Great news for the local food movement and industry, and for small farms across the state. The University of Maine System (UMS) just announced a new plan to purchase 20% of their food from local sources, which mostly means within Maine. This is likely to have a very positive impact on the Maine economy. The size of that impact is a relevant question. Although we cannot predict the economic impact perfectly, a review of the literature on the economic impact of local food purchases by consumers at farmers markets, and institutional local food procurement policies suggests that for every dollar the UMS spends on food from Maine another dollar of economic activity may be generated.  Read a short summary of the research on this issue, here: Local Food Effects.