The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine is set to host a talk, “Dealing with Drought: Aligning farmer needs and advisor confidence, skills, and expertise” at 3 p.m. Monday, March 27.

The talk will be held both remotely via Zoom and in person at 107 Norman Smith Hall on the University of Maine Orono campus.

Rachel Schattman, assistant professor of sustainable agriculture at the University of Maine in the School of Food and Agriculture, will be the featured speaker.

In 2020-21, Schattman and her colleagues conducted two complementary investigations. In the first, they asked farmers what kind of information, technical advice, or financial support they needed to deal with both too much and not enough water.

In the second, they asked agricultural advisors (those who provide services directly to the agricultural community on a regular basis) to share their perspectives on what skills and bodies of knowledge are needed to help farmers address water-related concerns, and whether Maine organizations currently have the capacity to meet farmer needs.

In this talk, Schattman will share the results of these studies. Attendees are also invited to share their thoughts on where Maine can and should invest to attend to this growing challenge, according to a news release from Ruth Hallsworth at the center.

All talks in the Mitchell Center’s Sustainability Talks series are free. To register and receive connection information, visit umaine.edu.

Face coverings are required for all attending Mitchell Center Sustainability Talks.

Updates for this event will be posted to the event webpage. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Hallsworth at 207-581-3196 or hallsworth@maine.edu.

Check out other upcoming area events!