I first heard about Justin Jamison and Eliza Currie of Mainely Simple when my mother, after her morning’s reading of the Bangor Daily News, passed on an editorial about them. The writer at BDN had just had the experience of buying one of their pastured turkeys in a darkened parking lot before Thanksgiving. When I read that they lived in Benedicta, I wanted to learn more. This 30-something couple, newly married and with a 5-month-old baby, juggle stable day jobs in the Bangor area to be able to live their dreamed-of life on their 16-acre farm.
Justin recounted to me one of the first conversations he had with Eliza. Having just met, they were discussing farming and out of the blue he suggested that they buy a farm in Patten. Eliza flew out of her seat and demanded to know how he knew that she had always wanted to live in Patten. I now like to think that was Mainely Simple’s true beginning.
Justin grew up on a self-described hobby farm but was drawn to livestock from an early age. Not allowed to have a dairy cow, he opted instead for raising sheep and by junior high had a flock of 30. His involvement with 4-H further cemented his love of agriculture.
Fast forward to studies in U of Maine’s sustainable ag program, a job at the University’s Rogers Farm and meeting Eliza, and it makes sense that he now farms on a little piece of his own pastoral paradise in Benedicta. Coincidentally or not, he also has a woodlot in Sherman, never imagining that one day he would live a mere 10 minutes away from it.
Justin and Eliza buy steers from neighbors to grow out — either dairy bull calves or beef breeds. Through their off-farm day jobs, they have been successful at direct marketing the meat, selling whole and half sides or 25 pounds assorted cuts of beef. Managing production with demand is something they think about a lot.
While Justin readily admits to many personal opinions and philosophies of agriculture in general, he and Eliza are most interested in ag’s interaction in societies. Local economies are what they are focused on and the message behind their products’ name of Mainely Simple. Ninety percent of their grain comes from neighbors. At their current herd’s size, they feel it is more economical to buy local hay, even helping cut that cost when possible by assisting with the mowing and baling. Branching out to include pastured turkeys helps cycle nutrients back into their fields while broadening their customer base.
When I asked Justin what his favorite thing about his farm is he answered that the view of Mt Katahdin alone from his barn inspires and motivates him on a daily basis. That and the fact that when customers want a quality local product he and Eliza can deliver by knowing where the calf was born, the care with which it was raised, what it ate, and where it was processed. In the end, that is what their customers really care about and the Jamisons are happy to deliver.
Editor’s note: Angie Wotton loves her work as district manager for the SASWCD. She also raises pastured pork and vegetables with her husband on their small West Berry Farm in Hammond. She can be reached 532-9407 or via e-mail at angela.wotton@me.nacdnet.net.
