BANGOR, Maine, July 4, 2024 – Some people look forward to Independence Day as the start of the more leisurely days of summer, a time for vacations, hikes, and perhaps time at the coast. Many Maine farmers, on the other hand, are heading into their busiest season with long workdays ahead. At Moorit Hill Farm and Fiber in the Central Maine town of Troy, this July will also bring long days of energy production. Earlier this year the farmers added a 41-kW rooftop solar array, paid for in part with a Rural Energy for America Program grant. The grant was awarded by USDA Rural Development, whose Maine State Director, Rhiannon Hampson, toured the farm and fiber mill Wednesday.
“As we celebrate this holiday weekend, it’s important to recognize the hard work going on all around us in the agricultural sector,” said Director Hampson while visiting the farm. “Whether you are craving strawberries and cream, fried chicken, burgers on the grill, or a cold brew this weekend, Maine farmers are putting in long hours every day to provide us with local options. I’m especially grateful for the many farmers like Elizabeth and Josh of Moorit Hill who go the extra mile as stewards of the clean air, land, and waters that make Maine so special. Their products not only make our holiday festivities more enjoyable, but their work helps conserve Maine’s lands and heritage for generations to come.”
Josh Emerman and Elizabeth Goundie raise Icelandic sheep for meat and fiber at Moorit Hill Farm, which they founded in 2017. (They also offer lambs as breeding stock.) Initially, they took their wool to be processed at the former Aroostook Fiberworks, and when that Ashland manufacturer closed, they purchased the milling equipment. They began offering custom fiber processing on-site in Troy in early 2023 and have been ramping up their milling work since.
The couple has also scaled up production of meat and fleeces, with their herd now numbering more than seventy. There is robust demand for locally raised lamb, and the mill is busy processing wool from farms all over Maine and beyond. Still, it can be difficult to manage farm expenses and turn a profit, particularly with a labor-intensive, electricity-driven business like a mill. Add in rapidly rising electricity prices, and suddenly the margins were narrowing.
Goundie and Emerman turned to advisors at the Small Business Administration and Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (a Community Development Financial Institution) to develop a business plan to ensure the farm would remain sustainable. Transitioning to solar energy offered the chance to save money on their energy bills while also offsetting the carbon footprint of the equipment they ran in the mill. The math added up – IF they could find a way to lower the project cost. With the help of their solar installer (SolarLogix of Belfast), they submitted a successful application for a USDA REAP grant that covered about half the cost of the project.
Today the solar panels cover most of one side of the sheep barn, generating roughly the amount of energy it would take to power 4.5 typical homes. The project was completed just five months ago, so the farmers are looking forward to their first summer of peak solar generation. “When we opened our fiber mill, we knew we needed to do something about the high energy usage,” said farm co-owner Josh Emerman. “We pursued solar power to help offset this usage and align our values with our business. Today we are powering our farm and mill entirely using solar energy.”
Shelley Megquier, Policy & Research Director at Maine Farmland Trust, notes that farm production expenses have risen by 24% over the last five years, even while farms dealt with consecutive years of drought and excessive rainfall. “Renewable energy options can help to reduce farm expenses and carbon emissions, but the financial barriers are often high for farms already facing tough economic circumstances,” says Megquier. “Through the REAP program, we've seen Maine farm businesses jump at the opportunity of a cost-share that allows them to significantly reduce their on-farm energy expenses by installing energy-efficient heating and rooftop solar arrays while reducing their carbon footprint."
“Sometimes I joke that people should thank a farmer on the Fourth of July because so many of the Minutemen that fought for American independence were farmers with pitchforks,” said Director Hampson. “But really, we owe appreciation to farmers and food producers every day for their relentless work. The pandemic made us all more aware of how important it is to ensure a diversity of local food producers. USDA’s programs like REAP can help food producers remain economically viable.”
Moorit Hill Farm and Fiber primarily sells its products at the Blue Hill Farmers’ Market, as well as at special events like the Maine Fiber Frolic. (The farmers plan to wholesale their yarn in the future and are currently looking for potential retail partners.) Find them with a variety of yarns, hand-knit hats, sheepskins, and cuts of lamb at the market from 9-11:30 every Saturday through October. Goundie notes that the farm has a growing following of gourmands who seek out Icelandic lamb for its delicate flavor. To help devotees stock up, they are taking orders now (online or at the market) for whole lamb shares that will be ready for pick up at the farm in October.
About REAP
The Department expects to make additional awards in the coming months. The next deadline for REAP applications is September 30, 2024. For additional information on application deadlines and submission details, see the REAP Program Fact Sheet or contact Katrina Shaw, USDA Rural Development Maine State Energy Coordinator (email Katrina.shaw@usda.gov or call 207-990-9129).