Clients: Food and Agriculture

The Beginning Farmer Resource Network is a coalition of Maine agriculture agencies and organizations working together to connect aspiring, beginning, and transitioning farmers to resources for farm business success. We were hired to help plan and facilitate a future visioning session at a Network retreat.

The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust (BTLT) preserves acreage of ecological, agricultural and aesthetic importance in the neighboring towns of Brunswick and Topsham. BTLT hired us to facilitate a full day board retreat focused on the future of Crystal Spring Farm, a working farm owned by BTLT that raises vegetables and livestock, maintains recreational trails, and hosts a farmers’ market on 320 acres. We also prepared a full report of the meeting.

Since 1985, the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust has preserved more than 1,100 acres in the neighboring towns of Brunswick and Topsham in an effort to protect properties with true ecological, agricultural and aesthetic importance. With support from the Maine Department of Agriculture, we were hired to facilitate an outreach meeting among farmers and neighbors.

The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust teamed up with the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust on a long term project to help improve sustainability of local agriculture in the Merrymeeting Bay Region. We were hired to facilitate a roundtable meeting that brought together regional stakeholders to gather information, begin to identify solutions, and develop a network. We also prepared a complete report of the meeting.

The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust protects 1,100 acres of properties with ecological, agricultural and aesthetic importance in Brunswick and Topsham. The Trust also is a convener of the Merrymeeting Food Council, a collaborative network of farmers, non-profits, businesses, government, and individuals working to advance a thriving, resilient food system. We were hired to facilitate a meeting to help refine goals and action plans for the newly-formed food council. We also prepared a complete report of the meeting.

Based in Clinton, Maine, FEDCO is a cooperative, one of the few seed companies so organized in the United States. Profit is not the primary goal. Consumers own 60% of the cooperative and worker members 40%. The cooperative structure gives workers a real voice in running the company and a real stake in its success. FEDCO has hired me to help them with strategic planning.

Fedco Seeds is a Cooperative based in Hinckley, Maine. They hired me to facilitate their Annual Meeting of Workers.

Good Food for Lewiston is a collaborative working to develop a healthy community food system in Lewiston. We were hired to help plan for, and train volunteer facilitators for, a series of “Good Food Gatherings” which brought together community members to create and share a vision for a healthy food system.

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute convened ground fishermen from Cape Cod to the coastal Maine to discuss new, innovative ways to manage the fishery. With the hope of achieving consensus on recommendations to the New England Fisheries Management Council, we were hired to facilitate the discussions and prepare a report of conclusions.

Regulations for groundfishing in the Gulf of Maine and on Geroges Bank are changing to allow fishermen to gather in cooperative “sectors.” How will the catch be monitored and reported under the new system? We were hired to facilitate discussions among fishing trade associations, regulators, scientists, and environmental groups to explore consensus on monitoring and reporting methods.

Regulations for groundfishing in the Gulf of Maine and on Geroges Bank are changing to allow fishermen to gather in cooperative “sectors.” How will the catch be monitored and reported under the new system? We were hired to facilitate discussions among fishing trade associations, regulators, scientists, and environmental groups to explore consensus on monitoring and reporting methods. We also prepared a complete report of the meeting, which was submitted directly to the New England Fisheries Management Council.

The annual KNEADING Conference brings farmers, bakers, and wood-fired oven enthusiasts to Skowhegan to explore the art and science of growing, milling and baking local artisan breads. We worked behind the scenes with the steering committee on developing long term plans for the conference.

Located on the beautiful Downeast coast, Maine Coast Sea Vegetables harvests, dries, and sells about 100,000 pounds of certified organic sea vegetables annually. We were hired by this socially and environmentally conscious company to facilitate a series of long-range planning meetings among senior staff. We also facilitated all-staff meetings to discuss company changes and provided coaching and related services to leadership staff.

Maine Coast Sea Vegetables and Atlantic Mariculture are two companies that harvest and sell certified organic sea vegetables, located respectively on the coast of Downeast Maine and on the island of Grand Manan, New Brunswick. Craig was hired to facilitate a retreat between leaders at the two companies to discuss mutual opportunities and challenges for the future.

The Maine Department of Agriculture engages in several activities that overlap with the Maine Farmland Trust. We were hired to facilitate a full-day retreat of leaders from these two organizations to discuss how to coordinate activities most effectively.

As part of the state rule making process, the Maine Department of Agriculture hired us to facilitate a meeting among stakeholders to discuss the Voluntary Municipal Farm Support Program. In addition to facilitating the meeting, we prepared a complete report.

The Maine Department of Agriculture hired us to facilitate two meetings, one in Topsham and one in Farmington, to gather input from farmers, land owners, land trusts, and municipal officials, on the pros and cons of mapping farms on regional maps. This information is helpful to the Department as they design some new programs. We also prepared complete reports of the two meetings. Leigh Tillman assisted with this project.

The Maine Farmers’ Market Convention hired us to provide a training session on conflict prevention, management, and resolution. The Maine Farmers’ Market Convention is an annual event organized and presented by the Downeast Business Alliance. The 2011 convention was held in January in Belfast, Maine.

For the second year in a row we were hired to provide training in conflict management for the Maine Farmers’ Market Convention. The convention was in Freeport on January 27 & 28,2012.

The Maine Farmers’ Market Convention hired Craig to present a keynote talk on The Wisdom of Group Decisions. For the third year in a row Craig also provided a training session; this year’s topic was strategic planning. The Maine Farmers’ Market Convention is an annual event organized and presented by the Downeast Business Alliance. The 2013 convention was held at Point Lookout in beautiful Northport, Maine.

The Maine Farmland Trust (MFT) is a statewide organization working to protect farmland, support farmers, and advance farming. Craig was hired to facilitate a participatory visioning session at a MFT farmland access conference, in which participants shared ideas for positive solutions to help farmers access land.

The Maine Food Strategy is an initiative to create a broader and more strongly connected network of organizations and individuals contributing to the food system in Maine. We have been hired to help plan and facilitate a large network gathering to work on the initiative’s goal areas: economic development, environment, food access, and community support. We helped plan and facilitate the overall gathering and the breakout sessions. We also provided a complete report of the entire gathering.

The Maine Grain Alliance is a nonprofit organization working to preserve and promote grain traditions. The Maine Grain Alliance oversees The KNEADING Conference, held annually in Skowhegan, which brings together farmers, bakers, and wood-fired oven enthusiasts. Building on our previous work with the steering committee of The KNEADING Conference, we were hired to help the Maine Grain Alliance with a series of strategic planning meetings. As a result of this work, we prepared a draft strategic plan.

At beautiful Maple Hill Farm in Hallowell, we facilitated a full day conference for the members of the Maine Nutrition Network. About a hundred people attended. We helped the group decide their mission and specific areas of work for the next few years, along with how they should best be structured to achieve their goals. As follow up, we helped them write their strategic plan to be finalized at their annual meeting.

The Maine Nutrition Network is a collaborative of public and private partners that coordinates nutrition and physical activity initiatives and contributes to policies and environments that improve the health of Maine people. We were hired to facilitate the Network’s annual meeting of about 100 people – in order to engage strategic stakeholders and partners in a discussion about the future of the Network. Leigh Tillman assisted with this project.

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) hired us to facilitate a discussion among the MOFGA board of directors and the board of directors of MOFGA Certification Services, LLC, the wholly-owned subsidiary of MOFGA that certifies organic farmers on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) is the oldest and largest state organic organization in the country. Each year, volunteers and professionals moderate panel discussions at the Farmer to Farmer Conference put on by MOFGA. We were hired to provide training for volunteer moderators. Several Good Group Decisions Associates then joined other volunteers in facilitating panel discussions at the 2010 conference. Leigh Tillman assisted with this project.

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) is a broad-based community that educates about and advocates for organic agriculture, illuminating its interdependence with a healthy environment, local food production, and thriving communities. We were hired to plan and facilitate a series of meetings to help MOFGA make future plans for it’s facilities and grounds.

Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) is the oldest and largest state organic organization in the country. We were hired to help facilitate a multiphase strategic planning process. We began with a series of meetings, conversations, and surveys among stakeholder groups, board members, and staff members to help refine the organization’s values, vision and mission. In the next phase we facilitated a series of meetings to help define organizational goals and objectives.

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) is the oldest and largest state organic organization in the country. We were hired to facilitate a series of meetings to discuss plans for the MOFGA campus in Unity, Maine.

The Maine Philanthropy Center, a regional association of grantmakers working together to promote philanthropy and to increase its impact in Maine, is convening a conference entitled “Improving Food Access with Local Food”. We have been hired to help plan the day and help facilitate audience participation.

The Maine School Garden Network (MSGN) is a group of committed individuals who promote and support educational gardens for youth and encourage school programs that teach healthy eating and environmental stewardship. We were hired to help plan and facilitate a full-day meeting, comprised of a broad stakeholder input discussion in the morning followed by a MSGN Advisory Board meeting in the afternoon where board members reflected on input received and made decisions about MSGN’s future. We also prepared complete reports of both meetings. Leigh Tillman assisted with this project.

The Maine Sustainable Agriculture Society explores, develops and promotes agricultural systems and practices that allow Maine farmers to retain a greater share of consumer expenditures for farm products. We facilitated a half-day board retreat focused on strategic planning. In advance of the retreat, we interviewed each board member and prepared a report of the findings which informed the discussion around the future direction of the organization. Six months after the planning retreat, we facilitated a follow-up board retreat.

The Maine Sustainable Agriculture Society (MESAS) explores, develops and promotes agricultural systems and practices that allow Maine farmers to retain a greater share of consumer expenditures for farm products. As part of the MESAS “More Maine Meat” project, we were hired to facilitate a series of meetings among farmers, processors, distributors, government agencies, researchers, agricultural organizations, and consumers to identify key constraints and opportunities in Maine’s sustainable meat industry.

Merrymeeting Permaculture and Transition is a group of individuals and organizations working to build environmental and economic resilience at the backyard and community levels. We were hired to facilitate a public meeting where participants could learn about each other’s work and share ideas about how to inspire and support positive changes.

The Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, a not-for-profit United Way agency committed to reducing hunger in the greater Brunswick area, hired us to facilitate a full-day strategic planning retreat and prepare a complete report.

The Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program is a not-for-profit United Way agency committed to reducing hunger in the greater Brunswick area. For the second year, they have hired us to facilitate a full-day strategic planning retreat among the board of directors.

The Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program is a non-profit agency committed to providing hungry people with access to healthy food and improving the quality of their lives. We were hired to facilitate a strategic planning retreat for MCHPP.

The Spannocchia Foundation seeks to encourage global dialogue about sustaining cultural landscapes for future generations through the example of the Tenuta di Spannocchia, a centuries-old agricultural estate located about 12 miles southwest of Siena in central Tuscany, Italy. We were hired to facilitate a three-day strategic planning board retreat at the Castello di Spannocchia, located on the Tenuta.

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension hired us to plan and facilitate two meetings to help Cooperative Extension organize their SNAP-Ed program: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramEducation, which helps low-income individuals make healthy food choices. Leigh Tillman served as lead facilitator.

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension puts university research to work in homes, businesses, farms, and communities throughout Maine, providing education and practical solutions for agriculture, natural resources, economic opportunity, and lifelong wellness. Craig has been hired to facilitate three sessions at the two-day Annual Organizational meeting for Cooperative Extension staff. Topics will cover strategic planning and practical ideas for handling challenges in group situations.