On September 11th, a portion of our family farm on Intervale Road, New Gloucester was sold to Maine Farmland Trust to be forever farm fields. Our parents Lowell (“Brookie)” and Barbara Brookings bought the farm on Intervale Road in 1944. Dad had a herd of Holstein cows that he milked up until the summer of 1979 and sold the milk to Oakhurst Dairy. They also raised vegetables and Mom took them to the Portland Public Market until 1950. Many of the neighborhood boys and a few girls, worked in the summer helping to bring the hay in. After the milking herd was sold to an Amish farmer in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, Dad still had young stock for a while. Dad hayed the fields up into his late 80’s, and sold the hay to people with horses, sheep, cows etc. We 6 “kids” all helped with the haying, the gardens, the cows and whatever else needed to be done. Our brother Gary, the youngest and only boy, worked the farm with a Dad for many years. Some of the grandchildren also had the experience of helping on the farm, especially with the haying. One of our parents wishes was that it stay a farm forever if at all possible. By selling to Maine Farmland Trust, that is going to be possible on a good portion of the land. Some is going to be kept in the family which they had also wanted. The fields can now be enjoyed by the people that pass by Merribrook Farm forever.
Barbie Seaver
