Agriculture
A diverse farm is a healthy farm. A diverse farm typically includes a wide variety of livestock such as goats, cows, horses, sheep, alpaca, chickens, and bees. All of these animals can produce food or by products (wool, etc). On the plant side, we envision both field crops and greenhouses to grow any of the fruits or vegetables that grow in Maine – the market for locally grown food will only get bigger. We also might think of innovative uses of fields that help us develop rotational field use that keeps soil healthy and reduces use of chemicals: grasses for feed, grains for bread and beer, orchards, nursery plants. In the greenhouse, in addition to starting the plants that we will grow in the fields, we can grow flowers and indoor plants, landscaping plants, etc.
Producing
In addition to producing any of a number of products for sale – produce, dairy products, canned goods, (jams, pickles, sauces, etc.), we envision a food service operation that has at least three components: preparing and serving food for the school (and for the workers on the farm), a restaurant or café that is open to the public, and a catering operation, each specializing in using the seasonal products of the farm.
Buying
A growing network of local food producers is using an expanding variety of strategies to capture a growing share of family, restaurant, and institutional food budgets. What would an entirely different business model look like? One that linked markets like Rosemont and Rising Tide with Farmer’s Markets and CSAs and distributors like Crown O’ Maine Organics in a way that reduces distribution costs for farmers, increases convenience and reduced cost for consumers, while at the same time favoring small farms and food producers and insisting on sustainable growing practices.
Eating
How do we actually change our eating habits in a way that provides everyone (not just those who can afford it) the benefit of healthier local food? Part of that has to do with availability and cost, and our growers and distributors will work on that. But much of it has to do with where and how we eat and cook. What are implications of “common table” restaurants, not just as place to gather and share meals but to redevelop a tradition of local, inexpensive, tasty foods? MFES school kitchens will also serve as community kitchens where organizations can prepare and share meals, entrepreneurs can develop new recipes and products, and expert cooks teach novice cooks how incorporate the healthiest, most local food into regular meals
