The national dairy industry has been transformed over the past 20 years: Mega-dairies with tens of thousands of cows ship milk from California to Florida, while the processing side of the industry has consolidated and specialized, leaving farmers with fewer and fewer options. Here in… Read More
Warily, the buffalo come slowly to the fence. Grunting softly, curious to see if there is any food involved in this encounter, the younger cows approach first while the bulls act as sentries. The fence is electrified – 8,000 volts – so they keep their distance, their tongues… Read More
WARNING: Do not read this article while gobbling down a hamburger or enjoying a thick steak. That is, unless the meat comes from farmers you know, local farmers such as Karina Lewis and Kirk Stanley of Harmony. High on a ridge overlooking Great Moose Lake… Read More
KENDUSKEAG – State, local and federal officials sat shoulder to shoulder with dairy farmers Wednesday, trying to solve what some are calling a crisis in farming. In the end, the two-hour forum, called by a local dairy farmer, was as much about frustration at current pricing policies as… Read More
PITTSFIELD – Dairy farmers across the country, including Maine’s 360 family farmers, are lobbying their congressional leaders because of perceived shortcomings in the 2008 Farm Bill. They say outdated pricing policies and increased consolidation of the industry are putting their livelihood at risk. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
BROOKS – There’s a black-and-white, Holstein-Friesian cow that lives with a retired horse on the side of a hill in Brooks. Her name is Nonny, and she spends her days lazing around, eating hay and gobbling up pumpkins provided by her indulgent owners, Bill and Carol Hegstrom. Read More
BETHEL – If by Saturday’s end Maine’s organic farmers weren’t convinced they were on the right track, Sunday’s speakers at the 18th annual Farmer-to-Farmer Conference sealed the deal. Maine consumers for the first time are demanding organic products at a rate that outpaces production. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
ORONO – The squeals of the children were the loudest noise at Olde Oak Farm on Sunday, where Scott Belanger and Jennifer Macverde were giving tours of their farm and cheese-making operation. “There’s the goats,” shouted a young Cub Scout, visiting with Pack 301 of… Read More
AUGUSTA – Maine was the No. 1 New England state for agricultural production in 2006, the first time since 2003 the state has taken the region’s top spot. Maine farmers had $593 million in product sales last year, according to the New England office of… Read More
For four generations, Caldwell Farms’ cattle have grazed in the fertile fields of the Androscoggin River valley. Once one of the strongest dairy areas in the state, the valley has seen milk production all but dry up. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – The Maine Potato Board announced this week that the Ronald Moir family of Woodland is the 2006 Farm Family of the Year. The Moirs runs a seven-generation family farm. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
Couple try organic dairy farming Effort on Cobscook Bay joins fastest-growing segment of agriculture
EDMUNDS – Last winter, at the same time that researchers at the Universities of Maine and Vermont were working on a joint study of the cost of producing organic milk, Aaron Bell, 28, and Carly DelSignore, 26, took their first delivery of dairy cows. After… Read More
AUGUSTA – Displays in the State House Hall of Flags on Agriculture Day Tuesday touted Maine’s bounty. Blueberry juice, Maine potato chips, smoothies made with Maine-produced milk, artisan cheeses and vegetarian wraps made with organic produce tempted legislators to take time from politicking to eat. Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – When Matthew Porter, a potato farmer from Washburn, was named last year’s Young Farmer of the Year by the Maine Potato Board, he knew that he had garnered the respect of his peers and a chance to take part in the Potato Industry Leadership Institute. Read More
FAIRFIELD – Abigail Pirri sat in the goat pen delivering moment-by-moment birth reports on a Nubian goat named Getaway. “She’s grinding her teeth,” Abigail, 11, shouted, which is a sign of stress in goats. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
BAR HARBOR – On a clear, cold winter night, the greenhouse of the Smith Family Farm was lit up like a beacon in the dark, its generator-powered glow illuminating the bustle of the evening milking. Inside the chilly plastic structure, two Jersey cows chewed hay… Read More
BANGOR – U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture Thomas Dorr heard from Maine’s farmers Tuesday that this is a diversified state, one of family farms and innovative thinking, and that Maine should not get lost in the shuffle of large-commodity states when the 2007 Farm Bill is created. Read More
BANGOR – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plan to streamline and consolidate Farm Service Agency offices across the country could affect five of Maine’s 15 offices. Maine took the hardest hit in New England under the plan, which aims to shut down more than a… Read More
BRIDGEWATER – Myreta Shaw turned 80 last Thursday. For anybody, it’s an important milestone in life, but for Shaw, it’s an event she squeezed in between runs on the potato harvester. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
TROY – Twenty-five years ago, when Joyce Benson was a student at the University of Maine, she knew the dairyman whose farm existed where the Bangor Mall now sprawls. Today, as she raises organic vegetables in Troy, Benson said shrinking farm acreage is Maine’s biggest… Read More
FORT FAIRFIELD – Members of the Robert Irving family, multigeneration farmers from Caribou, were named this year’s Farm Family of the Year. The efforts of Maine potato growers, especially the Irvings, were lauded Friday night by both Gov. John Baldacci and state Agriculture Commissioner Robert… Read More
CHARLESTON – National and state statistics often point to the demise of the family farm, but those statistics are far from the reality of Maine’s Dairy Farm of the Year, operated by Richard and Melvina Perkins, which is bucking the trend as a traditional, red-and-white farm on a… Read More
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – As a million visitors wend their way through the Maine building at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield over the next two weeks, they will get a glimpse of Maine tourism, art, culture and education, but the overriding theme of the Maine exhibit… Read More
CLINTON – There were a lot more visitors than farmers at Tuesday’s opening of Maine Farm Days, an agricultural trade show held on a working farm. Most farmers were taking advantage of the sunshine and cutting or baling hay. “It has been such a bad… Read More
ORLAND – Organic farmer Paul Volckhausen seems to have more in common with the homesteaders who lived on Fields Pond 100 years ago than with many of his modern peers. Indoor plumbing and gasoline engines seemed to be the two inventions that separated the Curran… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – The Maine Potato Board on Wednesday named the Campbell family of Exeter as the 2004 Farm Family of the Year. Brian and Sheila Campbell, along with their son Jeff and his wife, Dawn, operate Campbell Farms, a fourth-generation farm that started with… Read More
The rising cost of gas has hit Maine’s farmers this spring with a triple whammy, from the higher price of diesel they use to run machinery to plant fields and clean barns, to the fuel used to create fertilizers and steel for machinery parts, to the increased costs… Read More
From north to south, an increasing number of Mainers are providing tangible support to Maine’s agriculture community by buying shares in local Community Supported Agriculture farms. CSAs are a growing trend in American agriculture, as consumers seek a closer relationship with the farmers who produce their food. Read More
ELLSWORTH – Farmers should consider donating or selling the development rights to their property to preserve it as farmland and reduce the cost of farming for young families just starting out. That message was delivered Saturday to about 50 Hancock County farmers during the annual… Read More
CARIBOU – The family of Murray and Roberta Blackstone believes their strong ties, generations of working the land and a lot of hard work are all reasons why they have been named the 2003 Farm Family of the Year by the Maine Potato Board. The… Read More
It’s 18 degrees below zero when Egide (pronounced ee-jid) Dostie II steps into his Skowhegan barn at 5:30 a.m. First task: get a newborn calf on its feet. It’s a male, a disappointment. “Boys don’t make milk,” Dostie says wryly. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More