The desire surfaces a lot, about starting a farmstead, homesteading in Maine.
No so long ago back in history, most of us were small farmers of sorts. Food is a basic need that leads the list of essentials for daily life. And an increased awareness about what exactly is good food to fuel our bodies is the buzz, rattle and hum today. 
Wanting to know what you are putting on your family’s table has become front and center important.
Nutrition, good slow cooked quality food not the fast kind with empty calories is the growing shift in what is munched on.
Sent to the stomach below at least three times a day.
Lack of safety in a city, the high traffic and steep cost of living help propel the desire even further for a farmstead, to own a homestead in Maine.
Life is short and where to bring up your children best makes the choice obvious for small rural, low cost farm property Maine.
So where to begin, what are the ABC’s of finding, buying and running a farmstead in Maine? To make it pay. Pull it off without a hitch.
If you don’t know the first thing about homesteading in Maine. I can help because of my farming in Maine background. Raised on a 300 acre farm that I purchased from my three brothers after my mom passed away helps keep my hand in the farmsteading way of life.
First and foremost to consider is that farming in Maine, anywhere is not glamorous. It is long hours, dirty work, much dependent upon variables that are not reliable. A break even year is a good one attitude needed.
The weather is iffy on a Maine farmstead.
So are the far away finnicky markets for whatever you decide to produce for food on your Maine homestead. Growing field crops, raising pasture animals takes patience and a nest egg to get your farmstead in Maine off the ground. 
Making the farming operation sustainable means being a very good money manager. Being resourceful in keeping equipment maintained with no room for waste of time or resources.
Good time management and a positive attitude are keys to success in your homestead, the farmsteading in Maine venture.
Homesteading is producing quality food to support your family. And the extra farmstead products you peddle for profit. In the exchange of money or even better goods or services needed to live a full, rich, satisfying life on a Maine farm. Learn to barter when money is scarce.
In the beginning having a real job and keeping it a slow grow Maine farming operation can be a wise approach. Easy does it means careful small steps to sleep nights without tossing and turning. Finding a farm in Maine for sale that you can afford is the beginning game space on the homesteading board.
And are you toying with a conventional farming or organic based Maine agricultureal enterprise?
I have exposure to both growing up on a commercial Maine potato and grain farm. With a roadside truck gardening stand experience on the side. But of late have learned so much about Maine organic farming because of a partner who makes her living without the sprays of pesticides, herbicides. 
We write about organic farming in our Me In Maine blog posts.
Searches for farming in Maine blog posts are plentiful.
We’ve enjoyed MOFGA organic farming sessions. All because of Meg York, part owner of Nature’s Circle who I share my life with who is a well establish organic farming Maine grower and produce broker.
You can see some of her spring planting operation that I got to help out on lending a hand to Nature’s Circle organic farming in Maine field work.
So buying a Maine farm, don’t rule out just raw land without the buildings.
The pretty picture of the New England farm house, the supporting buildings around it like the big barn, machine shed, chicken house is a vivid one in most future farmer’s heads.
But you may have to find an owner financed Maine farmland property listing to slowly peck away at the payments. Putting the buildings on hold for the time be
ing.
Working your regular job dreaming of the day of self sufficiency and making a living creating wealth from the soil.
More on things to remember buying the dirt, on how owner financing Maine land works.
There is no more noble or satisfying profession than running, keep a Maine farm in the black and operational.
Fixing buildings, repairing fencing, putting a wrench and bailing twine, some haywire to tempermental equipment.
Take your pick.
Stay small and doing most of the work yourself with help from your family as they grow is one approach to farming in Maine. Or expanding quickly, thinking volume and bigger is better is the more expensive going into debt gamble for your Maine farm experiment.
Are you built to manager lots of people who work for you or more suited for hands on, doing the A-Z of a Maine farm operation?
And whoa. Wait just a minute. The market for what you produce on the Maine farm, is that crystal clear before finding out after the harvest that you can not move what you grew on the land you cherish?
Locally sourced home grown farmstead food is a beautiful thing.
But rural areas only have so many consumers close by the homestead.
And the customers are frugal ones with no extra tens and twenties to peel off the bank roll. Getting whatever you grow to a larger urban market involves transportation logistics.
Your profit in business is often found in your expenses so pencil to the paper late night figuring is part of the farmstead in Maine dream.
The all important question settled upfront on your farmstead, homesteading in Maine endeavor is how does your mate feel about playing in the dirt? Like Green Acres, the popular television show, the wife Lisa nor Oliver were so well suited for the role of being a farm partner working together in the traces.
Like a pair of farm work horses from sunrise until well after sundown if the rows ahead are lighted by some artificial means.
Niche audiences for whatever your grow, raise on your Maine farm are out there. The Internet has helped turn on the spotlight for the little farmstead operations to showcase what they struggle to do.
But competition by some pretty smart folks exisits to keep you sharp. To network with in food hubs to find your way to the marketplace so there is a strong monetary return on the blood, sweat and tears that are required on a Maine farmstead. 
The connection between Maine grower and consumer is always a challenge to create and maintain.
Consistency in quality, competitive pricing and ease of getting the farmstead product to the marketplace is always a daily challenge. But it is all worth it. When you sit high a top the tractor whether antique or ultra modern on the Maine farm spread.
Looking out over the level to rolling farm fields and spying wildlife along the edge of wooded sections. The view of a distant set of Maine foothills under blue skies and sunshine warms the heart and grounds a person.
Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. We are salt and peppered all over the social media circles. To make it easy for you and I to bump into each other without a whole lot of effort.
Reach out, connect and let’s talk not just dream about someday Maine farming.
Let’s start the homework and lay down the plan Stan.
Starting out by me listening. Taking very good real estate property listing buying notes. Here to help guide the process of buying a Maine farm, land in Vacationland. If you are planning to farmstead, homesteading in Maine is your primary focus for the next stage of your life.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |
MOOERS REALTY 69 North Street Houlton Maine 04730
