It's 3:10am. I am only aware that Handsome Dan is crowing because I am already awake. May as well get some events down.
Garlic is going strong; shallots, onions, and potatoes are in; peas and favas were planted late. This has turned out to be a tricky year for transplants for me. Mice got some, and I ruined a bunch by trying to harden them off too early; after acquiring replacements from a variety of sources I finally got a few in on Sunday, 6/7.
The workshops at the MOFGA Small Farm Field Day were exceptional this year. I got a chance to work on my milking technique at Grace Keown's Dairy Goat Demo, and learned about "What to Do When the Vet's Not There" from Dr. Beth McEvoy, Assistant State Veterinarian. After a talk on Homestead Metalworking by Alan Clemence, Gabe Clark of the Maine Grass Farmer's Network demonstrated a method for re-seeding pastures using a No-till Drill.
At lunch on Saturday I met Julie, a very cool gal from Vermont who is interested in draft-horse-powered farming, and is looking to relocate to Maine. Of course I am always ready to proselytize for rural Maine, so after recommending certain towns and scribbling a map on a back of an envelope, I invited her to stop by Richmond on her way home the next day.
A local RE agent pounced on Julie at the breakfast place in Richmond before I even got there. After breakfast, I showed her around a bit, and introduced her to the Visellis. On Joe's recommendation she checked out a foreclosure up the road -- interesting, but more disaster than Julie is looking for. Last weekend Julie was back in Maine, checking out a bunch of properties recommended by the Realtor. I suggested that she also take a drive through Bowdoin and Bowdoinham, and my oh my did she ever find a good one on the River Road! I do hope this one works out; no need to dwell on it unless the deal makes progress!
While driving Julie around to take in the splendor of Locally Known's laser-leveled fields, the fleeting, oblique vistas of Merrymeeting Bay, and the deceptively good condition of Route 24 in June, I explained that the farmland on either side of Merrymeeting Bay is very unique and very much worth protecting from development. A lot of land in Maine is pretty marginal for farming. This is not the Central Valley of CA, after all. If we want local food, we should protect the best farmland we have close by.
When I lived in California I was mystified as to why tourists seemed to enjoy sitting in a traffic jam on Route 29 through the Napa valley, just to gaze at dusty vineyards. Well, this is not a grape-growing region, but I am just as excited about the farmland on either side of Merrymeeting Bay -- and there is no traffic! Maybe I should start a tour bus company that drives people up Route 128 from Woolwich through the Dresden Farmlands, then down Route 24 back to Topsham. We could cover Greek Revival architecture in Richmond, with a final stop at Bisson Farm, for a raw-milk tasting.
Then the Fiber Frolic on Sunday: I was on a mission to get me another Cashmere Goat pelt. Yvonne from Black Locust Farm was there, and I felt up all the pelts. None were of the caliber of the one I sent home with Dmitri, so Yvonne offered that I stop by the farm sometime to look at more. I also petted all kinds of Pygora and Pycazz goats, and some agreeable sheep, but not the llamas or alpacas, who don't like to be pawed by random people at fairs. One of the cashmere exhibitors let me hold a tiny goat triplet. Yes, someday I do want this kind of kid.
I am not really a dog person, but for the second year in a row I attended David Kennard's Border Collie demonstration at the Frolic. It is fascinating what they do, the shepherd, dog, sheep and goats. The dogs move a flock around an open space using their EYES. They respond obediently to 40 auditory commands, all whistles and calls. David Kennard explains what he is doing, with wit and humor, and throws goats in the mix to make things interesting.
Next opportunity to see David Kennard and his dogs in action will be the Common Ground Fair. Show up to one of the early demos, when the sheep will be rested, and really spirited.
