"The oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
- Aldo Leopold
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Support MOFGA's Maine Heritage Orchard
Sales of our beautiful 2014 Heritage Orchard Calendar will help support MOFGA and the orchard. Full-color photos of apples originating in Maine were taken by widely acclaimed Portland photographer Russell French and include Black Oxford, Gray Pearmain and others. $15. Available at MOFGA's Country Store.
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Governor LePage Signs Maine's GMO Labeling Bill!
Thanks so much to everyone who worked so hard to help Maine become the second state in the country to require labeling of GMO foods!
Read the full press release.
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PO Box 170
Unity, ME 04988
Phone: 207-568-4142
Fax: 207-568-4141
Email: mofga@mofga.org
Physical Address:
294 Crosby Brook Road, Unity, ME
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The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association is partnering with the Portland Museum of Art for a series of events about the farm-to-table experience in Maine.
May 2
Meet & Greet with Ted Quaday, MOFGA's new Executive Director
Friday, 5:30 p.m., 7 Congress St., Portland
MOFGA and its mission – brief talk and slide show, followed by a light reception.
May 10
From Seed to Fruition: Maine's Heritage Orchard
Saturday, 2 p.m., 7 Congress St., Portland
A program on preserving Maine's heritage apples with apple expert John Bunker, including information on the new Maine Heritage Orchard, MOFGA’s 10-acre terraced orchard in the making, protecting over 500 apple and pear varieties traditionally grown on small Maine farms.
May 18
Healthy Soil, Healthy Foods
Sunday, 2 p.m., 7 Congress St., Portland
Screening of Symphony of the Soil, a film by Deborah Koons Garcia, followed by a panel discussion with the filmmaker, Eliot Coleman, Barbara Damrosch and local restaurateur Leslie Oster of Aurora Provisions.
All events are at the Portland Museum of Art and cost $10 (free for MOFGA and PMA members). Reservations are strongly recommended; visit portlandmuseum.org or call the PMA at (207) 775-6148 to reserve your space.
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Organic and Sustainable Agriculture News
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Indian state of Sikkim’s farms to be entirely organic by 2015
Treehugger - 5/7/2010. By Matthew McDermott – Nestled in between Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan the small Indian state of Sikkim is probably best known for its mountainous beauty and as being home to the red panda, but by 2015 it's going to have another notable distinction: Converting all its farms to certified organic agriculture. The Economic Times reports that the state has been slowing use of chemical fertilizer since 2003 and has currently converted 6,000 of its 70,000 hectares of farm land. |
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Going green with horse power
Waterville Morning Sentinel - 5/7/2010. By Jason McKibben – Troy: Farmers Sam Hazlehurst and Rachel Katz take the horsepower of their equipment very seriously. While tractors have engines in the 20 to 500 horsepower range, Hazlehurst and Katz operate Smith Farm in Troy with a total of four. That’s two teams of Percheron draft horses. Martha and Birdie are the white mares, Tonka and Diesel the black geldings. |
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Cancer, chemicals, and corporations
Empty Wheel - 5/7/2010.By Marcy Wheeler – As you might know, my family is a walking cancer cluster: three out of five of us had some form of cancer. What has frustrated me as I’ve lived through three bouts of cancer in my family was the cancer industry’s focus on “curing cancer,” with very little attention on preventing it. Particularly given how dangerous the “cures” for cancer are, it’s high time we focused more attention on how we avoid it. |
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The latest survey: consumers want healthy foods
Food Politics - 5/7/2010.By Marion Nestle – Ordinarily, I don’t pay much attention to consumer surveys because the results are so dependent on the way the questions are asked and who gets polled. But this one, conducted by StrategicOne and sent to me by Edelman Public Relations, is relatively uncomplicated. |
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Check out MOFGA's
online community!
Create your own profile website
List products and services that you offer
Post classified ads
Join forum discussions |
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Help Wanted by Island Farm: "Private Island Farm located in Downeast Maine. Practicing organic gardening methods, dairy processing and pasture raised meat..." |
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Peach trees available by Plowshares Community Farm: "We have a large order of peach trees (six yellow freestone varieties) coming, 3/8-1/2" caliper (better than larger caliper fo..." |
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Portland CSA Fair, Sunday April 27!!! by Black Kettle Farm: "Meet MOFGA farmers that deliver to the Portland area and learn more about different CSA options this season! Sunday, April 2..." |
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Portland CSA Fair, Sunday April 27!!! by Black Kettle Farm: "It is prime time to secure your veggies for the season! Check out the Portland CSA Fair, this Sunday, April 27th, at Local S..." |
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Medicine Plants & The Healing Process by avenabotanicals: "Medicine Plants & The Healing Process | Deepening our Knowledge and Connection to the Plant World With Deb Soule and Jilli..." |
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April 26 - Empty Bowl Supper Fundraiser
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6 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church, Miller St., Belfast. Join MOFGA's El Salvador Sistering Committee for its annual Empty Bowl Supper fundraiser. For just $15 ($35 maximum for families; tickets at the door), attendees enjoy delicious soups, breads and desserts, get to see friends, and take home a beautiful bowl, handcrafted and donated by a Maine potter.
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April 30 - Waldo Organic Growers Program: Bats
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Speaker Annie Kassler of Bat Conservation will show slides and video. Potluck: Please bring a plate, silverware and a dish to share. MOFGA library, Unity. 6:00 p.m.
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May 2 - MOFGA’s Common Ground radio show |
10 to 11 a.m., WERU, 89.9 and 99.9 FM and weru.org |
May 2 - Ripe For Discussion – From Seed to Fruition: A Farm-To-Table Series from MOFGA and the Portland Museum of Art |
Friday, 5:30 p.m., 7 Congress St., Portland. Meet & Greet with Ted Quaday, MOFGA’s new Executive Director. MOFGA and its mission – brief talk and slide show, followed by a light reception. PMA and MOFGA members free! Museum information: 775-6148; www.portlandmuseum.org/ |
May 4 - MOFGA's Chainsaw Safety Workshop |
Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., $50/members, $60/non-members. Details and registration. |
May 4 - Maine Highlands MOFGA Chapter Celebration and Kick-Off |
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come by the East Sangerville Grange to help celebrate the official start of the Maine Highlands MOFGA chapter. This is a free event and open to all – you do not have to be a MOFGA member to attend! We'll share potluck nibbles and snacks, ideas about possible chapter activities, and maybe some seeds if you've got some you'd like to swap. Bring your family, bring a friend! The ESG is located on East Sangerville Rd. For directions go to www.grange.org/eastsangervilleme177/. Don't try to use your GPS or you'll end up in the woods! |
May 10 - Memorial for Joe Dupere at MOFGA
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1 p.m., 294 Crosby Brook Rd., Unity. Details on Facebook and the website of Sunnywood Farm. Profile page on MOFGA.org. |
May 10 - Ripe For Discussion – From Seed to Fruition: Maine's Heritage Orchard: A Farm-To-Table Series from MOFGA and the Portland Museum of Art |
Saturday, 2 p.m., 7 Congress St., Portland. A program on preserving Maine’s heritage apples with apple expert John Bunker, including information on the new Maine Heritage Orchard, MOFGA’s 10-acre terraced orchard in the making, protecting over 500 apple and pear varieties traditionally grown on small Maine farms. PMA and MOFGA members free! Museum information: 775-6148; www.portlandmuseum.org/ |
May 17-18 - Introduction to Chainsaw Safety for Women
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Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson. Cosponsored by MOFGA. This day-and-a-half-long hands-on training will give women of all experience levels the confidence and knowledge to safely operate a chainsaw. Students will learn about safety gear, practice basic techniques, learn about maintenance and practice tree felling. This course is well suited to homeowners, resource professionals, trail volunteers, farmers and anyone who might use a chainsaw. Information: hvnc.org, info@hvnc.org |
May 18 - Ripe For Discussion – Healthy Soil, Healthy Foods: A Farm-To-Table Series from MOFGA and the Portland Museum of Art |
Sunday, 2 p.m., 7 Congress St., Portland. Screening of Symphony of the Soil, a film by Deborah Koons Garcia, followed by a panel discussion with the filmmaker, Eliot Coleman, Barbara Damrosch and local restaurateur Leslie Oster of Aurora Provisions. PMA and MOFGA members free! Museum information: 775-6148; www.portlandmuseum.org/ |
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See the full calendar ... |
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