F = Farming

It wasn’t a difficult decision to choose “farming” for letter “F” in this A to Z Blogging Challenge. It didn’t even matter to me that the topic was already raised in letter “D.” You may perhaps see another related item in this alphabet series before we reach the end! In my opinion, you can’t talk enough about farming in Maine; it has been a core feature of this region for many centuries. It’s hard to imagine how anyone could understand Maine well without taking a look at our farms and farmers.

According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, Maine has 7,600 farms with 1.3 million acres of farm operations. This is a very different reality from 1880 when Maine was at its farming peak with 64,309 farms covering more than 6.5 million acres [from the study: "Agricultural Land Changes in Maine," 2002]. Back in those days, the majority of families had their own farm.

Times have changed, but some aspects of Maine farming remain the same. For one, as mentioned in the dairy post, farmers have a work ethic that is difficult to quantify. Until you spend time in their boots, you are unlikely to fully comprehend the extent of the farmer’s labors. Though the word “pencil” could probably be replaced with “smartphone” in the following quote, the words of former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower are still fitting:

“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the corn field.”

“Easy” is the least appropriate word to associate with farming. Any farmer who can spare a minute to chat will tell you the work never ends. Most also will say their lifestyle is a choice and one they wouldn’t trade. Their investment in our state is invaluable. As my great aunt would put it, “We’d be in a heap of trouble without ‘em!”

One-quarter of my visits to Maine towns have included a farm of some kind. I am very intentional about not repeating a specific area of focus on my blog (for example, featuring a dozen antique stores in a row — which would be easy enough to do!). However, farms are different because they include such a wide variety of things. Mainers raise cattle and pigs, sheep and goats, chickens and rabbits. They grow crops of potatoes and blueberries, hay and apples, herbs and corn…and on and on the list goes.

One of the best ways you can thank your neighborhood farmer is to become their customer. Among other things, these days with COVID19 have shown us the value of our local farms and businesses. Maine will only grow stronger if we remember the vital importance of our farms even after the current situation passes.

Pettengill Farm, Freeport, Maine

This post is part of my A to Z Challenge Series with the overall theme, “This Maine Life.” I am covering a Maine-related topic with a different letter of the alphabet every day except Sundays throughout the month of April 2020.