will offer something very valuable to the older students in our schools. It will bring the farmers in Maine into the student’s classroom and introduce some important issues that farmers face.  At our school, a five-minute talk about my parents’ dairy farm and the fact that the milk from their cows goes to Oakhurst dairy for processing, turned into all the students loving their Oakhurst milk at lunch. The students are proud to show me their empty milk cartons. There is far less milk dumped into the trash. These young students now have an appreciation for a food product - MILK.

Mary’s project will bring the value of food to students. It will open their eyes to what Maine farmers produce. It will show real Maine people doing real work with the land and animals. This project can inspire young people to get involved with 4H programs. 4H livestock projects have been in a decline recently. More young people must become involved in farming and understand the importance of where local food comes from. 

The Unique Maine Farms’ project supports Maine farmers of many kinds. It will encourage more local support for Maine farmers. Because of this project more young people may consider becoming farmers as they graduate high school. More people will understand the importance of saving farmland.

The Unique Maine Farms’ project is a win-win for all involved.  The farmers and their farms are showcased through free webpages, a personal story, and many photos.  I am grateful that a profile of my farm is included on the Unique Maine Farms’ website and will eventually appear in the book.  Through this project, people, young and old, will be greatly amazed by all the different types of farming going on in Maine.  Unique Maine Farms supports agriculture education and local farming.  These are two things the state of Maine needs to help keep agriculture alive and well in this great state.

                            Dottie Bell - Thunder Hill Farm - Waterford

We truly believe in the Unique Maine Farms agricultural project that Mary Quinn Doyle has taken upon herself to educate the public, as well as the farming community.  There are so many diverse farming operations in the state of Maine. We are fascinated in learning about each and every one of them. 

We live in a state of hardworking and proud providers of food for our families, neighbors, community, and the world, for that matter. The collection of information gathered in this project should be shared with and taught to the younger generation, as well as shared with all interested parties. 

The completion of a publication of Mary Quinn Doyle’s information will be beneficial and educational for future generations to see how things are done here in Maine.  We also wanted to mention that any publication or Internet information is a bonus for all farmers involved. It will help us bring to light our lives and businesses, to the consumers and potential buyers of our products.  In this economy, that is what we all need to survive. 

Coming from a line of a sixth-generation farming family business in Fort Kent, Maine, our goal is to be able to pass on our viable farm to the next generation. 

         Joe and Janice Bouchard - Bouchard Family Farm - Fort Kent, Maine