86-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 1,2003
Farming In A Harsh Environment
LINDA WILLIAMS
Bedford Co. Correspondent
UNION, Me. Farming any
where can be tough but the sea
coast of Maine with its harsh
winters, short growing season,
and not the best soil produces a
challenge to the best of agricul
ture experts.
The challenges have caused
many Maine farmers to unite in
order to discover waj’s to provide
a better living while still doing
what they love, producing food
from the farm.
Such is the case with Mark He
drich and Linda Rose, owners of
Agricola Farms, located in
Union, overlooking picturesque
mountains and ponds and bor
dering on the St. George Rive.
Agricola Farms is not far from
the scenic rocky seacoast of
downeast Maine.
Decades ago, a dairy farm and
John Deere dealership was locat
ed where Agricola now stands.
Today it is 117 acres of mostly
fields, some woods, a farmstand,
two 96-feet greenhouses, and
three other equipment storage/
maintenance or livestock shelter
buildings.
Surrounded by blueberry
fields, the farmstand is a natural
place to sell mouth-watering
blueberry products. The blueber
ry jams, chutney, syrups, and ice
cream toppings are made by local
farm women.
“We sell hay to some of these
farms and, in turn, we sell their
products at our stand,” Linda ex
plains.
The farmstand is a fun shop
with locally made jewelry, note
cards, pet items, small toys,
wooden crafts, locally made
cheese, and some sheepskin
items. Linda and Mark also sell
their own homegrown flowers,
produce and lamb.
Approximately 60 acres of Ag
ricola are hay. More then nine
Surrounded by blueberry fields, the farmstand is a natural place to sell mouth-water
ing blueberry products. The blueberry Jams, chutney, syrups, and ice cream toppings
are made by local farm women.
acres are in vegetables, many of
which are heirloom and specialty
varieties.
Sheep are raised for freezer
lamb, wool, and breeding stock.
The Roses also have a couple of
cashmere goats, and for conver
sation, a miniature donkey and
several miniature horses.
“We use intensive rotational
grazing pasture management sys
tems,” Mark says. The green
houses are used to grow the vege
tables and flowers and vegetable
seedlings, and flower planters
and baskets.
More then 200 varieties of veg
etables are grown in the fields
and raised beds, using floating
row covers and tunnels on some
crops such as the melons.
The major crops are tomatoes,
cukes, peppers, com, melons,
squash and pumpkins. They also
grow beans, onions, garlic, peas,
lettuces, eggplant, greens, beets,
broccoli, cauliflowers, cabbage,
and herbs.
Local fanners have united to
form two farmers markets. One is
located in the seacoast town of
Rockland, lobster capitol of the
world. The other is in picturesque
Camden.
A community-sustained agri
culture program added in 1998
has proven successful in strength
ening farm diversity while in
creasing community involve
ment. Forty families are
shareholders.
Mark explains, “We have par
ticipated in the Senior Farm
Share Program since its first year
in 2001 which benefits local eld
ers as well as many small region
al farms.’’
Agricola Farms holds four ad
ditional events per year, includ
ing Open Farm Day which is
hosted with the Medomak Valley
High School Heirloom Seed Proj
ect.
To supplement the farming in
come, Mark and Linda are the
local Gallagher Power Fence
dealers and offer a large invento
ry of livestock fence.
Their farmstand is open from
May through December. Linda
makes wreaths from the local
pine trees and has been success
ful at selling these over the In
ternet.
As members of the Maine Or
ganic Farmers and Gardeners
Association, Mark and Linda
said that while California could
probably produce all of the milk
the country needs, they think
that cows dotting the rolling hill
sides of Maine are an asset. “Be
sides we need the cows’ fertilizer
for the farms and gardens,”
Linda said.
Mark and Linda point out that
wildlife benefits from farmland
more than from sprawl.
Other Maine farms in the
Knox County area involved in
the co-op projects raise sheep,
train and raise dogs, produce
maple syrup, raise herbs, rabbits,
goats, berries and produce honey.
They raise chickens, freezer beef,
and anything the land allows.
Diversification, they all believe,
is the key to surviving on a Maine
farm.
Linda and Mark on Agricola Farms battle with harsh
winters, a short growing season, and poor soil, but have
discovered diversification makes farming profitable in
Maine.
Bright purple elderberries are grown and sold on Agri
cola Farms.
A busload of customers visits the farmstand.
Miniature animals attract farm visitors.