An Act To Restore Farmlands and Improve Watersheds
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1041
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: JOHNSON, HICKMAN, ALFOND, BREEN, DILL, EDGECOMB, MILLETT, SAVIELLO, MAREAN, WELSH

Legislative Document 
No. 1041 
S.P. 367 
In Senate, March 24, 2015 
An Act To Restore Farmlands and Improve Watersheds 
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator JOHNSON of Lincoln. 
Cosponsored by Representative HICKMAN of Winthrop and 
Senators: ALFOND of Cumberland, BREEN of Cumberland, DILL of Penobscot, 
EDGECOMB of Aroostook, MILLETT of Cumberland, SAVIELLO of Franklin, 
Representatives: MAREAN of Hollis, WELSH of Rockport. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  7 MRSA c. 15 is enacted to read: 
CHAPTER 15 
FARMLAND RESTORATION PROGRAM 
§361.  Farmland Restoration Program 
1.  Definitions.  As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings. 
A.  "Fund" means the Farmland Restoration Fund established in section 362. 
B.  "Panel" means the review panel established in subsection 3. 
C.  "Program" means the Farmland Restoration Program established in subsection 2. 
2.  Program established.  The Farmland Restoration Program is established within 
and is administered by the department.  The program provides approved applicants with 
assistance in improving lands for increasing food and fiber production agriculture, 
improving soil quality and strengthening soil conservation and watershed protection. 
The program provides payments of up to 50% of the cost or $20,000, whichever is less, 
of an approved restoration project under subsection 5.  For projects involving state-owned 
or municipality-owned farmland under long-term agricultural leases of 5 years or more, 
the total program payment may be up to 90% of the restoration costs, up to $20,000. 
3.  Participation; application; review panel.  Individuals must submit an 
application to the department to be eligible for participation in the program, pursuant to 
procedures developed by the department.  Applications must include a detailed 
conservation plan as described under subsection 4.  An approved application is required 
prior to funding approval. 
The department shall establish a review panel to evaluate and approve applications for 
participation in the program based on the 3 equal objectives of increasing food and fiber 
production agriculture, improving soil quality and strengthening soil conservation and 
strengthening watershed protection.  The panel may further evaluate and approve 
applications and proposed conservation plans based upon other lesser criteria developed 
by the department.  The panel must notify all applicants of their application status in a 
timely manner. 
4.  Conservation plan required.  An application for the program must include a 
detailed conservation plan.  An applicant that chooses not to prepare a plan in 
consultation with the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources 
Conservation Service must provide a plan developed in consultation with the applicant's 
local soil and water conservation district in order to be considered for funding under the 
program.   The conservation plan must at a minimum comply with the latest best 
management practices.  In scoring plans, the panel will award higher scoring to 
conservation plans that incorporate stronger, evidence-based management practices 
reflective of increasing trends for total rainfall and increased severity of rainfall events. 
If a restoration project includes clearing or partial clearing of forested areas, the 
conservation plan must also comply with any guidelines of the department regarding the 
creation of new agricultural fields or the expansion of existing agricultural fields in 
forested areas. 
5.  Healthy soil practices required.  The project's conservation plan must be 
consistent with, and the applicant's plans for operation and maintenance practices for the 
restoration area farmland must constitute, an investment in good soil health, including a 
healthy diversity of soil biota. 
6.  Approved restoration projects.  The program may fund the following farmland 
restoration projects: 
A.  Reclamation of grown-over pastures, meadows and cropland, including the 
removal of invasive plants, and hedgerow management; 
B.  Clearing and removal of trees, stumps, stones and brush to create or restore a 
land's agricultural use, which may include clearing plots or thinning to implement 
forest farming practices, including interplanting and livestock foraging and grazing; 
C.  Installation of fencing to keep livestock in reclaimed pasture areas or out of 
riparian areas; 
D.  Installation of wildlife management fencing to protect crop fields in designated 
areas; 
E.  Restoration of water runoff and drainage of crop fields to improve cropland areas 
and restore water runoff patterns and water conservation; 
F.  Renovation of farm ponds, including farm pond management, irrigation and 
irrigation wells incidental to the restored areas; 
G.  Replanting of vegetation on erosion-prone land and along stream banks on 
agricultural lands; 
H.  Restoration of shellfish beds or aquaculture ponds; and 
I.  Enhancement of farm roads that serve restoration areas. 
§362.  Farmland Restoration Fund 
1.  Fund established.  The Farmland Restoration Fund is established as a nonlapsing 
fund within the department.  The commissioner may accept money for the fund from any 
public or private source and may make expenditures from the fund to carry out the 
purposes of the program. 
2.  Administration.  The commissioner shall administer the fund. 
§363.  Rulemaking 
The department shall adopt rules necessary to implement the program.  Rules adopted 
pursuant to this section are major substantive rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A. 
SUMMARY 
This bill establishes the Farmland Restoration Program, establishes a framework for 
the program, establishes the Farmland Restoration Fund and gives the Department of 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry authority to adopt rules to implement the 
program.