Jo Ann greets Maude, a Suffolk Punch Mare
Three endangered breeds of egg-laying ducks are raised at Beau Chemin Preservation Farm. They include Khaki Campbell, Welsh Harlequin and Dutch Hook Bill.
Name: Beau Chemin Preservation Farm
Jo Ann and Wayne Myers
Location: 1749 Finntown Road
Waldoboro, Maine 04572
Phone: Jo Ann 207-691-8164
Wayne 207-596-1161
Email: yupik@midcoast.com
Website: www.beaucheminfarm.com
Open: farm stand is open mid-June
through mid-October
Products and Services:
-MOFGA certified organic farm
-four breeds of endangered sheep:
Soay, Shetland, Leicester longwool,
and California variegated mutant
-raw fleece
-Shetland and Leicester roving
-labeled gardens and pastures for
visitors to enjoy a self-guided tour
and learn about the heirloom plants
and heritage breeds
-egg-laying ducks
-wide range of traditional perennials
-twenty varieties of certified organic
tomato seedlings are available in mid-May
-four types of you-pick organic raspberries
What Makes the Beau Chemin Preservation
Farm So Unique?
Maine is fortunate to have several educational
outreach farms where visitors can explore the
farm property and enjoy a self-guided tour and
learn from information presented on kiosks and educational displays. This type of farm is usually funded by environmental organizations or land trusts. It is unusual to come across an educational outreach farm that is situated on a privately-owned property. The Beau Chemin Preservation Farm in Waldoboro is such a farm and it is truly a treasure.
The one hundred-and-fifty acre farm straddles both sides of Finntown Road in Waldoboro. Throughout the property there are handmade signs that point out the various features of the farm. Jo Ann and Wayne Myers have been farming on the two-hundred-year-old farm property since 1998.
There is a distinct peacefulness at Beau Chemin Preservation Farm. While observing Jo Ann interacting and caring for the animals, an overall feeling of "gentleness" is clearly evident. That Jo Ann and Wayne both hail from rural care health development backgrounds is not surprising. An atmosphere of nurturing surrounds Beau Chemin. Jo Ann explained how a top priority at their farm is to see that their animals are happy and comfortable.
The Myers are committed to organic farming practices. Jo Ann is a Board member of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association - MOFGA. She serves as the Recording Secretary and is a member of the Executive Committee and a liaison to the Public Policy Committee. She also serves on the local planning board and volunteers with the Medomak Valley Land Trust. Wayne continues as a volunteer and consultant for general rural policy on a national and international level.
Wayne has enjoyed spinning and fiber arts for several years. The Myers have an impressive collection of 18th and 19th century walking wheels in working condition, a Wight Pendulum wheel patented in 1856, a barn loom, and antique fiber tools.
Traditional wool processing techniques are carried out at the farm such as sheep shearing, wool scouring, and spinning and weaving. Four plants are used for natural dyeing of the wool. There is a fiber arts shop on the farm and raw fleece from the four endangered sheep breeds is usually available. Shetland roving and Leicester roving are sold. They also carry some "corespinning yarns.”
Beau Chemin in French means "beautiful path."
What a fitting name for the Myers' farm as there
are several paths that meander through their
fields, gardens, and woods. There is a self-guided
nature trail that leads to Havener Pond. It is an
especially meaningful name since "Beauchemin"
was the maiden name of Jo Ann's grandmother.
The Myers operate a pick-your-own raspberry
operation that consists of a half-acre of four different types of certified organic raspberries that are available for several weeks after they ripen in mid to late July. There is a small crop of table grapes (Concords, Reliance, Bluebell, and Canadice) that are sold as a u-pick crop in September. Cut flowers also are sold on a u-pick basis. The flowers have been enjoyed in floral arrangements in several weddings.
Are you familiar with seaberries? They are just one of the unusual plants that is grown at Beau Chemin Preservation Farm. The seaberry plant is also known as sea buckthorn. It hails from Russia and areas in Central Asia. It is valued as an ornamental. Its bright yellow-to-orange berries are quite tart but they are enjoyed in jams and juices and are prized for their high content of Vitamin C.
Several heritage plants are raised at Beau Chemin
Preservation Farm. There are many varieties of traditional perennials that are grown on the farm. Jo Ann also has an impressive collection of scent leaf geraniums that she has propagated and sold for many years. There are twenty varieties of certified organic heirloom tomato seedlings that are available for sale in mid-May.
The Beau Chemin Preservation Farm focuses
on providing a home for endangered sheep, ducks, and draft animals. First-time visitors might be surprised to learn about how many breeds of farm animals have critically declined in numbers and need to be preserved. The Myers are grateful to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy for their assistance and guidance over the years in regard to the raising of heritage breeds.
Four types of endangered sheep make their home
at Beau Chemin. The British and American Soays are the most primitive of domestic sheep. They are related to the sheep that were domesticated in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago. Soay sheep are endangered in Great Britain. Leicester Longwools sheep hailed from Northern England around 1780. They are a large breed that was brought to colonial America and they are valued for their glossy, curly wool. Sheltland sheep from Scotland and the California Variegated Mutant are rare sheep breeds that reside at the Myers’ farm. The California Variegated Mutant was developed in the 1960‘s and has a multi-colored fine wool.
Organic duck eggs are available for sale at
the Myers' farm. Three endangered breeds of egg-laying ducks are raised at the farm. They include Khaki Campbell, Welsh Harlequin, and Dutch Hook Bill. Twenty-four ducks make their home at the farm. The Myers sell organic ducklings. Khaki Campbell ducks lay about 320 eggs a year while the Dutch Hook Bill produce about half of that amount.
The Myers are presently raising and milking Oberhasli goats. They are an endangered breed of a dairy goat that originated in the Canton of Berne in Switzerland. The Myers are using them in a breeding project.
Maude, a Suffolk Punch draft mare, is often seen
grazing in their pasture. Because of arthritis she is unable to participate in farm work. There are only approximately one thousand Suffolks that originated from northern England left in the world today.
Maude is fortunate to have the company of D'artagnion, a neutered male bovine. Being over four years of age, he is classified as an ox. Jake,
a miniature donkey, accompanies Maude and D’artagnion as they enjoy walking through the fields and woods. Approximately two thousand bales of hay are needed to feed all the animals that live at the Beau Chemin Preservation Farm.
A trip to the Beau Chemin Preservation Farm
is definitely a worthwhile outing. At what other
privately-owned farm will you be treated to
all sorts of educational signs that share information about some of the endangered animals and plants that will disappear if concerned individuals like the Myers don’t step forward? At what other farm can you observe a whimsical earthen community oven shaped in the formation of a gigantic frog? How about having an opportunity to pick four different varieties of raspberries, or several kinds of grapes, or a selection of cut flowers? When you plan a trip to Beau Chemin you are invited to expand your horizons and learn about some of the plants and animals that are just too important to be forgotten. The Myers hope that visitors to their educational farm will leave with a heightened awareness of organic farming, biodiversity, and environmental stewardship.
Oberhasli goats are raised at the Beau Chemin Preservation Farm. They are an endangered breed of a dairy goat. The Myers are using them in a breeding project.
The Beau Chemin Preservation Farm raise four breeds of endangered sheep: Soay, Shetland, Leicester longwool, and California variegated mutant.
Jo Ann and Wayne raise four varieties of “you pick” organic raspberries.
There is a fiber shop at the Beau Chemin Preservation Farm that carries rare wools.
