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…
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Becoming one with the farm
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…
Chicks in the barn
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…
New winter market in Madison
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…
How do you know what to do to be a profitable farm?
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…
How do I afford to keep my farm going?
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…
New cat on the farm!
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…
Skunk relocation project
If you’ve been following along with my story you’ve likely already heard about the situation with our local skunk. He─or she─took out a clutch of half a dozen chicks a couple of months ago, and since then he’s been terrorizing the beehives and digging up the lawn all around the farmhouse in search of grubs….
Bee-school with SAD 54 adult ed
Yesterday marked the start of the fall session of my bee-school. I loaded my laptop, and a variety of beekeeping gear and equipment into the back of my Subaru Outback and drove to Skowhegan and to it’s high school where I was scheduled to teach more than 20 peoples about the basics of beekeeping here…
Holiday workshop special!
Next Saturday’s salve-making workshop has been moved to Saturday November 7th and has now become a soap/salve-making combo workshop. With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s a great time to learn these skills and still have time to make some fantastic gifts for family and friends. Participants will learn the art of soap-making…