Meet our Farming Partners!

Farming the land is one of our biggest priorities.  Wolfe's Neck Farm is proud to collaborate with three area farms to reach this goal.  These Farming Partners raise their cattle on our pastures, bring in hay, and help care for the land.  In case you haven't met them yet, they are: The Randall Family, Randall Farm The Randall family has been farming in Maine since their ancestors arrived in this country from England and settled around Pownal and Durham.  Previous generations had a stockyard in Portland, near the Regency Hotel in the heart of the "Old Port", before starting dairy farms.  Today's operation consists of three generations working together as a cow-calf operation raising natural beef.  Matt Randall is the liaison between his family's operation and Wolfe's Neck Farm. He grew up working on his family farm here in Maine with his father and grandfather.  He wanted to "get away," as do most younger folks in a multi generational operations.  Matt went to college at the University of Vermont (UVM), where he double majored in Animal Science and Dairy Foods Science.  While in school Matt worked in a Ruminant Nutrition Lab and a Dairy Chemistry Lab, as well as working at Shelburne Farms as an intern and as a part time employee.  Instead of staying on board upon graduation, he went over board to New Zealand.  In New Zealand Matt was the Senior Herdsman on a dairy farm which consisted of 500 milking cows and 500 replacement heifers.  "The farms in New Zealand are incredible.  I learned a lot about rotational grazing, seasonal calving and milking, and nutrient management."  Matt was eager to apply his knowledge back in Maine and has been farming here and working with the Department of Agriculture for the last several years.  The Randall family had some yearling heifers and cow-calf pairs at Wolfe's Neck Farm in 2010, and hopes to be a familiar site in 2011! Pete and Rob Dusoe, Green Bounty Farm Pete has been farming for 40 years, 21 years with dairy cattle and 15 years with beef.  While he says he doesn't have formal training as a farmer, his knowledge seems to be endless.  He knows the animals and the land need, and he cares deeply about both.   Pete and his son Rob have a "feeder calf" operation at Wolfe's Neck Farm and at their farm in Albion.  The cattle are Angus-Hereford and Angus-Simmental mixes, raised for meat.  They raise adult females that are breeding stock, and they raise the calves to 900 pounds.   They sell the calves to Cold Spring Ranch  in North New Portland, Maine, which finishes raising the cattle and sells beef wholesale to stores like Whole Foods and restaurants like Back Bay Grill as well as directly from their farm.  You can purchase their meat at www.coldspringranch.com.   The cows are completely grass fed, and incredibly well cared for.  Green Bounty Farm just earned a "4" on a "Good Animal Practices" Audit.  This is an assessment of how well the farmers care for the animals, land, and soil.  This is a tough test that looks at everything from record keeping to slaughtering practices, and the audit ranks farms from 1 to 5.  A "4" is about the best a farmer can realistically achieve.  Pete and Rob Great job, Pete and Rob! Ron Howard, Aldermere Farm Aldermere Farm, a landmark of midcoast Maine, is one of the world's premier breeders of Belted Galloway cattle. The 136-acre farm is owned and managed by Maine Coast Heritage Trust, a statewide land conservation organization dedicated to protecting the scenic beauty, outdoor recreational opportunities, ecological diversity, and working landscapes of the Maine coast.  The Trust maintains Aldermere as a working farm and educational center, helping visitors deepen their appreciation for land conservation and sustainable agriculture. Ron Howard is the General Manager of Aldermere Farm, and he directly oversees the cattle that are at Wolfe's Neck Farm.  Aldermere had a dozen cattle here in 2010 and sold beef by the package, quarter, half, and whole from our campground store.  They are excited to continue our partnership.  Contact Aldermere Farm at 207-236-2739 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information about cattle, agricultural programs, or to purchase beef. Katherine Creswell, Bowdoin Organic Gardens Started in 2004, the Bowdoin Organic Garden is comprised of several garden plots located on Bowdoin College's campus, on the site of Crystal Springs Farm, and now also a plot here at Wolfe's Neck Farm.  Katherine Creswell, who manages the Bowdoin Organic Garden, has raised vegetables in Oregon, Colorado and Maine.   As described by their website, "The Bowdoin Organic Garden is both an educational and production garden, striving to produce nutritious food and encourage culinary and agricultural exploration among the Brunswick community."  The food grown by Bowdoin Organic Garden provides food to the dining services at Bowdoin College, the Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program, Bowdoin Food Co-op weekly communal dinners and also an irregular farmer's market for students.   Bowdoin Organic Garden has planted cover crop and garlic to begin transitioning our pumpkin patch into a vegetable garden that will further support the Bowdoin College Dining Services.  We are excited by the prospects of cultivating this relationship, and if you are excited this project please consider volunteering for Bowdoin Organic Garden.

 

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