As we start in on 2025, it’s a time for reflection. We have made a lot of changes on the farm this year
2024 marked the last (for now anyway) litter of piglets at Sweet Bear Farm. We started with a breeding herd inherited from our friend Matt and Michelle in 2016 when Eleanor was just an infant. There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears that went into the last 8 years of swine husbandry. We learned a lot, spending many hours learning about pigs and watching their behaviors, and many more with the sows as they farrowed. From the first litter with Purdy (21!!) to the litter Gertrude delivered in the pasture by herself, the stories are myriad. There was even the time Sam was laying on his side, calling the piglets as though he was going to nurse them (Good boy, Sam!). Perhaps we’ll return to pigs in the future, but for now, we’re enjoying the ability to travel a bit more and engage in off farm activities, unhampered by the need to closely care for the swine!
We have also moved from having a small cow herd to taking a break for the winter, planning to likely raise steers for meat starting in the spring.
We are diving more deeply into maple, with support from USDA REAP and Efficiency Vermont grants; we are increasing the efficiency of our maple operation, which will hopefully allow us to increase taps without overburdening the sugar makers. We had a great season last year and hope to continue. Our maple can be purchased directly from the farm (we ship across the country, and even to Europe!), or found with our friends at the Crossmolina Farm Stand by the post office in Corinth. When the spring temps come, swing on by for a boil, carry some sugarwood, and have a taste of fresh maple syrup. If you want to know when we’re boiling, send an email!
The weather continues to be stressful. As I write this, it’s 19 degrees after we saw 30-40s with rain last weekend to end December. This coming weekend promises lows in the single digits. Right now the skiing is on hold, but we remain hopeful that the little storms we get (unpredicted of course!) bring enough coverage to get us back out in the woods. We won’t start tapping maple trees for at least a few weeks, earlier than we ever have, but some maple producers are already capturing the sap and boiling. As the climate changes, so must our expectations for what sugaring season looks like and how we approach the usual seasonal processes.
We have a new email mailing list. There will be updates on various aspects of Sweet Bear Farm, and you can sign up for the groups of your choice (e.g. maple, other farm products, etc). There will likely be some hiccoughs (I’m a nurse practitioner, not a computer guru!), but we are very excited to have a better process for getting updates out to our community. Sign up for the mailing list here.