MeInMaine Blog

Tag: maine farms barns

  • Farming In Maine, The Barn Was The Centerpiece In Building Collection.

    Farming in Maine, when there were seven farmers on one road.

    Not one farmer in three small Maine towns. Bigger, more production but way way fewer in number now. And less of the stuck in the middle of the road farmers that were weeded out. Dying on the vine and pushed to the wayside.

    Maine Farm Barns
    Maine Farms, The Big Barn Is The Center Crowned Jewel Of The Buildings.

    There is a resurgence in micro farming, locally sourced agriculture grow and raised close to home is a healthy sight to see.

    But like farming without the eight row equipment and many zero place debt load, small farming in Maine takes frugal measures.

    Regardless of the state of affairs on conventional, organic or whatever size spread for Maine farming, the buildings used to pull off the lifestyle.

    In our travels it is always pleasurable to see a big main barn given TLC, a shot of love. Some on life support and it is a nip and tuck operation.

    maine farm barns
    The Maine Barn Sitting Back On Its Haunches. Leaning, Straining And Recently Went Down Completely Like 52 Pick Up.

    It’s all over happens. Too late for the new sills, the roof repair and general pulling the structure back into post and beam health that it had when hand built in the late 1800’s or earlier. The lack of a new roof covering makes everything melt into the ground.

    Like a dinosaur going to its knees and never to get back up.

    With the 8×8’s and old doors, the hand forged hardware to hang them recycled from the rubble. To fix another barn a few townships over in rural, sparsely populated Maine.

    When you think of barn raising, where all the family, kids and old alike joined forces to put up a farm building.

    The barn that was the cornerstone, crowned jewel of everything else to come. Even horses pulled those mortised beams into place to pin them securely.

    And next week we set up shop with the same folks at your spread down the road a piece in Maine. Another farm setting hosting the food, the hard work and hopefully good weather holding out until voila. Another big barn in Maine dots the countryside.

    Maine Organic Farming
    Hungry? Know What You Are Eating, Where It Came From If Not Locally Organically Grown?

    Besides lack of maintenance, the high cost to insure, other factors put a cross hair on the life of a Maine barn.

    Lack of use because like schools, everything is on one floor now. Those expansive hay lofts on a gambrel design or gable A-frame farm barn not used for loose or square bales anymore.

    Big 1200 pounded that look like huge Rolo candies now squat around a recently hayed and laid to collect pasture field operation. Where no field hand muckles on to the twin twine strings to toss up on a passing hay wagon or farm truck flat body.

    No hauling it back to the big Maine farm barn depository to store inside before black rain clouds open up to spoil the haying operation.

    Or placement on a conveyor pointed skyward to hoist them higher for the rack and stack inside. Why no more?

    Because a farm tractor with hay forks on the front or rear spears and lifts to deliver them to be placed in a roll. Wrapped in white plastic to preserve them until needed from the hay bank. Not put under cover of a big Maine farm barn.

    Music, Maine, Farm Life, Perfect Combination
    Oink. Wee Wee Wee .. Sing It Out Loud And Clear.

    So no fear of if their is moisture in the hay, then oh oh. Heating up and spontaneous combustion ignites and no more big, beautiful barn.

    Taken out of the farm spread rotation. And when a barn fire happens, like domino formation, one by one the rest of the auxiliary structures go down.

    Poof. The machine shed, well house, ice house, grainery, pig shed, horse hovel, chicken coop and the farm house too!

    Just farm land left, maybe no wood lot either though on top of it all. When the grass fire turns everything into the scorched Earth like the rules of war makes it leave nothing for the enemy to benefit from down the road. Al that brought into the chaos. No more buildings or remains of them to resurrect.

    So barns, unless lots of money to maintain them, insure them, can die of natural causes. If no one climbs up and cables off the roof sides to hold them, suck them back together securely. Or cross braces to keep them from swaying in the Northeast gales, those winds out of the Northwest too.

    Outdoors In Maine, Spend Four Seasons Here.
    Maine Is Real, Fresh, Original.

    Some Maine farm barns re-purposed for conventions, weddings, family events and rented out to earn their keep.

    To pay their way. Conversion to truck terminals is one use the barn I now care take and own was. Now used for storage of campers, antique cars, recreational boats and other motorized adult “toys”.

    Do you have the same love of barns and does that one structure surrounded by other buildings make the picture complete? Many are gone, but not forgotten. And a few are maintained and still standing proudly.

    Add animals, crops and farm activity and all the better reaction to the big awesome barn. The barn is the charm, casts the spell has the smell of grain, hay, animals that used those standing, boxed stalls and stanchions. Food is pretty special to have at least three times a day for most of us.

    Having a steady supply of quality raise it yourself food stuffs keeps the body healthy. Raising it keeps you in shape and just breaking even making you feel grateful helps your overall attitude. The way you look and approach obstacles, challenges in life is key for what you glean from the years here on Earth. On what you pass on for the next generation that is valuable in life skills.

    Lucky to own one. Peddle them too. Maine farm barns, come north and can show you a few classic ones.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker

    207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |  207.532.6573

     

     

     

  • Maine Farm Barns, Like Dinosaurs, Going To Their Knees Slowly.

    Hay Storage, Animal Shelter, Machinery Storage, The Maine Farm Barn.
    The Classic Maine Farm Barn, Slipping To One Knee. Becoming Extinct.

    The Maine farm barn was once a thriving, vibrant center stone in the crown jewels of a country acreage land spread.

    But square bales of hay not collected from fields, conveyor belted or lifted up overhead for winter storage now. Man power to hay, less farmers, smaller families all led to big round bales that machines can handle, not humans alone. So the big massive storage capacity of a Maine farm barn is under utilized. Everything has to be on the ground floor now on the Maine farm. Like our Maine schools for handicap access.

    Nothing excites but bothers me at the same time as spying a big farm barn while exploring around Maine back roads.

    The fact the Maine farm barn is still standing is a testament to it’s construction. And to the caretakers, good stewards that kept the roof shingled, weather tight. That replaced sills that were kicking out, windows that needed re-glazing. But getting that high up to use that many shingles, paint or stain that large an area for something that two thirds of it is has no use. Makes it a labor of love, more than a good business exercise on the investment of time, money, resources.

    I spied with my little eye a Maine barn this weekend on US Rt 1A in Limestone, in Aroostook County. That definitely had a better side for profile images. Just like you and I. From the south, the need for some paint for the barn doors and trim. The shingled cedar weathered and au natural. The aging asphalt roof fatique apparent. But big metal cupolas stood stately, proud, straight.

    Rusting cupolas, a pair of them used to help vent the big barn full of yearly new harvest hay. That heats up if the moisture is not removed in the field before storage. If put away wet. And that’s the source of many a barn fire total loss destruction. Because hay wasn’t left to dry, condition, cure. And heated up to the point of spontaneous combustion. Barn lighting rods in place, purchased during a good potato year. The overall Maine farm barn seemingly straight. Eye candy for a Maine farm boy that never grew up, excites easily.

    But on the north side of the Maine farm barn, that gets the weather, especially out of the northwest, watch out.

    We have a problem Houston. And the posts, beams, dowels when the roof is peeled back and side barn cavity exposed to the open elements. All that Maine weather means she will bleed out fast. Exposed, unprotected and like someone did not just leave the barn door open and the old gray mare got away. The entire side of the structure is naked, unprotected, vulnerable Getting wet, drying out. Being lifted up jerked, pushed down hard. Bullied sideways by grounding pounding wrestling winds, Maine weather.

    Racking the barn frame and trying to make the place lay down for good and die.

    As it sinks, which will happen with enough weather, more time and lack of maintenance to save the Maine barn. This barn’s attached machine shed or animal stable pulled away, helping accelerate the tail spin, stall and dive to the bottom of the farm spread ocean.

    The Poor Side Of A Maine Barn.
    Wind, Rain, The Attached Machine Shed Or Animal Stable Pulling Away, Tearing, Straining The Maine Farm Barn As It Titanics.

    The loss of the giant Maine farm barn makes the ones that still roam the Earth, in Maine, elsewhere that much more special, unique, cherished. Insurance companies don’t like them. Know how much they cost to reproduce with six by sixes, eight by eight beams. If there is a fire. There is just so much that goes into a massive Maine farm barn to repair.

    Keeping one healthy means find another Maine barn to be an “organ donor”.

    Salvaging, scavenging cupolas, metal door hinges and fasteners of the period. Steel cross cables turn buckled to like a girdle and buttress the spread, squat, sag. To work against gravity in combination with careful, slow, tedious jacking. Adding more hurricane bracing. Trying to keep the box square. Or make it rectangular again. The gambrel barn roofs are more needy, higher maintenance than the simple “A” gable ones. But ah, the gambrel barns hold so much more hay. Offer tremendous, usable storage. To draw from over a long Maine winter in hay storage for rows and rows of critters. Or used that way when the family farm, like my Mom who was a Benn from Hodgdon Maine was the norm. Meant eleven kids in her family all pitched in to help perform daily chores on a bustling dairy and potato farming operation.

    Like an old rusted 1959 Cadillac, Square Thunderbird, Lincoln, Corvette or other other classic that comes with a parts car. Or two because you need them for the original labor of love restoration if you are a purest. Or have time to tinker, not just ching ching mail order in genuine imitation expensive parts. That look close to what the original yesteryear ride did when she rolled off the production line in Detroit. Playing some R and B, Motown music from it’s dashboard AM radio. Smelling of new upholstery and rug, rubber, vinyl and chrome trim, fresh paint.

    I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
    207.532.6573
    info@mooersrealty.com