Buckles, Banners and Building a Farm Future with Brittany and Sierra Hemond

This week on the Maine Farmcast, we head to Hemond Farms in Minot, Maine, for the Buckles and Banners Jackpot Show and sit down with Brittany and Sierra Hemond to talk about livestock, leadership, entrepreneurship and what it takes to build a farm for the next generation. Sierra shares how she got hooked on showing livestock, her experiences in 4-H and FFA, competing in livestock judging at the National FFA Convention and the work that went into organizing a jackpot show. That included recruiting a nationally recognized judge, ordering buckles, managing entries, promoting the event and handling all the last-minute problems that come with putting on a livestock show. We also talk with Brittany about the bigger picture at Hemond Farms. The multigenerational operation has found ways to diversify far beyond traditional livestock production, incorporating motocross events, weddings and special events, food service, game processing, hay production and other enterprises while continually reinvesting in the farm. It is a conversation about raising livestock, developing young agricultural leaders, trying new ideas and creating a farm business strong enough to pass on to the fifth generation. Along the way, we get into pigs, artificial insemination, Brahman cattle, public speaking, farm diversification and why sometimes keeping a farm alive means being willing to do a little bit of everything. Follow the Hemond family and their operations on Facebook: Hemond Farms: https://www.facebook.com/HemondFarms/ Hemond Show Stock: https://www.facebook.com/61588994458345/ Hemond’s MX & Offroad Park: https://www.facebook.com/HemondsMXPark/ University of Maine Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity institution and provider committed to nondiscrimination. For more information, visit extension.umaine.edu/nondiscrimination.