Hussein Muktar of New Roots Cooperative Farm gives a tour Tuesday of one of the farm’s many greenhouses to Terry Cosby, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service chief, and Rep. Chellie Pingree, right. The greenhouse contained a thriving crop of amaranth, which is popular with the farm’s African customers. Cosby was in Maine touring several farm locations. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Omar Hassan, left, of the Cooperative Development Institute, answers questions Tuesday for Rep. Chellie Pingree, center, and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Terry Cosby. Cosby was in Maine touring several farm locations and signed a state-level contribution agreement for a $411,000 grant to “expand climate resilience through urban agriculture soil remediation, implementation of conservation practices, and outreach.” Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Terry Cosby takes a sniff of a bunch of basil and amaranth Tuesday during a tour of the New Roots Cooperative Farm in Lewiston. Rep. Chellie Pingree looks on from the center. The two were hosted by the farm and served lunch after Cosby signed paperwork for a $411,000 statewide grant to “expand climate resilience through urban agriculture soil remediation, implementation of conservation practices, and outreach.” Andree Kehn/Sun Journal