Renee Igo discusses her sheep in a recorded segment for her farm, The Laughing Ewe in Hartford. Her partner, Sophie Roblin, captures the talk on an Apple iPad. This was the first year Igo planned to host an open farm for her sheep dairy. The entire Open Farm Day, however, had to go online due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

Mainers need go no farther than their home computers to get a look at how the state’s farms are run.

More than 80 farms from across Maine signed on Sunday to participate in the 31st annual Open Farm Day. Unlike previous years, however, the event is not over yet.

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers moved the event online, lengthening the traditional Sunday event into a weeklong virtual experience.

Running from July 26 to 31, many farmers will post videos to social media introducing their farms and explaining  how they do what they do, whether it be spinning yarn, tending crops, making wine or managing livestock.

Renee Igo, owner of The Friendly Ewe in Hartford, is one local farmer excited to share her sheep online and in person.

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Sheep, she explained, are great animals to have on a farm. They are “gentle on the land” and provide wool, milk and lambs. She makes yarn and cheese from the sheep and sells lambs in the spring.

She is posting pictures of the farm and videos introducing her sheep on Facebook throughout the week. There may also be some content about yarn and cheesemaking, she said.

In addition, her partner, Sophie Roblin, an artist, created pages inspired by scenes of their farm for people to print and color.

She hopes to reach new people and educate them about the importance of local farms. She believes the pandemic has been a wake-up call for people who found themselves searching for alternative food sources when certain items became difficult to find at the grocery store.

She expressed her concern there has been little governmental support during the pandemic for local farmers and agricultural businesses.

“Small farms are a part of the solution and we have to make it work for everyone,” she said.

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Maine’s 7,000 farms are hugely diverse, organizer Anne Trenholm said. Events like Open Farm Day, whether online or in person, offer an opportunity to learn more about the day to day operations of farms all over the state.

People should look out for informational videos, podcasts, trivia games for families and more on the Real Maine Facebook page, she said.

“These events fully showcase the effort that happens to bring your food to your table, or to (grow) flowers, or (make) fiber products,” Trenholm said. “Farming is not spontaneous.”

She stressed the importance of creating connections between farmers and locals. Maine’s farms are a robust part of the economy, she said. However, small farms cannot survive without support from the community.

“Sharing the story of agriculture is really important,” Trenholm said. “The more you know about the people and what happens in farming, the more you have a vested interest in these businesses that are a part of your community.”

However, as the event shifted online, not all farms moved with it.

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Seren Sinisi, owner of Old Crow Ranch in Durham, said her farm participates in Open Farm Day to help educate people about where their food comes from. Sinisi sells her own chicken, beef and pork.

She said her farm is unlikely to participate in the event virtually, but people are welcome to email them about touring their farm any time.

Similarly, Tony Lyons of Willows Awake Winery in Leeds said the farm hosted a brunch and wine tasting Sunday to encourage people to visit. He said it is important to him to show people farmers can grow grapes and make wine in Maine.

Trenholm encourages people who are interested in learning more about local farms to check out the directory at Real Maine’s website — www.getrealmaine.com.

Farms participating in Open Farm Day:

ANDROSCOGGIN COUNTY

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• Atwood Farm, Poland, kerryjatwood@yahoo.com, 617-223-1164, atwoodfarmbelties.com.

• Boothby’s Orchard and Farm, Livermore, boothbysorchard@gmail.com, 207-754-3500, boothbysorchard.com, facebook.com/BoothbysOrchard.

• Fresh Start Farms: Packard-Littlefield Farm, Portland, fsf@cultivatingcommunity.org, 207-761-4769.

• Hummingbird Farm, Turner, hummingbird@megalink.net, 207-224-8220, hummingbirdfarm.net, Facebook.com/Hummingbird-Farm-Greenhouse-283910121176.

• Nezinscot Farm, Turner, admin@nezinscotfarm.com, 207-225-3231, nezinscotfarm.com.

• Old Crow Ranch, Durham, oldcrowranch@gmail.com, 207-329-8775, oldcrowranch.com, facebook.com/old.crow.ranch.

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• Vista of Maine Vineyard & Cidery, Greene, vistatastingroom@gmail.com, 207-754-2527, hvistaofmaine.weebly.com, facebook.com/vistaofmainewine.

• Willows Awake Winery, Leeds, tony@willowsawake.com, 207-518-8076, facebook.com/willowsawake.

 

FRANKLIN COUNTY

• Birds of a Feather Emu Farm, Farmington, cldwater1@beeline-online.net, 207-212-2679, facebook.com/Birds-Of-A-Feather-Emu-Farm-613816698769285/.

• Black Acres Farm, Wilton, blackacresbeef@gmail.com, 207-491-5443, facebook.com/blackacresbeef.

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OXFORD COUNTY

• Bumpus Farm LLC, South Paris, haslett.micah@gmail.com, 207-831-9204, facebook.com/BumpusFarm.

• No View Farm, Inn & Bakery, Rumford, annettemarin@yahoo.com, 207-364-6300, facebook.com/NoViewFarmCOOP.

• The Friendly Ewe, Hartford, thefriendlyewe@gmail.com, 218-349-4076, thefriendlyewe.com, facebook.com/thefriendlyewe.

• Worth the Wait Farm, Denmark, worththewaitfarm@gmail.com, 207-890-3586, facebook.com/worththewaitfarm1.

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