Jobs (building, paid, summer)

[boonelsewhere]

Those baked scallops wrap with bacan and drown them in maple syrup are soo good at the restaurant on the water in Bar Habor.

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

Fishing and forestry are not part of the agriculture industry. Scallopers are taking the next hit in the fishing industry.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I agree.

My father has farmed all of his life and he has never been able to make a farming income able to support himself.

So many new ideas and have developed in farming now that it shouldn't be difficult to earn a decent living. I know someone grossing six figures consistently on 1.5 acres of land. His net is very comfortable.

I see many small farmers who are supporting themselves and growing. But often it requires an outside job.

I see this in most homesteaders. Farming for a living requires more than part time labor.

The Forestry of Maine seems stagnant right now. Mills closing,

Mills are only part of the forest industry.

and nobody re-plants so it has always been a laid-back slow kind of an industry.

Nature replants efficiently. It takes more resources to replant than it's worth here. You can gather seeds or gather cones and tumble them for seeds, plant the seeds, handle the seedlings, use manpower to plant and all the resources necessary for this, or you can leave a few seed trees and let nature replant on its own. The difference? Part of a year.

We've been watching our severely harvested land regrow. It has been very interesting.

Un-like other forestry areas where each lot is expected to be sustainably re-timbered every 20 years without end.

Maine's forests are greatly controlled by the pulp industry.

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by Hepcat

Many people are now able to telecommute, making it easier to move to more rural areas. The growing green movement has made a lot of rural homesteading practices more common.....look at all the folks selling fertile eggs for their poutry stock on e-bay and egg-bid. I read recently that when the economy tanks, booksellers see a huge increase in the number of people buyinmg books on raising chickens! People who develop websites with resources and information on green living and homesteading can often monetize their sites through google adsense, etc. Atists and crafters can sell their creations on etsey, authors can self publish and sell their books on-line, young people can design their own products and sell them on cafepress. I think the rural Maine economy will look very different in the years to come..maybe an investment in companies who specialize in green technology would help creat jobs and business opportunities? But I think there are more opportunities to create income today than ever before.

You may be right, but before that can happen "rural Maine" will have to somehow get an improved infrastructure to support it. Your experience may be different, but in our search for rural land we were -- time and time again -- skunked by the lack of the broadband Interent. Many places we looked did not even have DSL available and the satellite services are not rock solid and often have undisclosed bandwidth limits which can shoot holes really fast in a plan to telecommute or do a lot of heavy internet work. Which IS what I do... print and Internet design, web hosting, plus I write and am a folk artist, selling online. This year -- the last month or so -- those businesses have taken a MAJOR hit.

[Shuffler]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

Fishing and forestry are not part of the agriculture industry. Scallopers are taking the next hit in the fishing industry.

Duh. I shoulda phrased that in the scope of 'natural resources'...my mistake.

I had the telecommute option for my job. But that is no guarantee that the mothership won't restructure and make the job go away or go overseas. Times are too sketchy to think my job is secure.

Technology is great, but requires large inputs of energy. I'm not fooled by the low oil/gas prices and presume that we're on the brink of a major energy crisis.

Speaking of energy & jobs, I suppose I could roughneck in CO or WY natural gas fields, but I'm wondering if those jobs will be flooded with unemployed construction workers etc. as things continue falling apart in suburbia...

you wrote "I know someone grossing six figures consistently on 1.5 acres of land. His net is very comfortable." -> he must be growing pot, eh?

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

So many new ideas and have developed in farming now that it shouldn't be difficult to earn a decent living. I know someone grossing six figures consistently on 1.5 acres of land. His net is very comfortable.

I'd like to know more about how he does this.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

you wrote "I know someone grossing six figures consistently on 1.5 acres of land. His net is very comfortable." -> he must be growing pot, eh?

No! but that's a good guess. Someone asked me to take it to farmers market with me. He was serious.

Originally Posted by Zymer

I'd like to know more about how he does this.

I'll show you Sunday.

[shadowfax1997]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

No! but that's a good guess. Someone asked me to take it to farmers market with me. He was serious.


I'll show you Sunday.

I too would like to know. You can't share with everyone?

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by dogcrazy

Hey all,how do you think the economy in Maine will be in a year or so??I want to go now!!But i can't.In your honest opinions,where is the best "city" up there with the strongest economy,but still with a small town feel?I've posted on here before.I want to be able to have some privacy and not have neighbors too close,but not be one hour from work.Thanks in advance!

If you work in the 'health care' industry, there will be a job here for you. Work is slowing down/drying up.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by shadowfax1997

I too would like to know. You can't share with everyone?

Zymer will be here to see it in person Sunday.

The person who taught me winter vegetable production has 1/4 acre under cover. The greenhouse in the pic is mine. It isn't heated. It was full of cold hardy greens when this photo was taken. This greenhouse is 1,048 sq ft. It cost me $3,600 plus the labor we put into building it. It more than paid for itself the first year. It's more detailed than this but that's a pretty good start.

[Elcarim]

Oh, I've GOT to have one of those, MW!