UMaine’s Sustainable Agriculture Program celebrating its 30-year anniversary Sept. 14

The 30th anniversary of the University of Maine Sustainable Agriculture Program will be celebrated with a free barbecue and live music 3–7 p.m. Sept. 14 at Rogers Farm in Old Town.

Alumni and community partners connected to the Sustainable Agriculture Program are expected to attend.

UMaine began offering a bachelor’s degree in sustainable agriculture in 1988 — the first program of its kind in the United States. Wallace C. Dunham, then dean of the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture and director of the Maine Agriculture Experiment Station in the 1980s, committed the university to building an agricultural system that reduced reliance on purchased inputs and improved farm profitability, environmental quality and human health.

Today, there are 28 students in the program, who will soon join a group of 122 alumni that includes leading farmers and educators working to promote sustainable agriculture throughout the world.

For more information, see the program’s Facebook page or email Eric Gallandt, gallandt@maine.edu.