With acreage to reclaim as farm-land and the goals for Runamuk’s future in mind, I’ve signed up for the June Goat School with Ken and Janice Spaulding at Stony Knolls Farm in St.Albans this June. The Spauldings have been raising goats for 25 years and were even featured in this article in the Bangor Daily…
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Clearing brush for the power lines
Last week I met with Jim Cornforth of Madison Electric to determine where exactly the lines for the electricity would run. It would be great to be able to start up our farm off the grid, but with a very limited budget we’re forced to stick with electricity for the time being. The electric company…
Firewood
The old house we have been living in for the last 5 years has been miserable to heat, so Keith and I wanted to make sure that we would be all set in the new house come next winter.
And the work begins
Throughout the month of April, Keith has taken Mondays off from his off-farm job in order to be able to disassemble the old farm house. Typically he has Sundays and Tuesdays off, but by taking Monday off Keith has three days off each week. He aims to get the old house down and sorted with…
Luce’s saphouse preserves Maine’s heritage
Every year many of the locals from this area venture out to Pease Hill here in Anson to visit Luce’s Saphouse. This year, the 30th annual Maine Maple Sunday was no different.
Maine Maple Sunday!
Keith and I are taking the boys off to the local sugarhouse today in honor of the 30th annual Maine Maple Sunday. We’re excited to see one of Maine’s most traditional agricultural industries at work, to support local farmers, and to introduce the kids to the heritage they were born to.
Help Runamuk do more for pollinator conservation!
I’ve been presented with an exciting new opportunity–stumbled into it, really. Our core group of Somerset Beekeepers is made up of members who have been at it for 2 or more years now, and we are ready for some more advanced beekeeping topics–so I’ve been emailing various academics and beekeepers across the state trying to…
Farming in Somerset County
Farming in Maine has a unique connection to the state’s history. Many of Maine’s first settlers were farmers whose fields, farmhouses and barns shaped Maine’s historic landscape. Today Maine is still considered a “family farm” state, with approximately 94% of it’s 8100 farms ranging between 1 to 500 acres in size. The state’s agricultural producers…
Wings of Life
I’ve been waiting for two years for Louie Schwartzberg’s moving-art documentary featuring winged pollinators at their best and most beautiful. The film was released in Europe two years ago, and at long last will be released in America this year just in time to celebrate Earth Day. April 16th!
Pollinator decline threatens agriculture
As president of the Somerset Beekeepers, people often ask me if it is only the honeybees who are in trouble, or is it all bees? Not only is it all bees–it’s all of our pollinators, too! Everything from bees to beetles and butterflies, even flies–are all at risk. And a new study that was recently…