Veterans - Homesteading - Maine

Waiting for Mid-May to arrive so that I can get the dirt work done is a royal pain.

I hope I don't derail the thread, but Tyler, can you tell me what equipment you use to clear the woods for fields and how long it takes you?

Hello Timothy: That is a good question. I would like to know that answer myself.

We migrated to Maine in 2005, and we love it here.

Maine can be a great place to homestead.

Our first structures will go up around Mid - May - 14' X 40' with attached lean to Green House.

Well it's been awhile. OK - We will be constructing our first building Mid-May - God Willing - Saving money on a Veterans disability isn't easy.

Each project is different.

I hired a crew from a concrete/gravel pit to do our 'site work'.  They used an excavator to open the hole for our foundation and basement, while a foundation crew built the foundation.

The same site work crew then later built our driveway.

I have rented an excavator and a bulldozer myself for week intervals.

I also have a backhoe on my tractor.

'Clearing' a woodlot really depends on exactly what it is, and what you want to do with it.

We have 150 acres and most of that is in 'treegrowth'.

I have no desire to run heavy equipment to till the soil every year. The forest tries to encroach all the time. Any open area will need to be bush-hogged at least every second year just to keep the forest back.

Pictures coming soon, God Willing, first set of buildings. United Farmer Veterans of Maine will be putting up Veteran Cottages as well. Future looking good.

Mark Warren wrote:Pictures coming soon, God Willing, first set of buildings. United Farmer Veterans of Maine will be putting up Veteran Cottages as well. Future looking good.

Can't wait

Mark Warren wrote:Pictures coming soon, God Willing, first set of buildings. United Farmer Veterans of Maine will be putting up Veteran Cottages as well. Future looking good.

good to see you survived this long winter! looking forward to some pics!

Our ground is pretty wet. Lots of standing water and muck which dictates what I can do and where this early in the season.

was pretty wet this spring. the water on my lawn just dried up 3 days ago. i wouldn't do any landscaping in a wet area for at least a few weeks.

I had actually never known that Maine had so many resources and opportunities for Veterans. Let alone that so many Veterans live there. I was actually really pleased with everything that I was reading, and even impressed! Until I got to the project called "Columbia Street Project"... I do not wish to derail the thread here or even ruffle feathers... but personally, I was a bit disheartened to see that aid made for Veterans is also being used for "reentering prisoners". I think about what all the men and women have done and even sacrificed... then I think of someone who did bad, got punished (which now costs tax payers), and now they get job and housing assistance like a Veteran would? I'm at a loss for what the convicted criminal has done for anyone? And honestly... I don't really care about what he COULD do for others now that he/she is out. Everyone makes choices in life. For every person that chose to commit crime to "make it", there is a Veteran who did the exact same thing when they chose to enlist. I have known plenty of Veterans who literally joined because they had nothing else in their lives. No home, no job, bad family situations... so I don't accept the answer of someone breaking the law because they "needed money", etc. Veterans don't get treated well. Why should people found guilty of crimes get assistance meant for Veterans? In my mind, this means money people donate could also go to these reentering prisoners? I truly hope no Veterans ever get passed up or even lose out on a CENT of assistance because an ex-inmate was getting job training or a house instead...

Separately, I am impressed by what you are personally doing. Trying to help each other and fellow Veterans. I think it's a great thing.

Koda Grand wrote:I had actually never known that Maine had so many resources and opportunities for Veterans. Let alone that so many Veterans live there. I was actually really pleased with everything that I was reading, and even impressed! ... I am impressed by what you are personally doing. Trying to help each other and fellow Veterans. I think it's a great thing.

I am originally from California. We settled in Maine after I retired from Active Duty.

We have been very pleased with Maine.

My homestead is mostly dense forest. We are on Solar Power. We produce most of our own food.

Most of the state is very rural. Land prices are reasonable [we bought 2 parcels of land. One was $350/acre, the other was $900/acre]. Taxes in Maine are generally very low [My military pension is not high enough to be taxed by Maine, and this year they made military pensions tax-exempt]. My property taxes on 150 acres of land run around $157.50/year.

In a nation where there are fewer farms each year, this state has more farms each year. Farming is growing, here. We are also seeing more Farmer's Markets opening each year.

My wife is Manager of a Farmer's Market and she is starting up a new FM this month.

Opportunities abound for vets to live rural low stress farm centered lifestyles in this area.

Accidentally hit the back button on my mouse so I lost what I had typed...

Long story short: I am glad you like it there. I wish more states had opportunities for Veterans. I do think the more rural lifestyle would be good for Combat Veterans, especially with things like PTSD/TBI.

My SO is an Army Combat Veteran (Cavalry Scout). He spent a long time in Iraq when things were real busy there. He went through a lot and did not stay on past the 4 year tour so he obviously does not receive pension as he did not retire through the military. He still needs to work a full time job to make money, especially since we have a little one together.

I do wonder though if there are worries of over-saturated markets? With farms growing each year, is it a concern? Or has there been such a lack of farming that this is encouraging locals to eat local?

Koda Grand wrote:Accidentally hit the back button on my mouse so I lost what I had typed...

Long story short: I am glad you like it there. I wish more states had opportunities for Veterans. I do think the more rural lifestyle would be good for Combat Veterans, especially with things like PTSD/TBI.

My SO is an Army Combat Veteran (Cavalry Scout). He spent a long time in Iraq when things were real busy there. He went through a lot and did not stay on past the 4 year tour so he obviously does not receive pension as he did not retire through the military. He still needs to work a full time job to make money, especially since we have a little one together.

Good jobs are hard to find in Maine.

Fortunately the Cost-Of-Living can be very low in Maine.

I hope that your SO is being treated well at Togus.

... I do wonder though if there are worries of over-saturated markets? With farms growing each year, is it a concern? Or has there been such a lack of farming that this is encouraging locals to eat local?

Over-saturation gets discussed a bit.

My wife has been volunteering with 'Farm-to-school' program to get schools to buy from local farms when they can. She recently retired from the Commissary in Bangor where she was the Produce Manager. She was able to focus a lot on local produce there.

Roadside stands and Farmer's Markets are often the first step in marketing farm produce. Then CSAs and Buyer's Clubs, and institutional buyers like restaurants, hospitals, and schools.

There is a lot of media push lately to encourage the public to consider organic and local produce, which I think has been helping a lot. As more Farmer's Markets appear so at the same time there seems to be a greater awareness of 'local' among consumers. At least that is how it looks from this angle.

My husband is ex military and I am a retired nurse..looking to be apart of a community...as I'm sure you know he has excellent survival skills and I'm a professional homemaker, lol..just want to get away from drama and begin our lives peacefully.

Casawndreale Wohler wrote:My husband is ex military and I am a retired nurse..looking to be apart of a community...as I'm sure you know he has excellent survival skills and I'm a professional homemaker, lol..just want to get away from drama and begin our lives peacefully.

Since you are a 'retired nurse' I suspect that you will do fine, because you will always have your pension to carry your family.

I am retired military. My pension and healthcare coverage are crucial to rural living. We see a lot of people who live here without a pension or healthcare coverage, and it can be very difficult for them.

People are able to grow veggies and sell them at market, produce goat milk soaps and cheeses and may earn 4 or 5 thousand dollars each year, which is more than enough to cover property taxes, firewood, and most stuff. But raising children can be difficult on that level of income, if you dont have healthcare coverage.

Welcome to Maine.

:)