Senator Collins Announces Appointees to the Maine Farm Service Agency State Committee

BANGOR, ME - Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) released their five official appointments to serve on the Maine USDA FSA state committee. Senator Collins advised the Administration during the nomination process as it selected candidates for the state committee.

Members of the FSA state committee are responsible for the oversight of farm programs and county committee operations, resolving program delivery appeals from the agriculture community, maintaining cooperative relations with industry stakeholders and keeping producers informed about current FSA programs. Each FSA state committee is comprised of three to five members including a designated chairperson.

"Maine's Farm Service Agency plays a critical role in our agricultural economy by administering essential federal programs and ensuring Maine's agricultural producers have access to the resources they need," said Senator Collins. "I am pleased to see this terrific group of community leaders bring their extensive experience, strong work ethic, and firsthand understanding of Maine agriculture to serve on the FSA state committee."

The five individuals who have been appointed to serve on this committee for Maine are:

• Dominic Lajoie, Chair (Van Buren) - Lajoie is a fourth-generation potato farmer producing 1,000 acres of potatoes and 1,200 acres of rotating crops. He previously served as the president of the National Potato Council, director of the Maine Potato Growers Co-Op, and president of the Maine Potato Board among other leadership positions.

• Jacob Bragg (Sidney) - Bragg is a ninth-generation dairy farmer and owner/operator of a commercial organic dairy farm employing 20 people and farming about 1,000 acres. Bragg is active in mentoring youths in his community and is involved in the local aviation community in central Maine.

• Courtney Hammond (Columbia Falls) - Hammond is farm manager and oversees wholesale and retail for wild blueberries, cranberries, and balsam fir products. He is a retired Maine Forest Ranger and was deployed nationally more than 50 times for wildfire and disaster responses, including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Irene, and Sandy. Previously Hammond served as the president of the Maine Farm Bureau. He currently is a board member of the Wild Blueberry Association of North America-US, chair of the Maine Wild Blueberry Commission's Fresh Pack and Value-Added Committee, and a member of the Commission's University of Maine Advisory Committee.

• Jenny Maheu (Turner) - Maheu is a ninth-generation apple grower, producing apples, cranberries, blueberries, and maple syrup. She is raising the tenth generation on the farm as she works to preserve the farm's extensive legacy.

• Erica Peabody (Houlton) - Peabody is a partner in and manages potato production for the family farm, growing and selling to large processing companies. In 2024, her farm was asked to partner as an innovation hub grower for Maine to highlight regenerative agriculture practices. Peabody served on the Maine Potato Board and continues to serve on the Maine Potato Seed Board and Potato Market Improvement Fund technical committee.

FSA helps America's farmers, ranchers and forest landowners invest in, improve, protect and expand their agricultural operations through the delivery of agricultural programs for all Americans. FSA implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster recovery and marketing programs through a national network of state and county offices and locally elected county committees.

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