Maine farmland calls to mind hoop houses, tall grain crops and cows grazing peacefully out to pasture. But something is happening beneath the surface. Farmers are facing soil and water contamination from Polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAs used in manufacturing. What are these chemicals and where did they come from?
Dairy cows grazing on pasture at Springside Farms in New Vineyard, Maine.
PFAs are a family of synthetic chemicals that do not break down in the environment. Because they are water, stain and grease resistant, they are used in the production of household products–from the Teflon coating on cookware, to textiles, furniture and carpeting.
The state of Maine endorsed farmers’ spreading tainted sludge from wastewater facilities as fertilizer in the 1980s. Farmers felt it was a civic duty. Today, farmers witness the fallout with heavy emotion.
Randall Bates is a dairy farmer at Springside Farms in New Vineyard, Maine. His family has occupied this property for over a century. Two maple trees guard the white clapboard farmhouse. On a crisp, peaceful March morning, he strolled his 400-acre organic farm past the bright red barn. Part of this barn doubles as a museum. Black and white photographs line the walls. His grandmother’s original cream separator stands by the door. “It is unfortunate that these people have done nothing wrong. They were told that spreading sludge was safe. Now they are being told that their property and livelihoods are worthless,” he said.
