Oct. 18 – Restaurateurs, chefs, farmers and aquaculture professionals met with state and federal lawmakers Friday for a roundtable discussion on the economic impact climate change is having on Maine’s independent restaurants and their supply chains.
The event, organized by the James Beard Foundation, was held at Japanese-inspired restaurant Bar Futo on Fore Street as part of the foundation’s Climate Solutions for Restaurant Survival campaign, which was held in cities across the country. The lecture was intended as a forum for policymakers — including U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, and Maine House Majority Leader Maureen Terry, D-Gorham — to learn how extreme weather events are disrupting the food supply chain and threatening the economy. economic viability of local restaurants and farms.
Here are three conclusions from the discussion.
1. Unpredictable weather patterns make farming more difficult and less profitable than ever.
Anne McBride, vice president of programs for the James Beard Foundation, noted that 2020 was the driest growing season on record in Maine, while 2023 was the wettest. “Finding solutions in production that work no matter what happens if there isn’t consistency really makes everything very challenging, especially in a place where you don’t have a long growing season to begin with,” she said.
“Over the past five to 10 years, the variability of weather in general has had by far the biggest impact,” said Seth Kroeck, owner and manager of Crystal Spring Farm in Brunswick.
When Kroeck first started farming his land 22 years ago, he said weather patterns were much more predictable over the course of a year. “In general, we can expect the last frost date to fall within a two-week period in mid-to-late May. We can expect the first fall frost to fall within a two-week period in late September,” as well as in general. regular dry and wet periods. “And now it’s like you took all those standards, like a deck of cards, and threw them in the air, and they ended up everywhere.”
Kroeck lost his entire harvest of 70 hectares of blueberries due to frost in 2020 and 2023. “The older generation of farmers I know remember losing a blueberry crop to frost once in their 40-, 50-, 60-year careers,” he said.
Farms receive heavier rain in greater volumes, as well as heavy winds, all of which disrupt crops. Kroeck said his farm received 3 inches of rain this year shortly after he planted carrots, and the seeds washed out of the rows where they were planted and onto the tractor wheel paths.
“In agriculture, just like in the restaurant industry, margins are very tight and we rely on a certain amount of expectation about what the weather will be like,” Kroeck said. ‘The unpredictability poses a serious threat to the profitability of farms.
“Here in Maine we are losing both dairy farms and vegetable farms,” he continued. “It’s going to be really difficult. And my concern as a grower is that I don’t think the public knows about it. They go to the grocery store and see higher prices for produce grown in California. They’re very disconnected from their local food systems, and they have no idea that a regional food system might be better for everyone.”
2. Restaurants are struggling to source local, sustainable products due to rising operating costs.
Alex Wight, owner of the Crown Jewel restaurant on Great Diamond Island, said the restaurant’s operating costs have increased significantly and many operators have been forced to pass the costs on to customers. She said she worries that some restaurateurs will opt for cheaper options that are less climate-friendly in an effort to survive. “It feels like we’re heading into a difficult time,” she says.
Chef Colin Wyatt of fine-dining restaurant Twelve in Portland agrees that a key dilemma is how to get restaurants that source their food from major national distributors like Sysco to invest in local products.
Pingree said a tax credit for buying local could be something lawmakers should consider.
“A lot of what I’ve heard is about money being earmarked for studies for long-term plans, but that doesn’t necessarily help people who need help now,” Wyatt said. He wondered if there might be money available to help chefs and owners buy local and sustainably.
Terry said state lawmakers are working on bills, grants and revolving loan programs that would help restaurateurs and small food producers get through lean periods.
Wyatt also said that there are fewer options for Maine chefs to source local meat these days, and that the few suppliers who provide it only sell whole animals, which many restaurants don’t have the space or resources to store, finish break and divide. “So we need to bring in more meat from out of state.”
“The people who aren’t really carrying water right now are the Hannafords and the Shaws,” said Jake Stevens, chef-owner of Portland Italian restaurant Leeward, arguing that the grocery chains aren’t offering enough local products. Still, most Mainers buy their groceries at those stores and don’t have the luxury of shopping at farmers markets or Whole Foods, he said.
Carl Deuben, chef-owner of Portland’s East Ender, said many restaurant operators are unable to come up with long-term climate-friendly solutions because they are focused on short-term survival.
“When we came out of the pandemic, we discovered how weak we all were,” Deuben said. “None of us would be here if it weren’t for taxpayer help. I think it’s harder now than ever.” He also acknowledged that customers today are also feeling financial hardship, and many don’t feel it is their responsibility to subsidize restaurants.
Deuben said restaurants and food producers need systemic solutions to help them adapt to the new climate reality.
“Adaptation is certainly the key to our future,” said Matt Moretti, co-owner of Bangs Island Mussels.
3. Strengthening the state’s fisheries and aquaculture is critical to the state’s future economic viability.
Kyle Foley, director of sustainable seafood at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, said her organization works with restaurants to help them diversify their seafood offerings and ensure they are sourced locally. She noted that it is becoming increasingly important as temperatures rise in the Gulf.
Author, chef and sustainable seafood advocate Barton Seaver said chefs during blind tastings were shocked to discover the superior taste and low prices of bycatch and less popular fish such as dogfish, redfish and ray.
“With all the great (seafood) products we have in this state, we don’t want people coming here just to eat lobster,” said Jordan Rubin, co-owner of Bar Futo, adding that there needs to be a concerted effort done to draw attention to local products. such as Maine uni, scallops and bluefin tuna.
“Maine’s regenerative aquaculture industry as a whole is ripe for growth,” Moretti says. “With that growth comes a lot of additional benefits for the Maine economy, the regional economy, the workers, the environment, everything.”
But, Moretti said, fueling that growth will require more efficient permitting and approval processes and lower barriers to entry into the industry – while maintaining strict standards – at the state and federal levels.
Moretti said Maine’s mussel industry alone could grow from producing 5 million pounds of mussels per year to nearly 60 million pounds per year, the output of mussel mecca Prince Edward Island.
“The future I see for aquaculture in Maine is where you can no longer distinguish where aquaculture ends and fishing begins.”
“Seafood is threatened by climate change, but in itself it is also a solution to climate change,” said Seaver. “So much is going well now, but there is still so much to do.”
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