What Makes Farming Work? A Conversation about Farmland Access with Maine Farmland Trust - Alex Redfield

An interview with Stacy Brenner and Ellen Sabina, conducted and edited by Alex Redfield.Stacy Brenner is President & CEO of Maine Farmland Trust (MFT). Before stepping into the role in December 2024, Stacy had been engaged with MFT for 20 years, as a farmer leveraging Maine FarmLink and MFT’s Farm Business Planning programs, as a Board member, and on staff as Senior Advisor for Farmland Access. Stacy serves in the Maine Legislature as the State Senator from District 30, representing Gorham and parts of Scarborough. Stacy lives and farms at Broadturn Farm in Scarborough with her husband, John Bliss, and two daughters, Emma and Flora. Ellen Sabina brings her passion for rural communities, farming and food, and narrative change to her work at MFT and has worked to champion local food and farmers for over 15 years. Ellen moved back to her home state of Maine in 2013 to lead MFT’s outreach and communications work, and in 2022 shifted into a new role to work across programs that foster engagement among farmers in MFT’s network, cultivating a culture that supports farmers and farming. Ellen is also currently Board President of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. She lives in Morrill, Maine, and can often be found in the fields at the tiny flower farm she co-operates, Half Hitch Flowers.Alex Redfield is the Policy Director for Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities. On the farm, in state government, and in conservation policy circles, his work for the past 20 years has centered on supporting a just transition of New England’s landscape and food system toward an equitable future. He lives in South Portland, Maine.Read the edited transcript and discover additional content in the Summer 2025 Issue of From the Ground Up.