Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm
Soil-first farming, building health from the ground up!
Loyal readers who have been following my blog over the years may have noticed that recently my posts have become more open and honest. Always before I tried to keep to the lighter side of things; I’ve struggled with how much of my personal story to share online for the whole wide world to read….
Some people may not have much faith left in society and their fellow man-kind, but I certainly do. I’ve seen it demonstrated to me personally time and time again, and every act of kindness fills me with warmth and love and gratitude, and lends me the strength to go another day. I’ve had help along…
Sometimes the Universe puts opportunities in front of us and it’s up to us to─first realize that the opportunity exists, and second─actually seize the moment and take advantage of what’s being offered. This is something I managed to learn fairly early on, and it’s what I attribute my small amount of─success?─to. I still grieve for…
This is always a difficult time of the year for most folks in this part of Maine, and I am subject to the same plight as the rest of the local population─those of us who choose to live here year-round, who stubbornly battle the snow and ice and frigid temperatures because this is where we…
It’s been a week for some difficult personal changes in my life and I am still reeling from the aftershocks. Suffice it to say that for the first time in my 35 years I find myself living alone and it’s taking some getting used to. I admit at first I was a little fearful; my…
Yesterday was moving day for the chicks! At 4 weeks of age, they’d outgrown the large brooder area we’d designated in the garage for them, and are big enough to be in the barn. So with a few minor adjustments to their prospective living quarters, we loaded the pullets very unceremoniously into a large cardboard…
It was a long struggle this summer searching for an indoor venue for the Madison Farmers’ Market to move to once the weather turned cold. This is my third year as manager of our budding market and I’m learning to allow plenty of time for planning and promoting events, so I started on the project…
Let me say first and foremost that Runamuk is not what I would yet consider a “profitable” farm, lol. Runamuk does contribute to the rent and to the purchasing of feed, equipment, supplies, and livestock─but a large part of our income is supplemented by my off-farm employment. Our finances here are tight, and as I’ve…
An acquaintance of mine emailed me recently asking how I can afford a farm, and how can you know what to do to be profitable? Those are two totally separate and totally loaded questions, so I am going to answer the first here, and the second one in a separate post. Lots of people are…
There is a very real need for a feline predator on the farm. Anywhere grain is kept is a sure-fire attractant for rodents. And then there are the rodents who want to get into the farmhouse because: a) it’s a safe, warm place to take up residence, and b) the farmer keeps his food in…