Forests in Maine: Good and Bad I guess...

[maureenb]

Agreed. Someone like myself can support our local (farm) economy by buying locally produced food (and other products when possible); and not to pat myself on the back, but I do buy from farmer's markets, the local co-op and roadside stands. There was a time when the only thing I bought at Hannafo-d was Q-tips. Some say shopping this way is more expensive, and perhaps true. I don't want to stretch the thread topic too far, though.

As far as supporting Maine Ag by contacting our Congressman/Senator goes, I might need some direction.

And, the Ag section of the summer fair is the fair... : )

[BrokenTap]

Originally Posted by maureenb

Agreed. Someone like myself can support our local (farm) economy by buying locally produced food (and other products when possible); and not to pat myself on the back, but I do buy from farmer's markets, the local co-op and roadside stands. There was a time when the only thing I bought at Hannafo-d was Q-tips. Some say shopping this way is more expensive, and perhaps true. I don't want to stretch the thread topic too far, though.

As far as supporting Maine Ag by contacting our Congressman/Senator goes, I might need some direction.

And, the Ag section of the summer fair is the fair... : )

Okay, so you support local Ag and you know you want to be in farming, the real question is, what are you doing to make that happen? The way I see it, you have an excellent opportunity now to do some serious planning and that is the mistake most beginning farmers make...failing to come up with a decent farm plan.

Did you know before I got one sheep on my farm I spent 9 months doing a farm plan for them? I was scoffed at, but several times when opportunities came my way, I turned them down because from all my planning I knew those sheep were NOT what I wanted. They did not fit the long term plan. Ultimately, the two failings I have had in regards to my sheep were because I broke my own rules:

1. I originally was only going to put up high quality fencing
2. I was only going to get Scrapie Free sheep

On both cases I went with lower priced stuff and have had to back peddle and invest some serious time for those mistakes. I would have been better ahead if I had stuck with my original plan.

So in your case Maureen, what planning are you doing? Do you know what you are going to grow or raise for a commodity? Do you know the breed or varieties? Do you know where you are going to get your winter feed...and a alternate for winter feed should the original be short at some point? What about help...who is going to help you, and in times of emergencies? Where are you going to to shelter your livestock in an emergency...and how can you transport them there?

Have you talked to the USDA, FSA, Forest Service, County Extension and lined up some help in regards to research? Have you contacted the EMDC for help in setting up fiscal aid and overall financial planning? And this is assuming you have a place suitable to farm. If not what are you doing to find it?

Have you looked at land? Have you talked with Norther Maine Man and chatted about what defines quality soil...its hard to find in Maine actually! Have you talked to area farmers, or tried to do some fill-in work for them while they go on vacation so you can gain that valuable 3 year experience lenders require for farm loans? Have you put yourself on the Maine Farmland Trust register...it has a 3 year waiting list so the time to act is now?! Even the FSA takes over a year to get financial aid so the time for a farm plan is well before the animals come home. Trust me on this...tell the farm plan naysers off when they criticize you for creating a plan before you have the farm up and running because after its going, you don't have the time to plan and research so the time is now to develop a farm plan.

There are millions of other questions to ask, but the point is not how long it is, or what is written in it, because it is not a writing excersise, it is a planning exercise, and the more you plan, the better prepared you will be, and the better your chances of farming success.

Farm plans are easy to do...just keeping asking yourself Who, what, when, where, why and How and keep doing that on every topic and sub topic you possibly can. Over time you'll get a great farm plan...and you'll make that boring job actually work into your farming intent. (LOL)

Heck I'll help you if you get stuck...I even got so mad at farm accounting software programs that were overpriced, or that didn't match my farming operation that I made my own. If you are excellent at excell or some other program, can you turn idle time into making a program fit your eventual farm, or create stellar brochures...anything to keep the spark alive and you moving forward on your farm evcen if you are in a job that lack interest at the moment.

Now is not the time to wallow in self-pity...now is the time to plan...and be darn happy you have time to do that. I wish I had more time for that

Maureenb...the following post is meant to motivate you and not infuriate you, though I could see how this could do the latter. Please try not to get upset and see through the intent here...I hate to see people dejected...you really should be excited...you got a farm to plan out

[mainebrokerman]

anyone know where i can source organic chicken to sell in a retail store,? there are stores in maine right now buying fresh organic chickens from california to sell to the public. sounds crazy!!
they need to be packaged and inspected(seal) for retail

also come turkey time (thanksgiving) i know many stores that can sell organic turkeys. i know a few places, but might want to meet with a place that could supply large quantities.

many local stores do buy local to support communities and farmers, dont be shy in going into an independent grocery store(talk to the owner, not a cashier) to sell to them,,

also, ive seen this firsthand, a local fella will come into a store pushing corn/strawberries /fiddleheads,
sell to the store (which is great) but a mile down the road, he will sell the product cheaper out of his truck than what the store paid for
and maybe thas not a bad marketing plan,(short term) knowing the product will be cheaper off the truck,,,,but it will sever ties with selling to the store, and if/when the store owner does buy out of town for similar product, this is part of the reason.
so good business ethics go a long way!

and many stores are open to having a farmers market in thier parking lot, you can take advantage of there traffic count, there's a store in dexter that does this (not chain stores)

also, if you do sell to a local store, have an attractive sign made up, (what farm, and where it came from) "locally grown" is a good phrase, but "fresh corn from cyr's farm" has a much more personal connection. and if you have the resources to "sample" your own product in the store, most stores will let you do that also, a while back a fella did it with fiddleheads and it worked great, once folks get a taste of something good, price means less

most towns have celebrations in the summertime, if you (as a farmers vendor) have nothing arranged for selling, pair up with a local store for a bbq promotion, ive done this many many times, it works,
find out who (what business) is doing what and ask) we've done many bbq's at hometown celebrations, and if i were a local farmer, id be asking if i could participate, people like to eat think of a way to push/sample/creatively promote your product

there are thousands of local vendors that sell to stores throughout the state.
recently, i saw a cheese vendor "sampling" in a store, and his sales tripled instantly.

youve got to be creative, if you have a website, list not only the open markets you sell to but also the stores you sell to, morses saurkraut in appleton does this. also ask the store (if it has a website) to list your company for visibility

farming is one of the toughest challenges, anyone can do, its highly seasonal, great competition,, regulations everywhere you look ,product doesnt sell its-self, you have to become creative on how and who you sell your product to. the internet is an awesome resource, you will see thousands of products that may be no better quality than yours, but the packaging and promotion is awesome

sorry to ramble, im on the retail side, have witnessed many many success stories, and have seen many upstarts go out of business, but i do like the premise that anyone has the freedom of iniative and creativity to develop any product in the market place, and it can work.

[maureenb]

BrokenTap - I just came across your post - thank you. I didn't want you to think I'd taken offense at your enthusiasm for the subject of farming. Thank you for reminding me that farming involves more than meets the eye. Instigating a farm plan is excellent advice for those who might actually follow through - eventually, someday, even..

Your obvious devotion to farming is encouraging; but for now, I'm solidly in the wallowing in self-pity category...