Noon Family Sheep Farm

Name: Noon Family Sheep Farm

Location: 78 Sunset Road

Springvale, Maine

Website: www.noonfamilysheepfarm.com

Email: jean.m.noon@gmail.com

Facebook:

Phone: 207-324-3733

Products and Services:

-certified organic by Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association

-frozen organic and natural lamb usually available

by appointment

-lamb chops, sausage, ground, organ meats and legs

-all meat is USDA inspected

-hand-knit Mainiac Hats

-washable sheep skins - white and colored

-organic white and colored fleeces

-natural wool yarn

-organic hay in the field

-lamb barbecue food booth at select fairs

Why is the Noon Family Sheep Farm Unique?

There is a relatively good chance that over the years

you may have crossed paths with Jean Noon of the

Noon Family Sheep Farm in Springvale, Maine. Jean is an individual who has been involved in various

agricultural, artistic and civic endeavors. She has exhibited an extraordinary commitment to conservation and serving as a mentor to others.

Jean’s introduction to farming began in college

in 1969, but she shared that she was “horse crazy”

when growing up as a child. Her expertise with

raising sheep organically is well-known. It is interesting to learn how she has basically been self-taught. She only took one animal husbandry class years ago and that was focused on raising a veal calf. Her interest in raising beef animals was soon replaced

by a passion for raising sheep.

According to the Noon Family Sheep Farm website,

“40-50 ewes and 15-20 replacement ewe lambs” are raised at the farm. Their original sheep were Columbias with a background from the UVM flock

which was a descendant from the Columbia flock

developed by Daniel Webster.

In addition to the organic lamb products that are

available at the farm (by appointment), various fiber items are sold. Organic raw spinners wool fleeces

and natural wool yarn, hand-knit hats, and white and colored washable sheepskins are sold. Their products are available at the Kittery Community Farmer’s Market on Sundays, the Kennebunk Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, and the Portland Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays.

If you have ever been to the area of the Common Ground Fair where the food vendors are located you

probably can recall the incredible line of hungry

individuals waiting for one of the organic lamb shish kebabs, chops, wraps, and sausage meals that the Noon Family Farm offers at their popular barbecue booth.

Jean and her dedicated crew have participated in the Common Ground Fair since 1983.

Anyone who has ever raised sheep is aware of the

round-the-clock commitment that the lambing season

demands in the spring. In the summer Jean keeps busy with haying. The Noon Family Farm has fifteen acres of their eighty acres that they hay and also thirty acres that they lease for haying. They sell organic hay in the field. In addition to the sheep, there are horses, chickens, dogs, cats and a guard llama that are lovingly cared for at the farm.

Each year the Noon Family Farm participates in the

Springvale Farm Walk. Jean sets up a tent that

highlights the educational aspects of raising sheep.

She has shared her organic management calendar

in full detail on the Noon Family Farm website.

www.noonfamilysheepfarm.com The ewes are checked for internal parasites using the FAMACHA system with treatment with garlic.

Jean studied art at Goddard College in Vermont. For thirteen years she taught art. She has attended the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle for several years. Her passion for the arts is evident when you visit the Noon Family Farm. Several of her wire sculptures grace the fields. She has an art studio at the farm and she has explored various mediums including painting and photography. A large and colorful painting adorns the barn door at the farm. Some of her unique wire sculptures and beautiful nature-oriented photographs including several black and white pictures can be viewed on the www.jeannoon.com website. Her art has been exhibited at several galleries such as the Dorothy Rogers Collection in Santa Fe and at several Maine galleries including the Richard Boyd Art Gallery on Peaks Island.

In addition to being recognized for her artistic talents,

Jean is well-known for her lifelong pursuit of farm

preservation and conservation. The Noon Family Farm is a certified tree farm. They were recognized as the 2012 Cooperator of the Year by the York County Soil and Water Conservation District. It has been designated as a Forever Farm.

Jean has served as the President of the Three Rivers Land Trust. (www.3rlt.org) The Three Rivers Land Trust works with landowners to develop easements to protect their properties. The Noon Family Farm chose to give up their development rights and was protected in 2009 by the Three Rivers Land Trust. The fifteen acres of hay land, fifteen acres of pasture, and about forty-five acres of woodland and marsh will always remain free of development.

Some of the projects that the Three Rivers Land Trust has spearheaded include the Albert J. Sousa Family Preserve, Hutchins Forest, Hobbs Farm, Walnuts Hill, Berry Best Farm, Salmon Falls Reserve, Shapleigh Knoll, Red Wing Farm, Grand View Acres, Shaker Woods, Goose Pond Turtle Preserve, Mary Grant Nature Preserve, Wilbur Jones Farm, and Ridley Farm.

The 243 acres of the Goat Hill property in Acton was protected from development thanks to the collaboration of the Three Rivers Land Trust, Maine Farmland Trust, and the town of Acton. Another recent property protected by the Three Rivers Land Trust is the Jonathan and Gina Gutman property on the Lebanon/Acton line. The Land Trust has conserved around 2120 acres of public and private land, and owns an additional 469 acres. They are presently fundraising for Hansen Pond, a 275-acre parcel in Acton.

Jean’s passion for protecting land has been matched

by her commitment to farming. She discussed how

a career in farming is hard and rewarding work. She

shared that it is “challenging and difficult to make a living at, but possible.”

When asked what was the most challenging aspect

of farming, Jean replied with the comment of

“my age.” Those who know Jean are amazed by

her energy, passion, and hard-working way of

living. She has served as a mentor to her two nieces, Sara and Lana, who have established a farm on

the Noon Family Farm property. It is reassuring

and inspiring to know how a new generation is

following Jean’s commitment to agriculture and