Editor’s note: Aroostook County Soil and Water Conservation Districts and the National Resources Conservation Service are highlighting Aroostook’s female farmers as part of the United Nations declaration of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Maine is participating in various ways to showcase the essential roles that women play within all aspects of agriculture.
When Amanda Anderson looks across the fields of Agape Acres in Madawaska, she sees more than livestock and pastureland. She sees a lifelong dream finally realized.
For Anderson, the farm has become exactly what she spent much of her life searching for: a place to put down roots, raise a family, and build something meaningful.
Since moving to Maine with her family in 2021, Anderson has transformed Agape Acres into a growing livestock operation that includes Katahdin sheep, Nigerian Dwarf and Mini-Macha goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese. Visitors are often drawn to the farm’s colorful eggs, ranging from shades of blue and green to deep browns and creams.
But what Amanda is building goes far beyond eggs and livestock.
“It had always been my dream to have a farm,” she said.
That dream was planted years ago while growing up in Arkansas, where she spent countless hours with her grandfather watching cattle and helping her family put up hay. She learned early that farming isn’t glamorous. It requires grit, determination, and a willingness to do difficult things when they need to be done.
“I was driving the hay truck when I could barely touch the pedals,” she said. “Later I was stacking hay and throwing bales in the heat. Looking back, those experiences taught me a work ethic that I rely on every day.”
Haying remains one of her greatest sources of pride.
One of her proudest accomplishments as a farmer came when she secured her own hay equipment and cut her fields herself for the first time. For Amanda, producing winter feed wasn’t just about saving money or becoming more self-sufficient. It was proof that she could accomplish something many people assumed she couldn’t.
As a woman running a farm, she has occasionally encountered skepticism from those who expect to find her husband behind the operation.
“I’ve had people come to the house wanting to talk to my husband about the livestock, hay fields or tractors,” she said. “When I tell them I run the farm, they seem surprised.”
Rather than allowing those moments to discourage her, Amanda has used them to strengthen her confidence.
“I don’t understand why it seems so unusual for a woman to want to run her own equipment and manage her own hay fields,” she said. “I’m not trying to compete with anyone. I’m simply doing what I love.”
That confidence was hard-earned.
Like many livestock farmers, Amanda has experienced devastating losses. She speaks openly about the heartbreak of losing animals she loved and the emotional toll that comes with caring deeply for livestock.
Instead of walking away, she chooses to learn from every setback.
“I have a choice,” she said. “I can quit, or I can learn from it and use that knowledge to become better for my livestock and my farm.”
That philosophy has shaped not only her farming but her life.
“Life is truly about the journey and not an end goal,” she said. “I’ll never have everything figured out, but I pray I never stop learning and growing.”
Community is another value at the heart of Agape Acres. Amanda regularly sells and donates eggs, supports local fundraisers, and helps connect neighbors with resources they need.
“I’m not about competing with the community,” she said. “I’m about supporting the people in our community.”
Amanda believes agriculture is strongest when people work together, share knowledge, and encourage one another.
She hopes Agape Acres becomes a place where people can find locally raised food, community support, and a genuine love for the land. By growing slowly and intentionally, Amanda envisions the farm contributing to the future of the St. John Valley while leaving the land better than she found it.
“I love this land,” she said. “I want to care for it as best I can.”
For Amanda Anderson, Agape Acres represents far more than a farm. It is proof that resilience can overcome doubt, that hard work builds confidence, and that one woman with a dream can create something that benefits not only her family, but an entire community.
Casey Zippel is a contracted service provider for the St. John Valley Soil and Water Conservation District.
