Resolve, to Establish a Pilot Project to Support Farm Apprenticeships in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 0901
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: OSHER, BRENNER, JAUCH, LANDRY, MEYER, O'NEIL, SHAW, HICKMAN, INGWERSEN

Legislative Document
No. 901
H.P. 557
House of Representatives, February 28, 2023
Resolve, to Establish a Pilot Project to Support Farm 
Apprenticeships in Maine
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative OSHER of Orono.
Cosponsored by Senator BRENNER of Cumberland and
Representatives: JAUCH of Topsham, LANDRY of Farmington, MEYER of Eliot, O'NEIL of 
Saco, SHAW of Auburn, Senators: HICKMAN of Kennebec, INGWERSEN of York.
Sec. 1.  Farm apprenticeship pilot project established.  Resolved: That, the 
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall establish a pilot project, 
referred to in this section as "the program," for farm apprenticeships.
1. Definitions.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings.
A. "Apprentice" means a person a mentor plans to hire or hires under the program.
B. "Community" means the continuous commitment to a farm's community, including, 
but not limited to, selling products at farmers' markets, creating jobs and economic 
opportunities, participating in local food economies, hosting community events, 
donating to food pantries or participating in the Maine Senior FarmShare Program or 
the federal Women, Infants and Children Special Supplemental Food Program.
C. "Department" means the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
D. "Education and training" means the knowledge and skills a mentor plans to teach an 
apprentice related to agriculture, including through clear and appropriate instruction, 
hands-on training, instruction on farming principles and practices, with a focus on 
learning rather than participating in labor.
E. "Farm" means land, plants, animals, buildings, structures, ponds and machinery used 
in the commercial production of agricultural products.
F. "Mentor" means an owner, manager or operator of a farm who applies to hire an 
apprentice under the program.
G. "Sustainability," with respect to a farm, means that the operation of the farm, 
through its practices and mission, is designed to protect and improve the health of the 
land, its ecosystems and its people for the future, including, but not limited to, 
maintaining organic certification through the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners 
Association or a similar organization, refraining from using pesticides, the use of 
permanent beds, robust crop rotation, cover cropping schemes or agroforestry practices 
or the integration of livestock and crop agriculture.
2. Eligibility.  In order to be eligible for the program, a mentor must have:
A. At least 5 years of experience as an owner, manager or operator of a farm;
B. A defined list of education and training for an apprentice;
C. A plan to hire an apprentice for at least 12 weeks;
D. Housing available to an apprentice or a plan to provide a housing stipend equal to 
or greater than the fair market value of a one-bedroom residence in the mentor's farm's 
county or metropolitan area as described by the Maine State Housing Authority; and
E. A plan to compensate the apprentice with wages equal to or greater than the state 
minimum wage.
3. Application requirements.  An application to become a mentor must include:
A. A written proposal describing the farm operations, how the farm has demonstrated 
a commitment to sustainability and community and how the farm will meet the housing 
requirement or housing stipend requirement;
B. Documentation to support the description of the farm operation, such as a tax form;
C. A thorough description of the education and training that the mentor will use and 
the mentor's strategy for ensuring the successful education and training of an 
apprentice, including an outline of a mentor's training plans if available;
D. The number of apprentices, up to a maximum of 2, that the mentor plans to hire for 
the upcoming season; and
E. The name and birth date of an apprentice the mentor plans to hire.
4. Review of applications.  The department shall review applications submitted for the 
program and award grants to mentors to hire an apprentice.  Approval of an application 
must be based on the quality and thoroughness of the submitted application, especially the 
written plan to train and educate an apprentice.  Priority must be given to a mentor who has 
demonstrated a commitment to sustainability and community.
5. Program requirements.  The following provisions govern the use of grants 
distributed under the program.
A. A grant distributed to a mentor must be in the amount of $5,000 per apprentice.
B. A mentor may use a grant only for the payment of wages for the apprentice for 
which the grant application was submitted, except that if the mentor and the apprentice 
decide the placement is not a good fit and the mentor hires a new apprentice, the mentor 
shall notify the department of the change and may continue to use the grant to pay the 
new apprentice.
C. A mentor shall pay wages to the apprentice equal to or greater than the state 
minimum wage, and the hours worked by the apprentice must include education and 
training activities.
D. A mentor shall refund any unused portion of a grant to the department.
6. Report.  No later than December 1, 2024, the department shall submit a report to 
the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agricultural matters 
with recommendations on whether to continue the program, including recommendations 
on changing the eligibility requirements or number or amount of the grants awarded.  In 
developing the report, the department shall consider the importance of providing financial 
support for the training of new farm apprentices each year, supporting the State's farmland 
in sustainable ways to grow healthy, local food for communities throughout the State, 
ensuring that individuals aspiring to grow food in the State can earn a living wage and 
enjoy an acceptable quality of life while learning to farm and reducing the burden on 
mentoring farms while educating and training apprentices.  The committee may report out 
legislation related to the report to the 132nd Legislature in 2025.
Sec. 2.  Appropriations and allocations.  Resolved:  That the following 
appropriations and allocations are made.
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF
Bureau of Agriculture 0393
Initiative: Provides one-time funding for grants to support a farming apprenticeship 
program.
GENERAL FUND
2023-24
2024-25
All Other
$125,000
$0
__________
__________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$125,000
$0
SUMMARY
This resolve establishes a pilot project within the Department of Agriculture, 
Conservation and Forestry to support farm apprenticeships.