A Patch Of Land

by Marguerite Wiser

Photography by Brandon McKenney

Nationwide, most farmers are approaching retirement age, but Maine, despite being the most geriatric state, has seen an increase in young farmers choosing one of the oldest occupations.

BrennaMae Thomas and Brandon McKenney are part of a growing trend of young farmers. The couple’s path circled the hemispheres before they settled in Denmark, Maine, to farm. This spring, Patch Farm will plant a wide variety of certified organic vegetables—just about anything that will grow in this area. They also tend a flock of hens that produce eggs for sale.

Patch Farm will market produce at the Bridgton Farmers Market and through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). A CSA provides farmers with money in the spring, when funds tend to be low, and in turn, the farm provides members weekly shares of produce throughout the growing season. The couple is also excited to open a roadside stand at their farm on Route 117.

Brandon grew up in Parsonsfield, Maine, and previously worked in photojournalism. His experience with a camera is evident in the beautiful pictures on the farm’s Facebook page and in their weekly newsletter to CSA members. BrennaMae is originally from Minnesota and grew up spending time in her mother’s garden. Her great-grandfather was a dairy farmer, and her mother has always wanted to farm.

Her interest in farming expanded after she spent four months “WWOOF-ing” in Ireland with her sister. WWOOF or World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms is a work-exchange program that allows people (called WWOOFers) to work on host farms in trade for room and board.

After her experiences in Ireland, she adjusted her path toward a life in farming, eventually convincing Brandon to join her at Sunbreak Farm in Olympia, Washington. The couple then began a “year of endless summers,” chasing the growing season around the globe to New Zealand’s austral summer and back, learning from others before beginning their own farm here in Maine.

They have grown vegetables on leased land in Hiram for the past few seasons, but recently began a lease-to-own deal on the property in Denmark. The traditional 19th century farmhouse and barn sit at the crest of a hill, overlooking cascading fields and woods. A tractor is parked in the driveway, and a new greenhouse is under construction behind the home.

The 70 acres that the partners are acquiring has a great history of community. The land has not been farmed since 2002,but was previously Netherfield Farm, an organic operation growing vegetables and herbs and raising sheep. Prior to that, the Denmark Equestrian Club owned the land. Brandon suspects that the 20 acres of fields had mostly been used for pasturing animals. On the property there is also a reliable well. They’ve heard stories that during droughts when other wells ran dry, neighbors were welcomed to the farm’s water.

BrennaMae and Brandon value this history, saying, “It really jives [sic] with us wanting to have a good community and being a big part of that. It was just really great to know that this house and this land has had a good history with the community.” They hope that Patch Farm will continue this land’s legacy, and it seems that they are already off to a great start. While farming in Hiram, they gave surplus food to a local food pantry, and have offered donation as an option for CSA members who cannot pick up their weekly share of produce. BrennaMae explains, “We’re really interested in getting to know the people around us, and being able to feed the people in our community, which is why we’re not particularly interested in marketing into Portland.”

Farming in rural Maine is not an easy thing to do, especially starting out. The challenges make it nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time. BrennaMae laughs, saying, “If this was all really easy, everyone would do it. It’s one thing to know how to plant something. It’s another thing to know how to plant something and to sell it. And to have it taste good. And to have it go over well.”

The couple cite time and finances as their biggest challenges. They both find that there is never enough time in the day to get everything done. And they talk about the misconception a lot of people seem to have that farming starts in June and ends in September, leaving the farmer time to sit by a fire reading seed catalogs and eating stewed peaches all winter. Brandon says that in reality, they have about one month “off” from work, generally around the Christmas holidays. This time is used to set the stage for the next growing season, doing the nitty-gritty that makes the season flow. These tasks include planning fields, starting seeds in the greenhouse, building a walk-in cooler, putting plastic on the new greenhouse and many, many more chores. When thinking about all that there is to do, BrennaMae notes, “There are a lot of fires in farming, and you’ve got to choose which ones to put out in what timely manner.”

This also extends to the financial aspects, such as deciding between investing in new equipment and hiring an apprentice. While they get the farming business firmly established, the couple takes turns working off site during winters. But full-time farming is what they really want to be doing. BrennaMae speaks for both of them when she says, “ There’s no other way we’d rather spend our days.” Brandon adds, “It feels good to go to bed at night and just feel absolutely exhausted.”

Another challenge they face is farming with a budding family. “Our big thing is wanting to keep farming with our family,” she says. They’ve known quite a few farmers who have struggled to continue farming while raising families. The couple want to make sure that they are sustainable as a business, and as a family, for the long haul. “We really believe that you need three generations for it to function,” she adds. With Brandon’s family nearby, his mother is a huge help in watching their young daughter, Ainsley. BrennaMae’s mother is in the process of moving closer.

Despite the challenges, Brandon tries to find ways to make monotonous tasks fun. He has been known to sprint down long rows to put protective row coverings on tender plants. BrennaMae loves the seasonality of farming, and the way their diet can follow the available food. In the winter all she wants are meat and potatoes for warmth, in the spring, fresh greens for vitamin C, in the summer, water-rich tomatoes and cucumbers to combat the heat, and in the fall, good root vegetables with high caloric counts to prepare for the upcoming winter.

Patch Farm has been influenced by many of the farms the couple has worked on and they still seek advice from others. They have also learned from workshops and programs offered by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of its kind. Patch Farm is certified organic, a farming practice that MOFGA defines as, “a locally sustainable, low-input technique for raising crops and livestock.” Organic farming limits the exposure of food to pesticides and herbicides, while keeping the health of the soil and environment in mind.

In addition to learning about farming, they have begun to teach what they know to WWOOFers who come to stay with and learn from them. This part of farming was somewhat unexpected to BrennaMae. “Being able to meet so many people is so awesome. I never really realized that in becoming a farmer, especially the type of farmer that we are, that we would be inviting so many people into our house … it’s so cool to have people from all walks of life coming to you and saying ‘I think you know something that I would like to know.’”

One of their protégées is Spencer Colburn, a long-term WWOOFer who has been with them for the past few years, and they are incredibly proud of how much he has grown and learned. They expect to host more WWOOFers in the coming seasons. To them, farming is, “Not just cultivating your farm, it’s cultivating people. It’s cultivating your community.” This season Patch Farm plans to grow about two to three acres of mixed vegetables, increase their CSA membership and establish a roadside farmstand. They’ll expand their flock of laying hens, have recently acquired goats, and hope to plant fruit trees and perennial berries. For the long term, they want to install a commercial kitchen in their home in order to produce value-added products, such as goat cheese, fermented foods, cured meats and other canned goods.

Overall, their goal is to produce as much food as possible and to sustain their family and their community off this patch of land. Young, energetic, farmers like Brandon and BrennaMae are helping to cultivate a promising future for farming and community here in western Maine.