Retirement-Here We Come

It’s time for retirement. We’re selling our magical farm to settle in the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada, with a few oxen and working steers. We’ll continue to sell meat from the Loudon store until the end of 2024. This view is of our 1850s farmhouse from a hillside pasture.

Check out the listing here:  https://s.paragonrels.com/goto/LHB-aLZdZ-6

Yes, we’re selling our farm, Miles Smith Farm. In 1972 I married my first husband, who lived on this magical spot atop a hill. My second husband, Bruce Dawson, helped me transform the 1850s farmhouse, barn, and 27 acres into a working cattle farm where the public is welcome to visit. 

It’s been a fantastic ride, but now it’s time to say, “Goodbye.”

Tears drip from my eyes as I think of moving away. For over 50 years, this farm has been my soul force, an overwhelming source of joy and distress. Joy when I watch a newborn calf leap and bounce around her mom, distress when one of my creatures dies unexpectedly.

I hate to leave the place where stoic Curious Bleu, our riding Scottish Highland steer, delighted children like Matt Roach. Matt visited the farm with his parents as a child and sat astride Bleu. At 15 years old, he returned and asked for a job, then worked with energy and resourcefulness for over three years. Matt has moved on, as teenagers will, but we miss him. Our farm and cattle have contributed to the wonder years of so many children, many of whom came back to visit after they grew up.

Matt was just one of the faithful staff and volunteers who have helped build this farm. I’m grateful to all of them and to all of you who have trekked to the farm weekly to buy our delicious meat. You, who supported my vision of raising healthy meat and who appreciate local farmers and respect our farming practices. You, who care about the animals and the farmers who raise them. You are the folks who made this farm sustainable, who supported us through the pandemic, and continued to buy from Miles Smith Farm even after other meat returned to the grocery stores.

A sense of adventure eases the sadness of leaving. I’ve always wanted to live where I can watch the sunrise over the sea. Our first choice would be Martha’s Vineyard, but without millions to spend on a waterfront property, Bruce and I chose Nova Scotia. I’ve always wanted to live in a foreign country that isn’t too foreign. I’m pretty good at speaking English and would like to stick with it. We fell in love with the small-town friendliness of Digby and the reasonably priced oceanfront properties. We’ll find land enough to pasture my oxen and working steers. Nova Scotia has an excellent oxen community, and I’ll have more time to work with my two matched pairs.

We’ve been buying grass-fed cattle from Potter Farm in Gilmanton for years. It’s a family-run farm with over 120 head of cattle. The Potters will take over the sale of whole and half beef sides, so starting in November, you can order bulk beef directly from them. Sam and Carl are the eighth-generation Potters, and they and their young sons Jackson and Luke will take over our beef business. They have a beautiful farm with top-quality cattle and will continue providing scrumptious meat. I’ll share more about this transition in the weeks ahead.

The Miles Smith Farm Store will be open until December 2024, selling beef, pork, and chicken. Please stop by so I can thank you for your 22 years of support. I love each of you and want to show my gratitude.

Retirement will soon be a reality. I look forward to lazy evenings watching fishing boats bring back the catch of the day as my cattle graze by the seaside.

Check out the farm listing here:  https://s.paragonrels.com/goto/LHB-aLZdZ-6

Carole Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, where she raises and sells beef, pork, eggs, and other local products. She can be reached at carole@soulecoaching.com. Carole is also a certified Life Coach who helps humans and K-9s achieve the impossible a little at a time.