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.
Just last weekend, Executive Director of the Maine Farmland Trust John Piotti said the future of farming in the state looks good, and in the past 15 years, Maine has gained about 1,200 farms. However, Piotti said at the Forum on the Future event at the University of Maine at Augusta that growth has mostly been among small farms that sell to a few restaurants or stores, or directly to consumers at farmer’s markets, according to the Associated Press.
Going forward, he said, challenges for farmers include land prices, the workforce and infrastructure to support farms.
Those are realities the Learys and other farmers have faced when carrying on farming operations that have been in their families for generations. Now they are adapting to changes in the market to allow their business to succeed, but, we fear, the challenges ahead may be too great.
Large chain restaurants and fastfood companies already source beef and other farm animal products from out of the country, where vast amounts of land and cattle ”“ and other animals ”“ are used to feed Americans. This is the unfortunate reality of how those companies keep their prices low and profits large. We hope the small, boutique farms will continue to be the way of the future ”“ stocking restaurants and stores throughout Maine and the region to ensure we are eating food that is local, safe and healthy ”“ as well as the larger farms still in this region that are producing milk for companies like Oakhurst and Hood.
As the buy local movement continues to gain momentum, we hope the Learys and others like them are successful in growing food for Maine people ”“ and for many generations to come.
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