Paid the taxes with cash from my heating reserve, fought off a panic attack on the drive home, and planted garlic anyway. Late October at Runamuk.

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Is anyone else really pissed off lately? A porch full of squash, a full winter pantry, garlic going in, and what one woman is doing about it.

The post One Woman With a Farm and a Voice appeared first on Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm.

A lunch-lady job nearly ended Runamuk in 2025. This year I farmed full-time and fed six households. Now I get to plan for next season.

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Picking my way between towering sunflowers and cornstalks, I sussed out the pumpkins and squashes hiding in that over-run patch. Many of the vines had already yellowed and died back, and when I found pest damage on a few of the fruits, I decided it was time to move on the harvest. So, last Sunday...

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It felt good to dig the carrots, my hands in the dirt, and I could feel that tight coil inside me loosen a little. There’s real science behind that—a soil bacterium that switches on the brain cells that produce serotonin. I need that connection to the Earth, and digging has always been one of my favorite things...

The post On the Precipice of Winter appeared first on Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm.

Steam rose from the manure and I was giddy with excitement as I backed the truck against the pile. How long had I been wanting to do this—not just to own a truck, but to finally be able to say yes the moment an opportunity like this shows up. Having my own pickup means I...

The post No Going Back Now appeared first on Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm.

The realization that I no longer had the help I needed to keep the Runamuk sheep hit hard last Friday. It came with the text message from my hay farmer saying they were already cutting hay, as it dawned on me that with my sister having moved out of the area and my son now...

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We sat on the low couch in a quiet room at the back of the Carrabassett veterinary center, eating Cape Cod salt-and-vinegar chips and chocolate from Madagascar. He rested his muzzle on my thigh, and I kept stroking the soft place behind his ear—the one he always leaned into when he wanted reassurance. Somehow I...

The post I Planted Murphy in the Garden appeared first on Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm.

Nobody photographs the fence. If you think about it—we photograph the garden inside the fence. The cute lambs. The goat kids. But the fence is just there in the background. Sitting stolidly, overlooked and under-appreciated. Yet—without that infrastructure, you couldn’t keep livestock in. Or keep them out of the garden. Fencing is unglamorous work—unsung labor...

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QUICK NOTE: This story is from 2018. The FSA Beginning Farmer programs are still active as of this writing—the continuing resolution passed in November 2025 specifically reaffirmed funding through September 2026. That said, there may be changes in how these programs are being administered under the current administration, so I’d encourage anyone interested to contact...

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