February 2009

Farmer Facts Mapleshade Farm Name: Linda Clewley,                    Raechel Clewley                  Location: Garland, Maine Established: 1995                                          Products: ADGA Reg Dairy Goats, Alpine Stud Service, Meat Lambs, Pigs, Turkeys, Goat Milk Soap, Eggs, Blackberries, Greenhouse Plants, Garden Produce, Farm Tour Programs.

Q: How did you get started in farming?

A: As a kid my parents always had large gardens so I was used to planting and tending vegetable gardens.It was our summer ritual to eat from the garden and preserve what food we could.In 1995 we purchased the farm in Garland. My two daughters and I became enthralled with dairy goat and we just had to have three! Over the years that number of goats has steadily increased and we have also added layer and broiler chickens, turkeys, pigs, meat lambs, and we have a pet rabbit, Charlotte. Oops- I can't forget our two AKC registered labs Jack and Libby and our barn cat, Emmaline!

Q:How many goats do you have?

A: People always ask me that question and I usually have to stop and count. We have 3 alpine bucks that I use for stud, 3 retired goats, and 13 adult does for a grand total of 19 goats.

Q: What do you do with your goats?

A: I primarily use them for milk production so I can have milk and make cheese. Kids are born in the spring and naturally I can't keep them all so some are sold as replacement stock and some go to 4Hers for dairy goat projects.Occasionally I will have an adult milker that I will sell. Some of the goats also go as pets or as companions for horses.    

Q: Where do you sell your goats?

A: A lot of people from the surrounding area buy our goats as 4H projects for their childeren or for their own milk supply. Since our animals are registered we have been able to sell our animlas as replacement stock to other herds in Wisconsin, Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania.

Q: Now that it is winter what do you do to keep busy?

A: Having livestock is something that requires care wether it is sunny or snowy. I spend a lot of time emptying frozen water buckets and shoveling snow. I milk year round, so I do have milking chores once or twice a day. The number of animals I have to care for does go down in the winter. The broiling chickens, pigs, and lambs are in the freezer and that is a good feeling knowing that I can just pull something out to make a meal. I use the winter to plan for the seasons ahead. There is planning for the planting season and seed orders to send out. Goats have to be bred in order to maintain milk production and repairs to be done, etc.

Q: I saw you gave tours, how do I get to tour your farm?   

A: We have a lot of people tour the farm. Groups have been as small as 3-5 or as many as 25 preschoolers! We try to tailor the program to the groups interests. Some want to see what I do on a daily basis, others are more interested in just the goats. Spring time is a great time for a tour bacause of all of the baby animals. People, especially the children, love to be with all the furry little ones. We take a real hands on approach to learning. Sometime we take groups into the green house and pot up seedlings and at other times we have them in the barn or chicken coop helping to feed the animals.All you need to do is call, I ask a few questions, and we set up a time for a tour. We do charge for tours.

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: I love doing what I'm doing. Taking care of the animals and gardening are things that I truly enjoy. I also really enjoy sharing what I know with other people so I guess you'd have to say that I'm having fun everyday! Of course there are days you wouldn't want to ask me that question, but I'm sure that everyone has one of those day once in a while! I also really love to read and knit and I often wish I had more time to devote to sewing.