This week, I talk to Daniel Mays about his diversified farm and how he manages a no-till, intensive vegetable operation and pastured livestock near Portland, Maine.
In This Episode:
>> How building soil and building community around local food are both important factors of regenerative agriculture
>> How living in the community you’re serving can help build a successful farm business because of proximity and connections
>> How having several symbiotic marketing channels leaves the farm with virtually no waste
>> How he manages planting, weeding and harvesting in a no-till system
>> How having online systems allows his employees to all be on the same page and stay on top of daily tasks and organized throughout the season
Quotes from the episode:
“I feel like I’m part of something bigger than myself: I’m feeding the community, I’m contributing to positive environmental impact and I’m helping build a local economy”
“Basically I’m just playing in the dirt with my friends for a living”
About the Guest
Daniel grew up in Chester County, PA, where through his Waldorf and Quaker educations he developed a respect for nature and a sense of environmental responsibility. Since then he has studied math and physics, taught at a boarding high school, bicycled through Mexico, earned a graduate degree in environmental engineering, and worked on a number of farms. He is passionate about farming and excited to have planted roots in Scarborough. He believes farmers should be stewards of the land, not miners of its resources, and that farms should be hubs of the community, not distant sources of its calories. He also believes that economic sustainability need not be sacrificed, but rather can come directly from the union of environmental stewardship and community involvement. Daniel started Frith Farm in November of 2010.
Resources and mentions
Frith Farm Website
Frith Farm on Facebook and Instagram
Don Faulkner
June 23, 2019 5:43 pmThanks for the informational podcast!