Name: Haight Farm
Address: Courtenay Haight
Haight Farm
629 Falls Bridge Road
Blue Hill, Maine 04614
Phone: 207-374-2840
Email: haightfarm@midmaine.com
Facebook: Haight Farm Facebook Page
Products and Services:
hydroponics greenhouse operation
variety of greens and vegetables
tomatoes
herbs
variety of fruit and herbal vinegars
variety of herbal olive oils
handmade baskets
Farmers’ Markets:
Blue Hill Farmers’ Market - Sat. 9-11:30
Stonington Farmers’ Market -Fri. 10-noon
Brooklin Farmers’ Market - Thurs. 3-5
Brooksville Farmers’ Mkt. -Tues. 9:30-noon
What Makes Haight Farm Unique?
A willingness to be open-minded and to experiment with a new way of growing plants was a challenge that Courtenay “Court” Haight, and Margie “Woody” Haight, his late wife, met with enthusiasm in 1991. They had been living in Connecticut and felt it was time for a change. Court had been successful in an international banking career in Australia, Japan, and New York City. Woody had been a serious breeder of Angora rabbits. With the advice of the Cooperative Extension in Connecticut, they explored the feasibility of establishing a commercial hydroponics greenhouse operation. They wanted to focus on a type of farming that would offer an extended growing season and that would not compete with the farms that were already established. In 1990, they packed their belongings and sixty-five Angora rabbits and settled in at a farm in Blue Hill.
At that time, hydroponics was a whole new concept for most Mainers. Court and Woody
visited some commercial hydroponics operations in New Brunswick. From a technical point, the visits were very helpful. The Haights decided to purchase two Harnois greenhouses. They had the opportunity to apprentice with a family in Camden who were running a commercial hydroponics greenhouse at the time. This family and Gleason Gray of the Penobscot County Cooperative Extension were very supportive of their new venture.
In addition to the brisk retail and wholesale greenhouse sales that they developed, the Haights raised sheep, goats, rabbits, and chickens during the early years. Growing enough to fill all the wholesale accounts proved to be too much. Woody passed away from cancer in 2005, and Court knew that the business would have to be scaled back.
Court expressed his gratitude to the wonderful workers who have helped him over the years. Rachael Bridges Pelletier worked in the greenhouses for fourteen years. Anthony and
Nicholas Bianco now help Court in the greenhouse and at the farmers’ markets.
Court’s idea of “scaling back” might not seem like much of a reduction. Haight Farm participates in the farmers’ markets in Blue Hill, Stonington, Brooklin, and Brooksville. Court is considering returning to the European Farmers’ Market in Bangor. He serves as the secretary of the Stonington Farmers Market. After attending last year’s statewide Annual Maine Farmers’ Market Convention in Northport, Court wrote a report on the implementation of the EBT/SNAP payment system at farmers markets.
As an extremely active member of the local community, Court volunteered with the capital campaign of Friendship Cottage and served as the past president and now is the current vice-president of the Blue Hill Historical Society. He is a 1957 graduate of Yale University and has always had an interest in international relations. He serves on the Steering Committee of Colloquy Downeast whose mission is to create an independent learning community engaged in enriching discussions through the exchange of thoughts and ideas. He delivered a talk with Tony Newton on the “Origins of Chinese Xenophobia” at one of their meetings.
The Camden Conference is coming up in February and Court has been enjoying the suggested reading to prepare for it. This year’s discussions will center on global politics and food and water security. He has been reading The Abundance by Peter Dimandis and Steven
Kotler and he looks forward to the discussion about the role that hydroponics will play in both food and water security. Since plants that are grown hydroponically recycle the water, there is a great savings in the amount of water used in comparison to traditional farming methods.
Another group in which Courtenay Haight is active is Peninsula Pan, Inc., a non-profit organization encouraging steel drum music in Downeast Maine. He serves on the Board of Peninsula Pan. The organization supports the activities of Flash in the Pans Community Steelband. Courtenay has been a member of the Flash in the Pans group for over twenty years.
When Court isn’t tending the greenhouse, playing music, or attending agricultural or historical meetings, you might find him in his woodworking shop creating one-of-a-kind coffee tables from recycled barn boards. He also enjoys weaving baskets. His beautiful basketry work can be purchased at the various farmers’ markets. This past year he sold baskets at the Bay School’s Winter Faire. In some ways, Court’s “retirement” schedule is busier than anyone could imagine.
Court and his late wife, Woody, received quite a bit of recognition for their Haight Farm Green Tomato Casserole. Brooke Dojny included the recipe in her New England Home Cooking: 350 Recipes From Town & Country, Land & Sea. An interest in cooking has always been important to the Haight family. Court has developed a large selection of vinegars including blueberry, justaberry, strawberry, raspberry, sage, basil, and peach. His helpers, Anthony and Nicholas Bianco, who hail from a family who run Bianco’s Catering, came up with the idea of combining various herbs in olive oil. The Haight Farm currently offers a variety of virgin olive oils that include sage, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, mixed herb, and the extremely popular rosemary and garlic combination.
Courtenay Haight of Haight Farm would be a great resource for students and teachers and individuals interested in growing plants in water on a larger scale. He has been successfully working with hydroponics at his farm in Blue Hill since 1991. When asked what turned out to be unexpected in his foray with hydroponics, Court immediately replied that he had been led to believe that getting a balance for all the required nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and other trace elements) would be very complicated. He and Woody never found that aspect of the business to be challenging.
Because no pesticides or herbicides are used in the greenhouse, Haight utilizes beneficial insects. A microscopic wasp is introduced to eat the aphid eggs. A different wasp takes care of white flies. While some greenhouses introduce ladybugs to wipe out the aphids, Court has found the wasps to be much more effective. To address the fungus issues that can develop, nematodes are added to the hydroponics solution. Because of the high cost of heating the greenhouse with oil and the advantage of sterilizing the greenhouse in the cold weather, Court shuts down the greenhouse operation from December through March.
Courtenay’s immersion in the world of farming and hydroponics is somewhat out of the ordinary. It would be interesting to learn about the percentage of successful international bankers who, like Court, turn to farming as their new career in retirement. Without question, Court’s fresh vegetables and greens, vinegars, oils, baskets, and barnboard tables have been greatly appreciated over the years.
Court’s efforts in helping out and participating in many local organizations and activities in the Blue Hill area have enriched the community. By remaining committed to growing hydroponically for twenty-three years, he serves as an example of a farmer who has been willing to explore an alternative way of growing plants. If the predictions of many scientists come true about the uncertain future of sufficient quantities of available food, Court Haight, with his extensive experience with hydroponics and international relations, may prove to be a most valuable resource.
