WHEREAS, Maine's agricultural community is a cornerstone of our great state and provides numerous benefits to Maine's residents and visitors; and

WHEREAS, Maine's agricultural sector fuels the state's economy, contributing more than $3.6 billion annually, and employing tens of thousands of people with over 1 million acres in agricultural use; and

WHEREAS, Maine's agricultural community has worked tirelessly to build the foundation for a vibrant local food system that ensures the availability of Maine farm products year-round; and

WHEREAS, farmers and producers uphold one of the state's key heritage industries by stewarding land resources, sustaining a legacy of farm trades, and ensuring an abundant supply of food and other agricultural products; and

WHEREAS, Maine has set goals to strengthen our state's agricultural infrastructure and increase the amount of food produced, processed, and consumed in-state, while decreasing reliance on food imports and ending hunger by 2030; and

WHEREAS, March 19, 2024, marks National Agriculture Day, which is celebrated in classrooms, communities, and state houses, including in Maine through the longstanding tradition of Maine Agriculture Day at the Legislature; and

WHEREAS, we all must continue to support our agricultural producers to ensure Maine's working landscapes thrive, agriculture remains a foundation of our state, and Maine-grown farm products are accessible and available for generations to come;

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim the week of March 18-24, 2024 as

Agriculture Week

throughout the State of Maine, so that we may all support and celebrate Maine's resilient working landscape, its lasting heritage of high-quality products, and the vast opportunities that the future of farming holds.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this twenty eighth day of February Two Thousand Twenty-Four