Maine Farmland Trust

Name

Maine Farmland Trust

Legal name

Maine Farmland Trust LLC

Website

https://mainefarmlandtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farmland Conservation Services

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH)

Keywords

• Farmland conservation
• Agricultural land easements
• Farm business planning
• Farmland access services
• Agricultural nonprofit support

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Memberships: MFT operates as a member-powered nonprofit. When you donate $10 or more, you become an annual member and join a community dedicated to protecting farmland, supporting farmers, and advancing farming in Maine. Members receive benefits including the annual Maine Farms journal, early-bird access to MFT events, and experiences on local farms.
2. Business Memberships: MFT offers business membership options for organizations and businesses that wish to support the organization.
3. Recurring Giving: Recurring donation programs for ongoing supporter engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Maine Farmland Trust is a statewide nonprofit that protects working farmland in Maine through agricultural conservation easements, supports farmers with multi-year business planning programs and matching implementation grants (up to $65,000), connects farmers seeking land with landowners via the Maine FarmLink service, and provides resources on PFAS contamination and climate resilience. The organization also publishes the annual Maine Farms Journal and runs an online merchandise store to support operations.

Product overview

Maine Farmland Trust is a nonprofit organization (not a technology company) that offers a suite of programs and services to protect Maine farmland, support farmers, and advance the future of farming. The core offerings include farmland protection via conservation easements, the Maine FarmLink land linking service, farm business planning programs (Business of Farming and Farming for the Long Haul) with associated Implementation Grants, financial tools like Farm Calc, and support services for PFAS contamination and climate resilience. The organization also publishes the Maine Farms Journal and operates an MFT Store on Shopify. These programs work together to create a holistic ecosystem supporting farmers from land access through business development and succession planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Maine FarmLink: A farm linking service that helps connect farmers with available farmland and prospective farmers with land opportunities.
• Business of Farming
• Farming for the Long Haul
• Maine Farms Journal

Products and services

• Maine FarmLink A farm linking service that connects farmers seeking land with landowners, facilitating farmland access and succession planning across Maine.
• Farmland Protection (Conservation Easements) Agricultural conservation easements that permanently protect working farmland from non-agricultural development, available to farmland owners in Maine.
• Business of Farming Program A one-year business planning program where farmers participate in workshops to analyze financials, identify business goals, and receive one-on-one technical assistance plus a small seed grant.
• Farming for the Long Haul Program A two-year business planning program for experienced farmers focused on long-term business growth and sustainability with peer learning cohorts and eligibility for Implementation Grants.
• Farm Calc A financial calculation tool for farmers to analyze farm business metrics and costs.
• Implementation Grants Competitive $65,000 matching grants for farmers who complete the Farming for the Long Haul program to implement business plans and grow profitability. Over $1,385,359 awarded across eight years.
• PFAS Support Services Resources and support for Maine farmers impacted by PFAS contamination, including testing, research, and guidance.
• Climate Resilience Programs Programs helping farmers adapt to climate change, including climate impact assessments and resilience planning.
• Maine Farms Journal An annual publication featuring stories, photography, and art exploring Maine's food and farming community, available in print and digital archive.
• MFT Store Online merchandise store powered by Shopify selling branded items to support Maine Farmland Trust.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,722 acres of farmland protected across 11 properties in 2025 alone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NiweskokcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 2025Niweskok: From the Stars to Seeds is a 501c3 nonprofit collective working to restore Wabanaki food sovereignty. MFT has supported the organization in acquiring a 245-acre farm in Swanville as a home base for their mission to restore the region as a Wabanaki food hub. The partnership focuses on creating pathways for Wabanaki producers to access farmland and practice traditional crop cultivation, harvesting, and fishing.
• Georges River Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnered with Georges River Land Trust to contribute toward the purchase of an easement at Hope's Edge Farm in Hope, with support from the Land for Maine's Future program.
• Coastal Mountains Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnered with Coastal Mountains Land Trust on the Hope Orchards easement in Hope, fulfilling the dream of longtime owner-operators to ensure the farm remains in agriculture.
• Maine Coast Heritage TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnered with Maine Coast Heritage Trust and Great Works Regional Land Trust to protect Kashmer Farm in Eliot, a 126-acre farm.
• Great Works Regional Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnered with Maine Coast Heritage Trust and Great Works Regional Land Trust to protect Kashmer Farm in Eliot.
• Land for Maine's FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025State program providing support for farmland conservation easements. MFT worked with Land for Maine's Future on multiple easement projects including Halledge Farm, Hart to Hart Farm, Ward Farm, Hope's Edge Farm, and other properties in 2025.
• Land Trust Accreditation CommissioncoreOthersMFT is certified by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, demonstrating excellence in land trust practices and standards.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Farmland Trust: National nonprofit focused on protecting farmland, promoting sustainable agriculture, and supporting farmers; offers an identical mix of easements, policy advocacy, and farmer support, but at national scale.
• Vermont Land Trust: Statewide Vermont nonprofit that protects farmland and forestland through conservation easements and supports farm transfer via a land-linking program (Farmland Access Program); directly analogous to MFT's model.
• Equity Trust: Nonprofit that helps farmers acquire and preserve working lands through innovative financing and shared-ownership arrangements; closely mirrors MFT's farm succession and land access mission.

Regional players

• New England Farmland Finder: Regional farmland linking and access platform serving New England states; addresses the same farm succession challenge that Maine FarmLink solves, with broader geography.
• New York Farmland Trust: New York-based nonprofit focused on farmland protection through easements and assisting farmers with access; state-based peer with comparable program mix.

Emerging players

• Dirt Capital Partners: Impact investment firm that helps farmers acquire land and stay on it; complementary to MFT's FarmLink by providing patient capital that buyers then link to via MFT's matching service.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: Global conservation organization with significant land protection operations including farmland easements; broader portfolio, but overlapping easement and stewardship capabilities.

Others

• Land Trust Alliance: National membership organization that provides accreditation, policy advocacy, and capacity building for land trusts including MFT itself; adjacent and ecosystem-defining.
• Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG): Regional sustainable agriculture network that collaborates with organizations like MFT on policy and food systems; thematic peer in farm-friendly policy advocacy.
• Croatan Institute: Research and advisory nonprofit focused on regenerative agriculture and equitable land stewardship; aligned with MFT's climate resilience and PFAS-adjacent programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mainefarms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maine-farmland-trust-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/mainefarmlandtrust

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maine Farmland Trust