Reports suggests songbirds, bats at risk of mercury poisoning
Bangor Daily News - 1/25/2012. By Kevin Miller – Researchers examining the effects of mercury on wildlife found elevated levels of the neurotoxin in songbirds and bats from Maine to Virginia, prompting the study’s authors to call for more monitoring and stronger conservation measures. |
|
Maine’s (hard) cider house gang
Portland Press Herald - 1/25/2012.  By Shannon Bryan – Spotting a trio of 20-somethings tipping back glasses of hard cider at Mainely Brews in Waterville isn't out of the ordinary. What is: Discovering that the three have fermented the beverage themselves, and here, on a Thursday afternoon in early January, they're tasting it fresh from the keg for the very first time. |
|
The future of farming
Stone Barns Center - 1/25/2012.  Fred Kirschenmann, noted farmer, theologian, philosopher and president of Stone Barns Center’s Board of Directors, called on young farmers to help create a new paradigm in America’s food system to carry us into a future riddled with challenges, such as a world population that just topped 7 billion. “We need to grow food in partnership with nature rather than through domination,” he said in his closing remarks. |
|
Tomato grafting: it’s easier than you think and will yield results
The Atlantic - 1/24/2012.  By Ari LeVaux – With the days getting longer, it's officially time to start planning the garden. At the very least, make a cup of tea and open a seed catalog. Depending on what you have in mind, it might be time to place an order. If your plans include tomatoes, especially heirlooms, it's worth considering ways to fortify them. Anyone who's lost tomatoes to blight knows the heartbreak of yanking whole plants still laden with fruit, and removing them from the scene. |
|