Meet the Team

Farmer Sean

Sean was born in CO and moved to Maine when he was 9 months old. His family moved around a couple of times and finally settled in Parkman, Maine. He was inspired by Grandpa O’Donnell who showed up every spring to help the family plant a garden. Grandpa O’Donnell was a retired potato farmer from Houlton, Maine. Sean decided he was going to be a farmer at a very young age. It started with his parents not having time for the garden while trying to support a family. At the age of 8, he decided to have his own garden, and Grandpa helped him get started the first couple of springs. Through lots of learning and failures it started to really take shape. Around the age of 14 he started wholesaling root crops. Soon he was selling over 5,000 lbs of carrots a year. By age 25 he had slowly transitioned the farm away from root crops and into the production of non-perishable food as well as grass fed beef and hay.

His history with hay and cattle started when he was 12yrs old he started an apprenticeship with Frank Spizuoco SR at Valleyview Farm in Ripley Maine, 6 miles from his parents house. Where they raised starter heifers and did some haying. At 14 yrs he decided to try his hand as a teamster. He got a pair of Ashier steers named Pat and Mike which he trained and raised as oxen. After 5 yrs he got tired of trying to get Pat to cooperate and then he entered his way into beef sales. He decided he wanted more cattle with a partnership with Frank he owned 6 replacement heifers per year for several years the sale of which paid for the down payment of the land which was purchased. At the age of 17 he purchased his land using the money from the heifers he raised as a down payment. The former land owner, Arthur Brunt, was a master gardener and appreciated giving a young man a start in farming. The land he purchased is where Rusted Rooster Farm now sits. At the time, it was 43 acres of partly grown up fields that had been logged10 years prior and probably hadn’t been farmed since the 50s.

The hay operation started at age 14 when Frank had a knee operation and didn’t have time to bale the hay for Farmer Sean’s oxen. Farmer Sean got a taste of being in charge of his own hay operation while putting up his first 500 hay bales to feed his oxen through the winter. He has hayed every season since then. Wow! Now he has 21 years of hay experience and is still griping about the weather. At least now he knows how to handle it to make the best out of the situation, though he doesn’t like letting that secret out.

His long struggle with Iron disease (which he still suffers from to this day) started at a very young age when he would visit Grandpa O’Donnell’s farm. Grandpa ODonnell had Farmall tractors and gave him rides. At age 15 he was able to purchase his first tractor (a John Deere 420) which he bought from his Uncle Skip. His son now owns this tractor and it is still being used on the farm to this day. His deep obsession with fixing his own machinery started at the age of 16 when the crankshaft to his JD 420 snapped in two. With the guidance of Bill Wilkins he was able to rebuild his first tractor motor. At age 17 he started working a part time job for Raymond Harvey at Harvey’s farm equipment alongside Bill Wilkins and Michael Cookson. While learning to fix all types of farm machinery, he especially looked forward to going to mechanic calls with Mike Cookson and learning how to fix baler knotters (some of the most challenging things to fix). Mike Cookson taught him to never back down from a mechanical challenge. Even now, Farmer Sean gets called on by many for advice and support in problems they are unable to solve, and he always seems to figure out what’s wrong with it and get it back to farming again.

Farmer Sean’s mission is the core of our farm motto: where humans, animals, cropsand machinery live in harmony. More on Rusted Rooster Farm practices can be read here. (add link top about farm)

Farmer Sean firmly believes that all life comes from the soil with the help of the sun and water which we have little control of. He is wholly committed to taking care of the soil as a living organism feeding it as much carbon out of the atmosphere in trade for healthy nutrient dense food. He is consistently learning more about soil health and is frequently trying new experiments to improve soil health. His goal is to restore it to health and always make it better which in turn will make us better farmers.

His mission is to cultivate as much carbon-rich, healthy soil as possible to enrich farmers’ lives and provide the healthiest food that we can for this generation and the next, as well as help and guide the next generation of farmers in regenerating the soil. Our Soil health commitment and practices can be read here…ADD LINK

Farmer Sean’s favorite things are being a husband and father and farming with his family. He enjoys planting and growing; there is nothing like planting a seed and watching it mature into something that people enjoy eating. He enjoys everything to do with farm equipment, visiting other farms, and enjoying nature that God has given us..

Meet Sandra

I was born in MA, but moved to Milo, ME when I was 8 years old. I grew up on a homestead with my Mom, Dad and 15 siblings. We cleared land and built a house from a grown-up piece that the loggers had just clear cut . We scratched out a homestead mostly by hand and a few pieces of equipment we couldn’t seem to keep running for very long. I was the middle child and I was one of the few kids that really enjoyed farming (especially the animals side of it). I was always outside if I had my way and they would have to chase me down to do my inside chores.

We always had animals growing up––a few chickens, a couple beef cows, sheep, goats, pigeons and a family milk cow named Betsy that we milked by hand.

Growing up we canned a lot of veggies from our garden. I loved canning with my mom and sisters in our small kitchen. There is something so satisfying about seeing the jars full of rainbow colors lining the shelves in the pantry. To this day I still love it!

I was 13 when I bought my first two Alpine goats and that’s when I first dipped my fingers into making goat cheese. I love working with dairy products. I made a lot of Feta cheese back then. I made a few different types and wanted to sell them, but didn’t have a certified kitchen. It has been my dream to one day have a certified kitchen and get back into cheese making. 

At the age of 19 I got a job at a local organic dairy where we milked about 30 head of cattle. I worked there until I married Farmer Sean (who I had known since moving to ME) in Oct of 2010. We had many similar interests in farming and it was a real dream come true that I got to be a farmer for the rest of my life with the support of my husband and our family. Little did I know that would put me stuck inside with website duty. But luckily with age comes maturity and I am really enjoying it.

I became a mom for the first time when I was 20! I loved it! I wasn’t a huge fan of the whole pregnancy thing but I was a huge fan of being a mom! Now I am a mom of 5 beautiful children, all of whom are different in their own ways. It’s a lot of fun watching them all grow into their own personalities and become their own little person.

When I was 23yrs old a dentist dropped a mercury filling down my throat and I got SO sick. That is when we started our journey into digging deeper about health, healthy soil, healthy foods and healthier life styles. It was a huge wake up call for us. We changed the way we ate all the way to how we farmed. We are still learning, growing and changing for the better.

When I was 31 yrs old I started building our farm house! Sean and I had decided he would farm while I built the house. We designed it on paper and then I started on the ground work. We had been collecting supplies for a few years and had almost everything we needed. A very dear friend and neighbor, Lynn Cole, taught me pretty much everything I know about building! He put so much of his time into showing me how and helping! I owe him so much! I really don’t know if I could have gotten it done without him. I am still building and finishing up the inside, but we are living in it! God is so good! One thing I love most about my house is the stories it already tells! I know where everything came from, who helped with what, what wood was milled from our own trees on our own land, all the mess-ups I can laugh about now, all the laughs Lynn and I had while building, so much love was put into this house by so many people! I look around and I see all the blessings and love we were shown by so many.

Some of the things I love to do are…

Driving equipment for hours under the blue open sky!

Canning, dehydrating and putting food up for the winter for my family.

I love quilting! I got that from my mom––she was the best quilter! It is so satisfying sleeping under a beautiful quilt that was sewn from scraps of fabric left over from another sewing project.  

I love playing the cello.

I love most animals, and even house-broke a pig named Rudy a couple of years back! There are a few I don’t like though…I don’t like geese, and I don’t like snakes.

Meet Shannon

Shannon is a pre-teen! WOW has time flown by! She is becoming quite the reader! She loves taking care of the Kunekune pigs and Katahdin sheep. She also milks our family milk cow every other day and she is taking over the garlic operation! But her favorite thing to do is midwifery. From the young age of 3 she has wanted to be a midwife when she grows up just like her grandmother and aunt. She loves taking care of people and she loves babies, so I know she will go far one day! She is interested in learning more about herbs and Essential oils too. She’s a fast learner, so I know she will do great! She’s a huge help in every way around here!

Meet Jackson

Jackson wants to follow in his dad’s footsteps and be a farmer when he grows up. We have always known he was interested in equipment. When he was around 4 he made a cardboard/wooden loader and screwed it to the lawn mower hood. He loves most everything about farming including every animal but has a special love for the dogs and cows. He also milks the family milk cow every other day. He has a dog named Biscuit who is a beagle but thinks he should be a couch potato! He loves going to auctions with his dad and looking at the equipment and getting all the good deals. He has always been good at figuring out what broke and fixing it.  

Meet Chloe

Chloe is a go getter…when she puts her mind to something no one can stop her! She has a special love for cats (Blackie and Spas’) and her three Fjord horses (Brynn, May and April). She raised April since birth and can now ride her. She takes riding lessons and wants to go into showing them. She loves to cook and her blueberry muffins are SO good!

Meet Lacey

Lacey loves to give a helping hand to whomever needs her help. She loves holding Violet and rocking her to sleep! She’s such a great little mommy already. She has a dog she’s raised since birth named Princess. Princess is great with kids and loves all the attention she gets. Lacey loves to cook and is getting really good at it! She loves helping her brother with the cow chores.

She loves to get dressed up and go to the contradances!

Meet Violet

Violet ODonnell is our newest addition! Violet loves to smile and brightens everyone’s day! She loves to be carried in a baby carrier and stay as close to mommy as she can.