Hancock Family Farm- Casco, Maine

Geof Hancock, the owner and manager of Hancock Family Farm, has a people-first philosophy of farming. Yes, organic practices are important and growing delicious food is great— but in the end it’s all for the purpose of bringing people together. After the last farm I worked for with a boss constantly pushing for higher efficiency and pointing out every mistake as if it was a tragedy that would end the farm, I was so relieved to meet Geof! Geof laughed at tragedies and expected them as a natural part of farming and of life. Geof would say things like, “Oops, you snapped that tomato plant… well I didn’t like that one anyway!” Geof knew that everyone cared about farming and the wellbeing of the farm so he instead focused on the caring of each other. I was grateful for the supportive and wholesome environment.

Kitties, amazing sunsets over the corn, Geof with eggplant, CSA barn!

Hancock Family Farm runs a CSA where its members arrive to the farm on Wednesdays to pick up their produce. Since Geoff grew up in Casco, many people have known him since he was a child and are happy to visit the farm every week in the summer. 

I had some long conversations with Geoff and my new co-workers about my previous farming experience in Pennsylvania and how it left feeling like maybe I’m not cut out to do farm work. Geof was quick to talk me out of those negative ideas and get me back on the path to build my farming skills. It felt comforting to be uplifted by an experienced farmer. 

We got to work immediately since it was already mid season in July. He runs a 10 acre operation and knows first hand the importance of taking care of your body when you farm. Geof taught me how to use a hoe so that you don’t throw your back out or get carpal tunnel syndrome. We used a tractor for work like transplanting, cultivating, laying down mulch, etc so not everything has to be done by hand. Since I joined in the mid to late season, many things had already been planted and I got to spend a lot of time pruning and trellising tomatoes which I learned that I love doing.

Organic sprays and cultivating. This is a larger 10-acre farm and requires more tractor work.

Transplanting sunflowers on the tractor

We got the opportunity to attend the town’s Casco Day Fair which got the whole town together to play games, go on rides and watch fire works over the lake. Geoff is obviously a central character to the Casco Day events and got us involved. My lovely co-workers— Winter, Faye, Louie, Lydia and Shelby— made me feel at home. On the farm, we spend many hours together harvesting, washing, hoeing and weeding. As we did so, we processed many life experiences and I felt very cared for. There is a lot of comradely that comes with farming and physical labor. 

Our farm crew at Casco Day

Despite the great working environment and community, Geof will not hesitate to also tell you all of the struggles of farming. He will tell you all about the financial burden in the first years and the learning curve as he established his operations. He'll also be honest about how taxing farming has been physically and the toll it took on his health at one point. Small-scale farming is a difficult lifestyle to take on, but it's also one that brings a lot of meaning and joy too. In the winter season, Geof has another small business totally unrelated to farming and that helps balance things out as well.

I am so grateful for Geof and the crew are Hancock Family Farm. Maine is beautiful and the farm is a great place to keep learning. However, Maine has a long winter and a short growing season which makes it difficult to have steady work as a farm worker. I was able to find a more permanent farm position at Singing Frogs Farm in Sebastopol, California so I made the somewhat crazy decision to move to literally the opposite side of the country to start my next farm job. I felt like I really needed to settle down and stay in one place, and I had a good feeling that at Singing Frogs I could find that stability. So, I packed up my car and got ready to make the far drive down to Nashville and then to California. Geof was sad to see me go. He gave me a container of freshly ground Mexican corn that he cultivated in his garden, made me a fresh cup of coffee for the road and gave me a big hug goodbye. My co-worker Louie also woke up early to see me off. People have shown me so much kindness here <3

About ready to harvest corn- the delight of the farm season for Mainers