Page Farm and Home Museum Schedules Farm Field Trip

Contact: Media contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571

ORONO– The University of Maine’s Page Farm and Home Museum has scheduled a Wednesday, Sept. 17 field trip to three central Maine farms.  The field trip is intended to appeal to those interested in modern industrial farming and organic market farming.

The tour will leave the Page Farm and Home Museum at 8:30 a.m. and return at 4 p.m..  A $15.00 per person fee includes lunch and transportation.  Pre-registration is required by Sept. 15.  Those interested should reserve space by calling 581-4100.

The tour will include the following destinations:

Smith Potato Farm, Corinna: This is a third-generation potato farm that produces for the potato chip industry.  They currently have 550 acres under cultivation for potatoes and an equal amount for corn that they dry and sell for feed.  Operators will take visitors through the steps of harvesting and storing.

Fogler Dairy, Corinna: A modern facility with over 500 head of dairy cows.  A family enterprise, this farm produces corn and hay for feed (with fertilizer as a by-product) for other farms in the area.

Peacemeal Farm, Dixmont: A diversified, organic market garden covering six acres.  This farm has been operating for over 30 years and supplies Maine natural food stores with fresh, organic produce.  They also participate in farmers’ markets in Orono, Belfast, Camden and Northeast Harbor.  Three of the five operators are graduates of the UMaine Sustainable Agriculture Program.

Lunch will be provided by the Corinna Historical Society after a guided tour of their museum.