At New England Farmers Union’s sixth Annual Convention, Gearing Up for Success, in Concord, NH, Nov. 6-8, members voted in two new board members, Margaret Hathaway and Mary Castonguay, both of Maine.
Hathaway and her family own and operate Ten Apple Farm in Gray. The farm is a diversified homestead on 17 acres, and includes dairy goats, assorted poultry, gardens, and a small orchard. Hathaway and her husband, Karl Schatz, operate a guest house on the farm and run workshops on basic homesteading skills that range from cheesemaking and bread baking to poultry processing.
A native of Wichita, Kansas, Hathaway is a graduate of Wellesley College and a former Fulbright scholar to Tunisia. She worked in book publishing and as a manager of New York City’s famed Magnolia Bakery before settling in Maine. Hathaway is the author of four books, including the memoir The Year of the Goat: 40,000 Miles and the Quest for the Perfect Cheese, the guides Living With Goats: Everything You Need to Know to Raise Your Own Backyard Herd and Food Lovers’ Guide to Maine, and the cookbook, the Portland, Maine Chef’s Table: Extraordinary Recipes from Casco Bay. She was a charter member of SlowFood Portland, and is a member of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Past board service includes seven years as a Trustee of the Gray Public Library, and continued service on the board of the Western Maine Wellesley Club.
Margaret served as a delegate to the National Farmers Union convention in Wichita in March 2015, attended the 2014 National Farmers Union (NFU) Legislative Fly-In, and has been a member of the NEFU Policy Committee since 2014.
Castonguay and her brother Pete co-own Castonguay Ayrshires, a 450-acre organic dairy farm in Livermore. Mary graduated in 2000 from the University of Maine with an undergraduate degree in Agribusiness Management and a Masters in Business Administration. The farm sells milk to the Organic Valley/CROPP co-operative.
Castonguay is the Secretary/Treasurer of the Maine Organic Milk Producers and is a member of the National Ayrshire Breeders Association and Maine Ayrshire Club.
Before her appointment to the board in 2015, Castonguay, as an engaged farmer member, traveled to Washington, D.C., twice — for a COOL Fly-In and for an NFU Legislative Fly-In. She also testified before the Maine Legislature in favor of rural broadband access on New England Farmers Union’s behalf.
Members also appointed officers as follows: Roger Noonan, president; Erbin Crowell, vice president; Nathan L’Etoile, treasurer; Beth Hodge, secretary.
The assembly elected delegates to the NFU convention, as well: Roger Noonan, Chelsea Kruse, Nathan L’Etoile, and Beth Hodge, along with alternates Margaret Hathaway and Steve Normanton.
Two other directors stepped off the board as of the convention. New England Farmers Union board and membership expressed appreciation to Dorn Cox of New Hampshire and Mark Hews of Maine for their years of service.
For the current slate of board members, please see this link. Complete event coverage is here.