By: Joseph Poppiti, DEFB Executive Director
President Powers attended the 2026 American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Northeast Presidents and Administrators Conference hosted by the Maine Farm Bureau in Portland, Maine.
The multi day conference kicked off Monday afternoon with a visit to the Jordan’s Farm, a fifth-generation farm cultivating 70 acres of fresh strawberries and vegetables along with a landscaping material business for local homeowners and contractors. The family also diversified into a farm stand featuring their own tomato sauces, jams and applesauce and neighboring farms products. Penny and her brother, “Bibs”, shared that the farm is surrounded by high-end homes and high land values in a much sought after community south of Portland along the Maine coast called Cape Elizabeth.
Further inland, President Powers along with his fellow State Presidents toured the historic Flaherty’s Farm in Scarborough. The fourth generation run farm operates a greenhouse for retail sales of vegetable and flowering plants and shrubs. They also manage a retail store featuring items from their farm grown vegetables to fresh fish and seafood, to wine and spirits, to an onsite bakery: one stop shopping in Maine. The Flaherty family also converted a barn on a 16 acre parcel they own to an event space overlooking open fields, a woodland ceremony area and a 1908 farmhouse estate. The conference attendees were treated to an old-fashioned Maine lobster boil at the event barn.
On Tuesday morning, AFBF President Zippy Duvall and Executive Vice President Joby Young gave an opening presentation on current topics AFBF is addressing including the farm bill, regenerative agriculture, ultra processed foods, trade issues, and domestic use of agricultural crops including passage of an E15 use year-round.
AFBF Director of Membership and Organization Development, Jordan Healey, provided an update of Northeast State memberships from 2016 through 2024. She showed data on how other trade associations are also challenged by losses in memberships.
The afternoon tours started at United Ag and Turf, a leading northeast provider of agriculture, turf, and construction equipment servicing farmers, landscapers, local governments, and property owners. The State Farm Bureau Presidents were presented with the latest updates on farmers ability to repair their own farm equipment. Representatives from Case IH, John Deere and AGCO all made presentations, and the Presidents all took advantage of the opportunity to view the various pieces of ag equipment along with the computer diagnostics.
Next on the tour, President Powers visited farmers in Turner, Maine. The Brigeen Farms is a family owned and operated dairy farm dating back to 1777. Today the farm is operated by Bill and Betsy Bullard and Betsy’s parents, Steve and Mary Briggs. They currently milk 540 head of Holstein cows and are known throughout Maine and around the world for their registered Holstein genetics and milk production. Their detailed feed mix is grown on their farm but managed by their neighbors, the Hoods.
The Hoods third generation farm started as milk haulers and raised 150 acres of mostly grass hay. They transitioned to water haulers as farms transitioned out of dairy and then expanded to McCormick/Claar dealers in the 1980s to farming an additional 1500 acres for the Brigeen Farm is 2008. Today, third generation, Jarred Hood, manages the farming operations.
The final farm tour of the day was the Ricker Hill Orchards with the farm dating back to 1803 when the first apple trees were planted. They are in the ninth generation of the Ricker family, as many family members still live on the original farm. The apple trees are all planted on the tops of different hills on the farm to protect against frost damage as “cold air drifts down to the valleys”. In the valleys, they maintain acres of cranberry bogs that are dry harvested with a specialized machine. These cranberries are sold to the fresh market. The bogs are flooded in the winter to protect the cranberry plants from the harsh winter weather. Over the years they have diversified into grapes, hard cider production, farm events and agritourism. They also continue to diversify in operating their farm store, bakery, cidery, and seasonal attractions. But they are known for their historic McIntosh apple varieties that are packed on site and sold throughout New England.
Day three continued the opportunity to bring together leaders in the Northeast Farm Bureau states to network, learn and discuss regional agriculture issues.
The morning presentations started with a current description of the state of Maine’s agriculture by Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry, Nancy McBrady. In her presentation she outlined the 10-year process of PFAS chemicals in wastewater sludge that Maine farmers had been using for fertilizer. There are 126 farms affected in Maine of which 6 have stopped farming. This Informative conversation on PFAS chemicals on farmland continued with Courtney Briggs, AFBF Senior Director, Government Affairs and Garrett Mason for the Maine Farm Bureau staff.
Danny Munch, AFBF Economist, concluded the morning sessions with updates on the US agriculture economy. Danny reviewed historic trends on fertilizer costs and the results from the AFBF survey from members on their fertilizer purchases for the 2026 planting season. Danny also showed trends in other agricultural input costs. Danny showed the yearly trends on farm income throughout the US and how tariff/government subsidies affected the farm income in certain years.
The Wednesday afternoon tours started at the family-owned Harris Turkey Farm in Newfield. Brothers Jason and Chase manage their farming operation to focus on pastured raised turkeys. To complement their fresh Thanksgiving turkey business, they have an on-farm store that offers their specialty, homemade turkey pot pies, along with soups and smoked specialties that is open year-round.
The next tour stop was Keith Harris’ Pumpkin Valley Farms in southern Maine town of Dayton which showcases a diverse working farm and hands-on agricultural recreation and educational experiences. The farm activities feature spring baby animal events, a summertime corn maize, followed by a fall sunflower festival, pick your own pumpkins, hayrides, farm animals, with seasonal foods always available.
The multi-generational Tibbets family farm in Lyman, has been in operation for 40 years with Jonathon and Kelly raising Angus-Simmental beef cattle and Katahdin sheep. They also have diversified with a seasonal greenhouse operation featuring flowers, vegetables and herbs, growing premium feed hay and a solar grazing service throughout Maine and New Hampshire.
The tours concluded in Buxton with the multi-generational Snell Family Farm dating back 100 years. The farm is known for its pick your own apple orchards and various berry fields, along with vegetables and flowers at their farm stand from their fields and greenhouses.
Maine Farm Bureau President David Kent and his lovely, inspirational wife, Phyllis, the staff and County Farm Bureau Presidents for created a fun, informative program and tours of the diversified agriculture in Maine.
