WARREN — The second program in the series, “Turn On the Taps: Ensuring Clean Water for All,” Thursday, Aug. 22, at 10 a.m., features a visit to Begin Again Farm, 1133 Finntown Road in Warren. The farm is owned and operated by Bill Pluecker and Chloe Maxmin.

Bill Pluecker represents House District 44 in the State’s Legislature, and serves as the House’s Chair of the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. He has been farming for almost twenty years, providing the community with organic food and mentoring dozens of farmers to enable them to launch their own farms. Chloe Maxmin grew up on her family’s farm in Nobleboro and started farming with Pluecker several years ago. Maxmin served in the Maine House of Representatives in 2018 and the Maine State Senate in 2020. Pluecker and Maxmin share their farm with Pluecker’s children and Maxmin’s dog and their beloved cows and chickens.

Begin Again Farm is a certified organic farm and produces vegetables for local food banks through the Mainers Feeding Mainers program. This initiative through the Good Shepard Food Bank pays farmers to grow food for food pantries across the state. To sustain abundant crops, the Begin Again Farm must have adequate supplies of clean water. Pluecker is particularly concerned about water quality and the effects of PFAS on farmland. He speaks out to raise awareness of contamination from PFAS and the necessity of building awareness and advocacy on this topic to ensure that farms in the future will be able to supply adequate food supplies for all communities.

This program is open and free to the community. Attendees are encouraged to wear boots and bring portable chairs. Parking is limited and carpooling is advised. Refreshments will be provided. In the event of heavy rain, the program will be moved to Nativity Lutheran Church, 179 Old County Road, Rockport.

This event will be followed by “The Water Connection: Risks and Impacts of Metal Mining in Maine” on September 7 at the Rockport Opera House, and will feature Jan Morrill of Earthworks and Ralph Chapman, retired state legislator and industrial engineer.

The program is sponsored by Nativity Lutheran Church and for more information, please go to the Church’s website at http://www.nativityrockport.org or contact Denise at das75gms@gmail.com