Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm
Soil-first farming, building health from the ground up!
We’re finally moved in at the new homestead and the family is settling back into our familiar routines. With my kitchen unpacked, I am at long last able to get back to my typical Sunday baking habit–admittedly, homemaking (cooking, baking, cleaning, etc.) is not my most favorite of activities, but baking my own breads really…
There were times when the obstacles seemed insurmountable, times when I all but despaired of ever reaching my goal–when the dream of returning to the forested hillside where I found my salvation appeared forever out of reach; but I am finally able to say that yesterday, Friday, December 13th of this year 2013–we met with…
It’s strange that something so trivial as a well being drilled on our property should bring such excitement–but it does. The first time we lived at this property we did not have a fancy drilled well–or plumbing at all for that matter. We made use of one of the old dug wells on the farm…
On Wednesday the new mobile home was brought in to Runamuk. Here she is sitting in the driveway while the Ames crew does some last minute site-prep. This is what the mobile home company designed to be the back of the home, but I decided it will be the front of our home–mainly because it…
It’s that time of year again–no, I’m not talking about the holidays–it’s time to start thinking about Bee-School! This year is the 3rd annual Bee-School offered by the Somerset Beekeepers, hosted by the University of Maine’s Somerset County Cooperative Extension. I’m excited to be able to teach this course yet again. Last year we had…
A new farmers’ market has been proposed in my local community, and I have stepped up to take on organization of this project. The town of Madison sits adjacent to my hometown of Anson, directly across the Kennebec River. While the people of Anson and Madison may not necessarily share a love for one another,…
The call came on Friday morning, the representative from Skowhegan Savings called to say that our loan request had been rejected. Apparently the underwriter felt that we just don’t have enough wiggle room if something were to go wrong during the construction process. It wasn’t a terrible shock, Keith and I know that we’re not…
This past weekend the hive in the backyard here in-town swarmed. They settled nearby and I was able to collect them and safely transport them to Medicine Hill to install them above a Queen-less hive. With an established colony I didn’t want to chance the workers taking exception to the introduction of a new Queen,…
After much deliberation and a trip to the Medicine Hill apiary, I’ve decided to push the date of our Splits & Nuc-Making Workshop off until the 26th of May–next Sunday. The time will remain the same. The weather forecast is calling for cooler temperatures tomorrow, not ideal for extensively pulling apart hives to make the…