I’m fortunate that MGA has a couple of seed cleaners. That makes my job easy when I have a couple of hundred pounds of seed to clean. However, when I have just a small amount I can clean it by hand. After I’ve threshed the grain heads in a paper bag, I can pick the...
As I’ve said before, the BOAZ mini-combine works great on our larger sections of grain, but a lot of the crop is harvested by hand. Some of the plots are just too small to justify the cleaning that would have to be done between varieties, and some like the...
Harvesting grain with a sickle and gathering it into sheaves is a very satisfying task. It is also very time consuming. It is also a pain in the…back. When you’re working with small plots it’s really the only way to do it. I have a very nice scythe, but I haven’t made...
The flock of pigeons waited patiently on the peak of my small barn while I ran the seed cleaner. Each time I turned off the machine I would look up and see them sitting watching me. If I went into the house to get a glass of water they would swoop down and busily...
Sixteen Counties, the new beer from Allagash Brewing Co., sources all of its grains and malts from Maine. By Meredith Goad, Portland Press Herald In the world of wine, it’s fashionable to talk about terroir – that sense of place that local climate, soils and terrain...
By Anthony Brino, Bangor Daily News When Eric Theriault’s father, Robert, started potato farming in Drummond, New Brunswick, in the 1970s, it didn’t go well. He “lost quite a lot of barrels of potatoes” and almost faced bankruptcy, Eric Theriault told farmers at the...
DOVER – The Dover Chamber was pleased to welcome Embers Bakery with a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony. Embers Bakery brings local, organic breads and pizzas to farmers markets, catering events and community gatherings across the Seacoast. Built by Kevin Johnson in...
By Kathleen Pierce, Bangor Daily News Thanks to the efforts of a dedicated group of grain zealots, wheat from imported Estonian seeds is now sprouting in test plots across the state, part of a two-year trial to find what varieties of grains can grow well in Maine. The...
Locally sourced foods are building a solid food movement in Maine, said those leading discussions at the Skowhegan events. BY DOUG HARLOW -MORNING SENTINEL SKOWHEGAN — Baking bread is not just about baking bread. It’s about sourcing ingredients, finding out what...
A grain revolution is rising in Skowhegan By Sarah Walker Caron, Bangor Daily News In Aroostook County, farmer Jake Dyer is going with the grain. At Benedicta Grain Co., Dyer has his eye on the future, trying to look ahead to the next five to 10 years to anticipate...
