Due-Date!

It could happen any day, any hour, any minute...!

The unfamiliar jingle woke me from a sound sleep. Confused, I reached for my phone to silence the offensive noise. The alarm title on the screen: “Cam-Check”─reminded me instantly of the reason for this disruption. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I pulled up the app to view the lamb-cam on my phone.

With no sign of any lambs or lambing happening out in the shed, I was satisfied. Placing the phone back on the nightstand, I rolled over to go back to sleep until the next alarm sounded 2 hours later.

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

Anticipation

I’ve been holding my breath in anticipation these last 2 weeks, preparing the farm for the flurry of activity that comes with lambing-season. Lambing could start any day, any hour─any minute─now. Thankfully, the farm is well-stocked on feed and supplies, medicines and supplements─whatever I might possibly need in the heat of the moment. Like an insurance policy you hope to never need.

With the nearest Tractor Supply or Farmers’ Union 40-minutes from the farm, having things like antibiotics, syringes, oral and injectable vitamins─even a suture kit─on hand, can make the difference between life and death.

Judging by the way the girls are looking, I’m confident we’ll see at least 1 or 2 of the 4 ewes drop their lambs before the week is out.

First lamb of the 2022 lambing season.

Sadly, I’ve had to abandon the idea of a live feed from the lamb-cam to the Runamuk website. Already the season is rolling out before me, and I ran out of time for troubleshooting the issues with connectivity. The moment has passed, and I’m having to turn my attention to other things. Next year, I’ll give it another go.

Tax Return Investments

Meanwhile, my tax refund has come back, alleviating some of the financial pressure winter places upon us. I’ve been able to get caught up on a few bills, paid for repairs to the Subaru, and ordered another round of heating fuel.

This year, I’ve made minimal investments in the farm, and did so with scrupulous thought and consideration. What’s going to give the best return on investment? What’s the smartest way I can use these funds?

I decided upon 3 important expenditures.

The first was a deposit with the local veterinarian to cover Beebe’s long overdue spaying. The last thing I need right now is another half-dozen massive dogs to feed.

On principle, I prefer not to have my cats and dogs breeding. In my opinion, there are too many in the shelters to justify it. I’m proud of the fact that most of the cats and dogs I’ve owned during my adult life have been rescued from local animal shelters.

Aside from pre-paying for the veterinary care, I bought lumber to make cold frames and raised beds. These will allow me to extend my growing season without a greenhouse or high tunnel. I’m confident they will have paid for themselves by October.

The only other thing I invested in was a battery-powered Ryobi chainsaw. Much more manageable for me than the big Stihl that was gifted to the farm a few years back.

A chainsaw is essential for maintaining access to the campsite in the back-40, pruning fruit trees and more. To make back that investment, I’ve lined up a few pruning jobs locally. The Stihl I sold to a friend, squirreling those funds away as the first of our 2024 hay-fund.

I wonder what this could be….?

Eggs on the Farmstand!

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve had eggs available to sell, so it felt really good to open the farmstand over the weekend.

Not long after I bought the farm, we went from having eggs coming out the wa-zoo, to scarcely enough to meet our own needs. I went round and round trying to sort the issue out─experimenting with different grains, reducing flock-size─nothing seemed to make a difference.

Then, last year I replaced the entire flock. I brought in 60 some-odd new chicks and spent the season raising them up. The old birds I culled in the fall, putting them in the freezer for stew.

Over the winter the new flock began to lay, and now─finally─I have eggs. Enough eggs to feed both my own household and our farmstayB&B, with another 10-12 dozen to sell each week.

Posting to local facebook community groups about availability saw them cleaned out by end of day Sunday.

Due-Date

This is it! TODAY is the guesstimated due-date for Runamuk’s 2024 lambs!

Anyone would think I run a big ranching operation with hundreds of sheep for all the fuss I make of lambing season. But─no. Of my 11 sheep, I have just 4 expectant ewes this year. Yet, because we are such a small farm, every animal is precious and valuable. More than ever, I need to be able to sell enough animals to cover the cost of winter hay.

For readers local to the farm, Maine homesteaders and farmers, Runamuk will have unregistered Finnsheep available come June─lambs and adults. Reach out to me directly for more info─or to reserve yours now.

Visitors at Runamuk Acres! <3

Locals are also invited to visit the farm during lambing-season─anytime, really─but I especially encourage folks to visit during lambing season.

I want to foster the connection between families and farms. Through my work, I am able to teach folks more about what it takes to produce the food they eat, inspire them to try new things or think about food in a different light. I find that very rewarding and meaningful.

Working with children has always been a special treat, and I’ve never turned down an opportunity to speak at a school, public library or county fair. I love the unbridled curiosity and joy that kids have. And we connect, because that light has never dimmed in me.

To schedule a visit to the Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm, please reach out to me directly!

For the latest updates on our progress with lambing, find @runamukacres on Instagram to follow along! I’ll be posting pics and video clips of new lambs as soon as I have new lambs to boast about, lol.

Much love to you and yours, my friends!

Your friendly neighborhood farmer,
Sam

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!