On The Subject Of Farms (Bangor: to buy, living, costs)

[WILWRadio]

What with rising fuel prices and food rationing on the horizon, I am thinking it may be possible for some new small family sized farms to spring up in places like Maine to fill the void. Trucking produce to stores within a short radius of the farm may prove to be more cost effective for stores than to purchase garbage from third world nations.

Have any farmers on this board run any numbers on this scenario to determine if they can actually grow a business of this nature in this developing fuel and food crisis?

[Maine Writer]

I kind of talk about what I do but to avoid advertising here I try not to say too much. I'm a small farmer and this is what I do, speak about and teach for a living. This is my passion. I can give you as much or as little info about what I do as you'd like.

[WILWRadio]

I guess that I was thinking out loud about whether or not it is feasible with rising fuel prices to be able to market local farms to the Hannaford's etc. in the area. At some point I suspect it will not be too cost effective to transport that 3rd world garbage into many areas of the country without having to pay an exorbitant amount of money for the produce. It may be cheaper for the supermarket to buy as much locally grown produce as possible to help keep costs down. It will be cheaper to truck produce 50 miles than from Central and South America.

I don't really have an interest in developing my own farm. However I do plan a decent garden once I buy a home.

[Submariner]

Alert - sarcasm - alert!

Nope. I dont know of any small farmers.

No body in Maine produces farm goods for consumers.

Alert - sarcasm - alert!

This was just a test of the public sarcasm alert broadcasting system, had it been a real case of sarcasm you would have been directed to your nearest public sarcasm shelter.
thank you.

[RANGER.101ST]

well yano forest if it hasnt been run through an assembly line and radiated its not good for ya.lol

[Submariner]

Maine has a big bunch of Farmer's Markets and farm stands.

These folks produce: veggies, eggs, meats, milks, cheeses, sprouts, fiddleheads, honey, syrup, hay, grains, etc.

'Honey' did I say honey? Who would produce honey? hmm.

Very little 'trucking' needs to be done with it. It is here and folks are doing it.

"Have any farmers on this board run any numbers on this scenario to determine if they can actually grow a business of this nature"

Folks have been doing it for years.

I am not sure why any temporary 'crisis' of today is going to change that.

[starwalker]

yes, indeed. I was most pleasantly surprised, on my first trip to Maine, to discover one farm stand after another! Seemed like one almost couldn't throw a stone without hitting one (not that I was throwing stones...)

This was SUCH a change from NC, where I had to drive for miles in one direction or the opposite one to find the only two farm stands in my county.

I bought plants recently at one, which will have produce later in the year, and on the way there I saw a sign for eggs, which is a third option for me after Forest and KAF, at this point.

I am sure there will be more popping up along the way as the season progresses, and this is not even including if I decide to check out farmers markets in Bangor or the towns I go through on the way to meet with clients.

For me, it's mostly a matter of remembering what I have in the fridge so I don't end up with more than I can use of something and none of something else, and planning around the seasons.