| South Berwick Woman Looks to Restore Backyard Farming |
SPECIAL EVENT: Hay Loft is holding an open house 8:30 am to 5 pm Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1.
THE STORY: When Cathy McLean was 9, she cross-country skied through the Blizzard of ‘78 to feed and care for the horses at her neighbor’s farm in Rollinsford, horses she often rode. When she wasn’t riding, McLean often passed hours in the barn at Hob Nob Farm in
The owners, Walter and Mable Franklin, didn’t have kids and McLean’s parents didn’t have farm animals, so it was a perfect marriage for a child whose heart was in the farmyard, and for the
“When I was a kid, I would do anything to be around animals,” said
Today, after 23 years as a health care professional, McLean has a home on
But her dream now is to help bring backyard farming back to many more families in her community and
“Restoring backyard farming to
As part of this effort, the Hay Loft is holding an open house 8:30 am to 5 pm Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1.
One of her heroes in the backyard farming department, Barry Person of Emery’s
In addition,
“It takes six to seven weeks start to finish for roasting chickens,” she said. “And free range chickens eat ticks in the yard.”
The SPCA of Stratham is scheduled to bring kittens, puppies and baby goats for adoption. Anyone who adopts that day will get a free bag of food. And for every $50 in sales,
Finally.
McLean first moved to
For
Mother, her pet cow, was on death’s doorstep a year ago when she nursed it back to health, against the advice of many consultants. Today Mother acts as a mother to new babies that come in. Although she lost a quarter of her udder to the mastitis, she still produces enough milk to nurture babies.
Asked if she doesn’t became attached to the beautifully kept animals, McLean said she finds peace “knowing the animals have a lot better life than those sold at the grocery store.”
McLean notes that
“It used to be everyone had animals in their backyard and supported themselves,” she said. Today, in a crisis, people would starve. They don’t know how to be self-sufficient.”
Closely connected to her commitment to backyard farming,
“The local places keep getting absorbed by the bigger guys, who are dictating everything,”
The Hay Loft sells lobster rope mats made by Sue Volger of South Berwick; whoopee pies made by Creekview Baking Co. in Eliot and beans from down the road. She also sells eggs from locals, and said she never turns anyone away who wants her to carry their eggs. She will be selling meat from her cows, chickens and pigs as soon as she gets the state’s OK.
As McLean continues with her dream of raising and living with animals, she carries with her the message originally given to her by the
“Mable told me,” she said, “If you take care of the animals, they will take care of you.”
The Hay Loft Open House will run 8:30 am to 5 pm Saturday, March 31 and Sunday April 1. For more information, call 207-384-5554.