Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 13 M AY 2 9 , 2 0 2 3 F O C U S L O C A L LY G ROW N Operating as a chemical-free business, the farm raises livestock, poultry and vegetables on 70 acres. e farm also sells hay that it harvests on 400 acres from Brownville to Bangor for other farmers who no longer do the mowing Not missing her corporate job, White relishes the chewing and chomping sounds pigs make in the barn at feeding time. "It's totally satisfying to know you're taking care of them and they're dependent on you," she says. e whole idea for the business started, in fact, with piglets the couple raised and sold. "at experience went beyond our dreams, though sometimes it seems more of a nightmare," she says, laughing. ey later added five cows, which has since grown to around 50, along with calves, steers and heifers for meat. e farm sells livestock for meat, including piglets in frozen form, but doesn't do any processing itself. e couple's children also help out with tether- ing animals and raking hay. "It's valuable for them to understand and appre- ciate the circle of life," White says. at includes a hard lesson for her daughter when it was time to slaughter a pig named Pork Chop. "When my husband asked, 'Do you like bacon?' and she said 'yes,' it clicked for her right then and there." e couple run the farm together but make most of their income offering guided hunts for bear, moose, deer turkey and small game. White also runs a retail store in Ashland selling animal pelts, carv- ings and other rustic wares. As someone who's learned farming on the job, she's found farm agencies great to lean on for advice and recommends that all farms diversify. She also advises new farmers to educate themselves via web research and from peers in the business. "You talk to the old timers and to the new farm- ers and you take it all in," she says. Underscoring that farming isn't easy, she says, "Every day is Monday when you're a farmer because your animals need to be fed no matter what day of the week and no matter what the weather." On the plus side, she says, "You don't have to answer to anybody, you don't have to worry about the corporate ladder." Ecommerce 'disruptor' It's not just farm laborers on the ground blazing trails in Maine's agricultural sector, but also entrepreneurs like Hannah Semler in Stonington. e Blue Hill native is a former gleaner with lofty growth ambitions for FarmDrop, an online farmers market she co-founded in 2018. As Maine's first full-time gleaning coordina- tor before she started FarmDrop, the College of the Atlantic alumna oversaw the post-harvest gathering of excess crops from farms across the state for distribution to those with immediate food needs. With FarmDrop, Semler set out to boost small- farm income via data-driven business planning; offer customers access to the freshest, tastiest local food; and support nonprofits that prevent food waste and feed hungry families. Every week, around 200 FarmDrop custom- ers place orders for pick-up at 25 locations across Maine and western New York. Further hubs are planned for Waterville and Skowhegan amid plans to expand to 1,000 customers a week. "Customers are disenchanted by supermarket supply chains and are looking to access local foods in new and convenient ways," notes Semler, who leads a three-person operations team and works with 25 market hub and pickup location managers in Maine and western New York. With expansion in mind, Semler recently par- ticipated in Dirigo Labs, a 12-week accelerator in Waterville. FarmDrop aims to reach $1 million in sales over the next two years and add locations in Maine, New York and Michigan. While FarmDrop did not win the capstone pitch contest, Dirigo Labs Executive Director Susan Ruhlin is bullish on the company's growth prospects. "Farm Drop is a highly sophisticated supply chain and logistics platform that seamlessly connects con- sumers and food producers through a revolutionary hub-and-spoke model, making it a true disrupter in the local food movement — and Hannah is at the forefront," Ruhlin says. Semler has also co-hosted a podcast called "What is American food?" and is a freelance consultant to food companies and organizations worldwide under the name WholeCrops. Serving the community, she says, "is worth more than all the money in the world." At Liberation Farm in Wales, Somali Bantu farmers Salat and Mohamed fully embrace that principle. "We are proud that we are farmers, proud that we have farms, and proud that we produce food for Maine communities," Salat says. Seated next to her near the greenhouses, Mohamed adds, "Everywhere we go, we are farmers, so now here we are farmers, too." Renee Cordes, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached a t r c o r d e s @ m a i n e b i z . b i z a n d @ r s c o r d e s P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F L I L B I T O R G A N I C FA R M P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F H A N N A H S E M L E R Hannah Semler, co-founder of FarmDrop At Lil Bit Organic Farm in Turner, family members — like Ava White here — help out. Every day is Monday when you're a farmer. — Brenda White Lil Bit Organic Farm Customers are disen- chanted by supermarket supply chains and are looking to access local foods in new and conve- nient ways. — Hannah Semler FarmDrop

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