NEW GLOUCESTER, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) toured Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, a 5,000-acre working farm that also includes a diverse business campus and serves as an educational and recreational venue. King visited Pineland’s market, creamery, and equestrian center.

“In Maine, we are lucky to have a vibrant and expanding local food movement that’s really a testament to the hard work of our farmers who strive day in and day out to grow and provide fresh, healthy food within their communities and around the state,” said Senator King. “And we should be doing all we can to support them, because when you buy fresh food locally, it leads to a healthier community and a stronger economy. Pineland Farms is an excellent example of that, and with their emphasis on community education, they’re helping to spread the word about locally-grown foods and the importance of staying active.”

King is a cosponsor of S. 679, the Senate version of the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act. Many of the bill’s provisions, including funding to grow farmers markets and support local food marketing, as well as improved insurance for diversified farms, were included in the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, more commonly known as the Farm Bill, which the President signed into law in February. King supported the Farm Bill in part because of its expanded support for local foods. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) is the lead sponsor of the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act in the House of Representatives.

Originally home to the Pineland Center for the developmentally disabled, the Pineland campus underwent extensive renovations in 1996 and was developed as a self-sustaining nonprofit organization known as Pineland Farms. Along with the farmland, the current Pineland operation includes a creamy that produces cheese and other dairy products, a market that features Pineland and other locally-sourced goods, an equestrian center that caters to both skilled professional and amateur riders, and an extensive network of trails, woodlands, and fields open to the public for recreation.

###