The summit brough together diverse stakeholders to support farm viability and regional economic resilience
Contributed photo
Faculty from the UConn Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, in partnership with faculty of the Maine Business School and UMaine Cooperative Extension, hosted the 2025 Northeast Agricultural Networks Summit. With support from Cooperative Extension in both states, this one-day mini-conference focused on strengthening the entrepreneurial networks that aid farmers and agribusinesses across the Northeast.
The summit convened agricultural service providers, educators, researchers, and nonprofit leaders to explore how strong, well-coordinated networks can contribute to farm viability and regional economic resilience. Sessions emphasized both research-driven insights and practical strategies for fostering collaboration across organizations and state lines.
As part of a bi-state collaboration between UConn and UMaine, the event was hosted at the Maine Graduate and Professional Center, a facility of the University of Maine System in the historic Old Port section of Portland. The Maine Center, as it is also known, hosts integrated programs across business, law, policy, and engineering, computing and information sciences, with the support of the Harold Alfond Foundation.
The event began with a welcome from Amy Harder, associate dean and associate director for Extension at UConn, who introduced the program and its focus on moving from big ideas to practical activities. The morning featured two Spark Sessions, highlighting research and case study presentations on innovative approaches to building and sustaining farmer networks. Presenters were selected through a regional call for proposals and represented diverse perspectives from across the Northeast.
"Designed to spark collaboration and innovation, the event highlighted international and local examples of farm networks in action before moving into participant-led discussions on strengthening regional support systems," says Emma Bojinova, project lead and associate professor in residence in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UConn. "The goal was for participants to leave with new insights, tools, and connections to help their organizations better support and grow thriving agricultural businesses in their regions."
A Fireside Chat session over lunch featured Hannah Carter, deputy provost and dean of Cooperative Extension at the University of Maine, who shared insights on leadership, coordination, and the role of trust in facilitating effective networks and collaborations. The session was moderated by Jason Entsminger, assistant professor of entrepreneurship and innovation and state Extension specialist for small business at the University of Maine, and a co-organizer of the summit.
In the afternoon, participants took part in Ignite Sessions focused on strategic planning and implementation. These interactive sessions guided attendees through exercises designed to identify shared resources, gaps, and next steps for strengthening the regional agricultural support ecosystem.
"Getting all these support organizations in a room was extremely valuable because it helped us build our own networks, and the focus on moving from learning to doing meant we all went away with concrete actions we can take to facilitate farmer networks in the regions. I wish we had the funds to do it every year," says co-organizer and associate professor in UConn's Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
Participants described the summit as an opportunity not only to learn from peers, but to build meaningful connections that could lead to future collaboration.
The Northeast Agricultural Networks Summit was designed as a space for "connecting, learning, and strategic doing," with the goal of supporting organizations that serve farmers throughout the region. Takeaways from the event will be posted on the project website.
Travel support was provided through a USDA-funded capacity grant to help ensure broad participation from across the Northeast. This work relates to CAHNR's Strategic Vision area focused on Ensuring a Vibrant and Sustainable Agricultural Industry and Food Supply.
