SUN JOURNAL • July 17, 2024
Gone now are the many other island farms that once dotted the Androscoggin River in Western Maine; Swain stands as the last island farmer in this part of the state. He says access was most likely why others no longer island farm. His own access, sometimes very difficult, is mostly doable. While Swain’s land flooded in 2023, he dismisses it as, “an odd year … a 100-year flood.” Over the years, Swain’s father acquired many of the smaller adjoining plots that now constitute his son’s expansive 100-acre farm. While he actively farms 60 of those acres, he also tends to additional parcels owned by others who rely on him for haying services.