PFAS

We recently became aware that in 1996 sludge from the Castine Wastewater Treatment Plant was spread on two rocky pastures on the farm.  It was a one-time application on land that has never been used for growing vegetables, making hay, or grazing poultry.  Since our discovery, we have been working with State of Maine DEP, State of Maine Department of Agriculture, and a private soils scientist to better understand what PFAS contamination is and if we are likely to have elevated levels of PFAS on our farm or in the food we produce.  State DEP predicted PFAS contamination on King Hill Farm to be low risk, calling for soil testing as far away as 2025.

The cornerstone of our farming philosophy is to provide healthy, safe food for ourselves and our community.  For that reason, we decided to test our private well, agricultural well, and a sample of beef for PFAS compounds.  Even though the current water standard allows for six PFAS compounds, and the beef standard is for one PFAS compound, we opted to conduct a more extensive test for 28 different PFAS compounds. 

Good news! Test results for our water and beef came back with no trace for any of the 28 PFAS compounds!  We feel confident in saying that all food we produce is free of elevated levels of PFAS!

At King Hill Farm we have always strived to be as sustainable and self-reliant as possible.  All of the hay and straw we use for mulch in our garden and feed our cows is grown here on the farm, and we make our own compost with manure from those cows.  We feel confident moving forward that we will be able to continue to provide safe food for ourselves and our community.

We would like to thank everyone for continuing to support us in what has been a very stressful time.  We feel very fortunate to be able to continue doing what we love and are looking forward to another great growing season!

Paul & Amanda
March 2022