Jim Leary, of the Leary family farm in Saco,
spoke to the Journal Tribune recently about the changes in the farming
industry’s landscape over his lifetime. Since he was in high school in
the mid-1940s, the dairy farms in Saco have dwindled from 50 to just one
today – his farm.
The Leary Farm is ending an era in Saco as it
winds down commercial dairy operations to focus on vegetable farming.
Jim’s son, Tim, and granddaughter, Alison, will continue on there, but
Tim Leary said dairy farming is no longer financially viable – with the
margin between the price of milk and the cost of production getting
slimmer and slimmer, he said.
His daughter plans to open a
boutique farm in Arundel, where a small group of milking cows will allow
her to make yogurt and ice cream.
Small, boutique farms seem to
be doing well – even flourishing here in Maine as residents and visitors
move toward the “buy local” and organic movements.
read more...
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