An older approach to farming is coming back into fashion and a Monmouth family is on the cutting edge.
MONMOUTH – Ivan Smith gestured to a field flowing with lush green grass.
“That’s my office,” he said, explaining why he likes farming.
The 41-year-old, whose family has farmed in Monmouth for five generations, runs SNAFU Acres Dairy Farm with his wife, State Rep. Nancy Smith, 41, and their children, Jon, 17, Dana, 13, and Marinna, 7.
They own 20 acres but rent and have access to more than that for their recently diversified grass-based farm. Some farms keep animals inside, take the grass to them and use chemical fertilizer on the fields.
But virtually all of the animals at SNAFU, which stands for Situation Normal All Fouled Up, harvest their own grass and fertilize the fields with manure, Nancy Smith said.
“Our sense is it’s better for the animals,” she said. “It’s more efficient.”
And none of their animals get growth hormones or antibiotics in their feed, Nancy Smith said. Their products are natural but not organic, she said.
The Smiths have about 45 milking cows, a mix of both Jersey and Holstein, in addition to cows crossbred between the two. They produce 750,000 to 1 million pounds of milk per year, said Ivan Smith.
The Smiths also have about 40 non-milking cows, 450 chickens, 10 pigs, 70 laying hens and two llamas. The llamas serve as sentries to protect the poultry. If a dog or coyote approaches the chickens, one of the 5- to 6-foot llamas will run at it.
For the future
In 2002, the Smiths expanded the non-dairy part of the farm. Through a state program called the Farms for the Future project, they developed a business plan to diversify and do more active marketing. The plan called for diversifying into beef, veal and poultry. It also called for a new shed and, among other things, a new barn.
The Smiths then received a grant of $25,000 to help them implement that plan for diversifying and marketing. In exchange, they gave the state a 10-year conservation easement on their 20 acres.
They also received a grant of $15,000 from the Kennebec County Soil and Water District. That grant got used for fencing and watering systems that would help with rotational grazing.
Rotational grazing is the breaking of pastures into a grid so that animals eat efficiently in one section of grass before moving on to another section.
With the grants, loan money and personal labor and expenses all added up, the Smiths spent a total of $147,000 on innovations.
In addition to new methods, they have marketed their products directly through participation in farmers’ markets in Winthrop and Augusta. They also sell direct from their Monmouth house at 259 Tillson Road. Customers should call 933-2707 before visiting the farm.
Nancy Smith firmly believes in buying local. “People don’t realize their small purchases have a real impact on small businesses in town,” she said. Where you spend your $20 a week can make or break a business, she added.
“I take a great deal of pride in our farm,” Nancy Smith said. “I don’t think there’s a more noble occupation you can have.”
But survival today takes commitment and hard work, she said. “You can’t lead with your heart. You have to make hard business decisions if you’re going to survive.”
A sense of humor helps.
“Farming is a genetic blood disorder,” quipped Ivan Smith. “Basically, you are born a farmer.”
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