Women make up approximately 43% of farmers in Maine, 7% higher than the national average. Many would be forgiven for thinking that number reflects farmers’ wives, not farmers in their own right. However, that is not true. Young women farmers in Maine are ever increasing and showing the world that it can be done and done well.
Olivia Hammond (Garrison), co-owner of Double G Farms in Blaine, started farming at a very young age. When she was 6 and her brother was 5, they started working half days with their dad, Gregg, during harvest. It wasn’t a question, it was expected. It was part of life. They would finish school or playing sports, change clothes and then start farming.Â
Double G is a family farm, and the whole family chipped in. Man, woman, boy or girl, it didn’t matter. Those half days morphed into full days.Â
Double G Farms Inc. harvests 14,000 tons of potatoes per year, and Olivia is there for them all. She credits this for creating a “good work ethic” for her that has benefited her throughout her life.
(Courtesy of Helena Swiatek)
When asked if she was ever treated or viewed differently for being a girl, she responded, “Absolutely not. I’ve known most of these guys all my life. They are practically family and this is a family farm. We just all pitch in together.”
When it came time to go off to college, Oliva was afraid she’d be too homesick at Orono. So rather than pursuing a degree in agronomy she went to school locally for elementary education, same as her mom. But her passion was always the farm. When she graduated, Olivia realized she would always regret it if she didn’t give farming a try. And she’s so glad she did.
Years later, she’s a mother of three boys under the age of four and farming full time. Many would take a step back while their children were young, but not Olivia. During planting season, she even pumped milk for her son while driving the tractor and running a planter, storing it in a small cooler plugged into the cigarette lighter. That takes the term multitasking to a new level.
Olivia wants to be an example to her boys, but also to other girls looking to farm.
“When I started going to potato events, it was 90% men. I want to show others it’s ok to follow their passion,” she said.
Today, Olivia is an integral part of the farm. She helps plant crops, runs and works on equipment, and has recently started taking on bookkeeping responsibilities for the farm, trucking company, and the family’s ownership stake in Fox Family Chips. It’s not unusual to work 12 hour days, 6 days a week, but she still finds time for her boys.Â
Because just like she was, her boys are being raised on the farm. She wants to instill in them the passion she has, as well as that Aroostook County work ethic.
Olivia’s passion for farming is evident. She smiles ear to ear when reminiscing about growing up on the farm.
“There’s nothing better than being able to work alongside my Dad and my brothers every day, doing what we all love. We have fun, lots of laughs, maybe a few arguments, but at the end of the day its all about family and I’m so thankful for mine,” she said.
She loves what she does, and says every day brings something different. When I started seeking strong women farmers, her name came up again and again.
It seems she has achieved her goal: portraying to others that it’s possible to follow their dreams and make it happen.
Helena Swiatek is the district conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Central Aroostook, working with local growers to better manage their natural resources.
