Mark & Karie Bevan founded Saco River Farms in 2010 and began commercial production in 2014. Our farm was born out of a humble desire to live a simple back to basics life. During the first few years our 3 dairy goats multiplied into 25 and our backyard food plot became a bonafide market garden.

Saco River Farms is a family owned, diversified farmstead in Steep Falls, Maine. Our flagship property rests in the heart of the scenic Saco River Valley, at the site of the historic Weeman family farm, which dates back to the early 1800’s.

 

The original Weeman farmstead has in recent times been split up into a subdivision. In 2008 we purchased a portion of the old farm and are blessed to have wonderful neighbors who allow us some use of the original barn and pasture.

In 2012 we began a very small CSA (community supported agriculture) and began offering work shares. The work shares became a vital part of our operation as people would exchange labor for a share of the harvest while also benefiting in a free education in farming.

We became aware of a great need in the community for opportunities to learn about simple homesteading basics. Keeping backyard chickens, tending a small garden, etc. This country “know how” was  passed from one generation to the next for centuries. But a change to mechanization and industrialism has brought an end to time-honored methods.

Our country’s reliance on cheap production and global imports has damaged our environment, and created a fragile food supply. Making matters worse, science is now proving that the average diet of most Americans often does more harm then good because our foods are devoid of nutrition and often times destructive to our overall health.

Like many others before us, we began to see a need to return to the traditional methods of sustainable farming which have been proven time and time again.

With this goal in mind, in 2013, Mark Bevan founded Field of Zion International, Inc. A Maine based 501c3 non-profit organization, whose primary goal is to promote sustainable farming through education.

“Our Mission at Field of Zion International is to be a blessing to the local communities which we serve, by providing educational, training & demonstration facilities to local farmers. Through research, education and training, we empower farmers with sustainable agricultural business models, which promote high efficiency, low cost, environmentally friendly farming techniques.”

 

In 2015 Saco River Farms officially became the first educational demonstration partner farm of Field of Zion International. In 2016 we expanded our educational programs to include hosting workshops, interns and WWOOFer’s. (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms)

In the Fall of 2015 we began the construction of a new barn to house our demonstration micro dairy and provide space to host our students.

2016 saw some amazing growth at the farm as we began to market our CSA and added a new farm stand. In addition, we were finally able to host interns and WWOOFer’s throughout the season, which enabled us to make great strides forward toward our goal of building an Interactive Farmstead Learning Center.