Maine Farm Sitters Course

Three dirty piglets standing in green grass with barn in background.The purpose of the Maine Farm Sitters Course is to equip individuals with the tools to serve as effective farm sitters and to understand the general responsibilities of helping an animal-based farm enterprise successfully continue in the absence of the farmer or manager. This course is run annually each spring. Sign up here for email updates – registration typically opens in late winter.

Intro to the Maine Farm Sitters Course (video)- Hear from Dr. Brzozowski as he explains what the Maine Farm Sitters Course has to offer you!

Have you thought of Farm Sitting as a Business (video)? Hear Dr. Brzozowski as he explains how the Maine Farm Sitters Course can help you turn your farm sitting hobby into a business.

Interview with a Farmer (video) – Listen to Pogo from Friends Folly Farm in Monmouth talk about hiring farm sitters and what to consider when choosing the right fit for your farm.

Maine Farm Sitters Course Topics include:

  • Components of Effective Farm Sitting
  • Animal Health Basics
  • Animal Handling
  • Practical Animal Nutrition
  • Farm Sitting as a Business
  • Farm Sitting in the Real World
  • Farm Tractor Safety
Farmer sitters in training at a dairy barn with cows
Maine Farm Sitting Course participants tour Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport Maine with instructor Rachel White, UMaine Extension (front, left)

Maine Farm Sitters Course Instructors:

  • Dr. Richard Brzozowski, UMaine Extension, Professor Emeritus
  • Chris Howard, MS, UMaine Extension, Maine New Farmers Project Manager
  • Dr. Colt Knight, Associate Extension Professor and State Livestock Specialist
  • Dr. Rachel White, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and Livestock
  • Brett Johnson, MS, Assistant Extension Professor, Sustainable Agriculture and Farm Business Management Educator
    University of Maine Cooperative Extension Waldo County
  • Dan Foster, Insurance Agent Representing American National

Questions:

Email: extension.newfarmer@maine.edu
Phone: 207-933-2100 Office hours: Weekdays 8:00 a.m. — 3:00 p.m.

Sign up here for email updates.

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).