March is always a busy month on the farm with lambing being our primary focus. This particularly March though we find ourselves in the midst of several really exciting projects.
We’re helping MOFGA spread the word about a survey to better understand why Mainers choose to “Buy Organic” and what can be done to increase the amount of Maine grown organic food on plates around the state. We’d love for your voice be heard! Follow this link to complete the short survey.
After spending some time in the fall writing grants and we are thrilled to report we will be receiving funding from Northeast SARE and from (FACT) Food Animal Concerns Trust’s Fund-A-Farmer Grant program.
FACT awarded nearly $41,000 in grants to family farmers across the country to help them transition and/or improve access to pasture-based systems. Seventeen farms located in 11 U.S. states received grants through FACT’s Fund-a-Farmer Project. This innovative project awards grants up to $2500 and facilitates peer-to-peer farmer education to increase the number of animals that are raised humanely in the United States. Since 2012, FACT has awarded 67 grants to deserving family farmers across 26 states, directly impacting more than 54,000 animals.  At Apple Creek we will be installing above ground water lines in two of our of our primary pastures. This will help to increase soil fertility through more grazing (particularly by poultry) and provide fresh water more consistently and with less labor ensuring animals stay hydrated and healthy.
We’re really excited about our SARE  Grant. The project titled, Using Forage Radish to Combat Compaction in Hay & Pasture Land will evaluate the impact of applications of manure and forage radish on soil compaction in an established hay field and pasture. The project will include on-farm-research conducted over two growing seasons to to understand whether using forage radish to break up hardpan,“mop up” excess nutrients low in the soil profile and increase organic matter can improve the productivity of the farm by reducing costs for mechanical tillage and increase the farm’s net income through improved forage production. Included in the grant are several outreach components including an on-farm field day to share our findings with other Maine farmers!
We’ll be talking about the farm at the Slow Money Maine Gathering on Thursday March 17th, 12-4pm at Christ Church located on Dresden Ave in Gardiner.
Regular gatherings (1-4pm ) AND focus groups (12-1) are free, require no advance notice to attend. The Slow Money meetings are a favorite of this farmer as they include a wide cross-section of the “Good Food Movement” from eaters to investors. The conversation is lively, the networking unpretentious and the snacks are delicious! Abby & Jake will be sharing the farm story, plans for expansion and what the farm will produce in 2016. We hope you can attend!
For several years Maine biologist Gerri Vistein has been organizing talks and events around the state to help farmers better understand often under-appreciated members our ecosystem- carnivores. Through Vistein’s work Apple Creek farmers have learned how to manage the presence of local coyotes, fox and even great horned owls. This information is now available through the newly established Farming with Carnivores Network. The network, made up of farmers from the Northeast like us is designed as a space for sharing the opportunities and challenges posed by farming with carnivores.