And the Mammas Cried

Tears pricked my eyes as I handed the lamb off to it’s new owner and Elvis lyrics ran perversely through my head to the tune of In the Ghetto: “And the mammas cried…” Sucking in a fortifying breath, I bade farewell to this years’ bottle-baby. Catching her sweet little face between my hands even as she searched my fingers for milk, I kissed her nose one last time. And then I let her go. Selling my babies off is never easy, but it’s an essential part of farming─a bittersweet victory for Runamuk Acres. Go get your cuppa and join me for the latest farm-update.

Welcome to the latest Updates From the Farm! If you are new here, I invite you to check out my About page to learn what this is, who I am and why I am doing this. Or just dive right in! At “Runamuk Acres” you’ll find the recantings of one lady-farmer and tree-hugging activist from the western mountains of Maine. #foodieswanted

In the Garden

When all you want to do is plant in the garden, every deviation is an annoyance. Just like when you’re reading a really good book and you keep getting interrupted during the juiciest part. With so much to be done there’s no way I can spend all day every day in the garden, but that’s the only place I want to be right now.

I’m exceedingly thankful for my son, who helps with chores and projects without complaint. Keenly aware that he’s still just a kid at 17, I’m careful not to abuse his help and while I do insist on keeping regular “work-hours” or “hours of productivity”, he has a say in how he spends those hours. Sometimes he’ll spend his morning working for the farm. Other times he’s doing schoolwork. This time of year, however, schoolwork is all but suspended in the name of Planting Season.

Even just having help keeping up with household chores is a blessing, but BraeTek also offers other support services─like taking over my share of the afternoon critter-chores on occasion so that I can work late. Or shouldering the responsibility of cooking the evening meal. He’s a good boy and I’m grateful to have him.

To keep what I’ve planted from being overrun before we’ve even begun, I’ve spent a good deal of time weeding over the last week. We also laid another swath of black plastic to reclaim a section of the garden already getting away from me. Then, in a number of wide paths, I laid Pro-5 commercial grade landscape fabric to reduce the amount of time I have to spend on weeding.

Found this handsome grandpappy snail in the garden!

Practicing no-till methods, the broadfork was brought out to prepare more beds for planting. Several wheelbarrows of compost were added to the beds and potatoes planted: purple and pink varieties just for fun, Red Norlands for fresh eating, and Caribou Russets and Kennebecs for their long-storing capacity.

Transitioning the Sheep Onto the Field

Through trial and error, I’ve learned the easiest way to transition the sheep-flock onto the field is to begin by opening up access from their winter pens and then shuffle them toward the field from there. This means for the first few weeks of the season I can look out my kitchen window or open my front door and see the sheep right there, whereas later in the summer they’re several hundred yards outback on the field.

While the ewes and their lambs have had access to fresh grass for more than a week, the 2 rams were still waiting for their own Turn-Out Day. Feeling guilty for the delay, I made them a priority on Friday, installing a new gate on the back corner of their winter pen so that I could give them direct access to the backside of the farmhouse.

From there I’ll work them around to the front of the house before taking them out to the field. Fortunately, my neighbors across the road don’t mind seeing the critters out front and I much prefer to let the animals mow it.

NOTE: Check out this article I wrote last year celebrating my Grass-Powered Mowers.

After that, I had BraeTek help me pull the sheep-tractor out of the garage so that I could make necessary repairs to it before we hauled it out for the ewes. For a couple of days the girls had access to both the winter shed and the summer house, adjusting to the change before I moved them further out.

Tying the electric net-fences onto the garden fence allows me to shuffle the flock slowly toward the field. The grass is still short here closer to the house and though they’re still receiving a bit of hay each day, they’re ravenous for the fresh stuff and I’m having to move them on a daily basis.

This is the time of year when I most worry about predators─when the lambs are small and local wildlife are pressured to feed their own young. But I can’t move Beebe out without her doghouse, which is a project on it’s own.

Built on skids and meant to be moved around the field just like the sheep-tractors, Beebe’s house is solid and fucking heavy!

Excuse my language, but it’s the truth.

A hundred pound dog, Beebe’s house needed to be rugged enough to withstand whatever abuse she might put on it, and it needed to be heavy enough not to be dragged away. I designed and constructed the house myself and I’m downright proud of it, though I’m kinda kicking myself for doing too-good a job on it, lol.

With no tractor or ATV, I employ a heavy-duty utility dolly to hook onto these livestock shelters and use my own muscle to drag them from one spot to the next. Sometimes I’ll have BraeTek come lend a hand moving the houses when I’m shuffling fences, but usually it’s just little ol’ me out there on that field.

Freeing the house from the muck of hay and straw litter built up over the winter was the hardest part. After that we were able to haul the house out to join the ewes and lambs.

Notes

For my local peeps and resident Mainers:

• I’m offering a 1-time sale on a Finnsheep starter flock. 2 ewes, 1 breeding ram and 1 companion ram for $1K. Contact runamukacres@gmail.com FMI.

• Farmers’ Market Event: Runamuk will be participating in Sugarleaf’s 2nd annual Farmers’ Market Event on July 27th in New Portland, Maine. We’ll have eggs, whatever fresh veggies are in season, frozen lamb meats, bee hotels and pollinator education materials, as well as some baked goods. Hope to see you there!

And the Mammas Cried

Lauren & Julia MacDonald-Plumb of Hands Four Farm in Albion, Maine.

With the 2 lambs loaded into the back of their car, Lauren and Julia MacDonald-Plumb of Hands Four Farm in Albion, Maine, drove away on Sunday morning. Having waited their whole lives to bring home their first sheep, these lady-farmers had done their research, carefully vetted the farms where they might purchase their sheep, and have a sheep-mentor close to home should they need advice or help. I feel really good about sending my babies off to live with them and that’s about as much as a farmer can ask for.

After the lambs’ departure, their mammas cried plaintively and my heart was heavy, with Elvis’ song still echoing in my head. Since the flock was already in upheaval, I decided it was a good day to pull the ram lambs to move them in with the big boys. And then everyone was crying.

It’s an adjustment that might take anywhere from a few days to a week, but eventually they’ll get used to their new existence and this bad day will become a vague memory. Just as with people.

Sending you love and good juju from the farm.

Your friendly neighborhood farmer,

Sam

Tipping is not mandatory, but always appreciated!

Thank you for following along with the story of this lady-farmer! It is truly a privilege to live this life serving my family and community, and protecting wildlife through agricultural conservation. Check back soon for more updates from the farm, and be sure to follow @RunamukAcres on Instagram or Facebook!