Long-time photographer and retired book publisher Peter Randall was inspired by farmers working in their fields and among their farm buildings as he traveled Route 101 across Kittery and Eliot. With a life-long interest in history and conservation, Randall wanted to make a documentary about farming in his hometown, a way of life that once, but no longer, supported dozens of families in this area. 

After three years on the project, Randall will premiere “Farming 101,” on Friday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. at Marshwood High School. The documentary is primarily about the last two dairy farms in Eliot and Kittery, Maine, both located on an eight-mile stretch of Route 101, along with a former dairy farm that is now an active producer of bailed hay, and a former tractor dealership that was operated by Eleanor Pearsall and her late husband David. Just up the road is the home of John Sullivan who collects and restores farm tractors. King Tut’s cider mill was begun over a hundred years ago to make cider for local farmers.

A trailer for the film can be seen at www.farming101film.com.

Supporting the cast of farmers and their families are interviews with hired hands, the milk truck driver, a veterinarian, and others. The film also covers former farmers, including the Pettigrew, Kashmere, and Pearson families, with historical photographs and interviews, to complement the story of farming along this country road. The difficulties of dairy farming in Maine raise the issue of what will happen to the farms, and their hundreds of acres, when the farmers can no longer work their property.

Kittery Land Trust is working with Richard and Beth Johnson to create a conservation easement on their farm of 300 acres, known as Rustlewood Farm, but the effort has required a major fundraising campaign by numerous parties, with a total project cost of just over $1 million.
The Kittery Land Trust will host Farm Day, a kick-off party to engage the community with the beauty and values of the farm, on Oct. 20. The free event will include hay rides, games and cow patty bingo, nature walks, food and entertainment. The party is open to all and will be held at Rustlewood Farm, 110 Wilson Road, Kittery, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

According to the land trust, the farm includes some of the best agricultural soils in the area and is also important for protecting water quality. The southern portion of the property contains close to one mile of the headwaters of Spruce Creek, while the northern section drains to Cutts Ridge Brook and on to the York River. The land, which lies mostly in Kittery but also partly in Eliot, also contains many acres of valuable wetlands and wildlife habitat. The Johnsons have long allowed hunting, trapping, cross country skiing, bird watching and other forms of passive recreation, all uses that will continue under the conservation agreement.