Glowing embers crackled softly in the fireplace as the last fire of 2023 burned to ashes. The young woman lay camped out on a woolly sheepskin rug before the hearth in the otherwise darkened farmhouse. It was the longest night of the year─the Winter Solstice. For farmers such as she, this was….
Gratitude for random acts of kindness swelled within me as I sat scribbling by candlelight in the wee-hours of the morning yesterday. Even as I could hear Gilman Stream raging not far off, my mind was filled with the many blessings that have allowed this farm to grow and thrive.
In spite of ongoing winter preparations, I allowed myself to be lured away from the farm for MOFGA’s Farmer-to-Farmer Conference this past weekend…
Welcome December. The days have become frigid, the nights downright bitter, as we descend into the darkest days of the year. Here in the western mountains of Maine, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of new snow, the Winter Solstice, and the bright and shiny New Year. Or─I am anyway, …
Last Thursday, this farmer Closed on a Conservation Contract with the FSA that will safeguard Runamuk Acres for the next 50 years. In turn, the farm received a significant reduction on it’s mortgage. I’m floored to be a legitimate conservation farm, yet it all came about because I failed to …
It comes with it’s own set of unique challenges, yet I’m rather enjoying Runamuk’s Farmstay BnB. The people are always interesting characters, I get to serve as ambassador to the Bigelow Mountain Region that I love so much, and I’m exposing people to the realities of farm-life. While they’re here, …
It’s both exhilarating and terrifying to say that I am now farming full-time─with no off-farm income. No safety net. Nothing. It’s sink or swim; do or die trying. For better or worse, my income is now generated exclusively by this property. My life (and my finances) are in my own …
There’s another Winter Storm dropping snow on the state of Maine this morning. My muscles and joints have finally stopped aching from the last storm, but I’m ready to go again, shovel in hand, to face whatever Mother Nature has in store for me. This winter has been something of …
