Karen and Paul Volckhausen. Photo courtesy of Happy Town Farm Sheep are an integral part of nutrient cycling at Happy Town Farm. English photo Karen’s cut flower business has grown since she retired from nursing. Photo courtesy of Happy Town Farm Paul and Karen Volckhausen were the “farmers in the spotlight” at MOFGA’s 2017 Farmer
Emily Oakley spoke at MOFGA’s Farmer to Farmer Conference about making a living on a small farm and about having input into national organic standards. Left to right: Jim Gerritsen (Wood Prairie Family Farm), Emily Oakley, and Eric Sideman and Dave Colson from MOFGA. English photo As organic foods gain an ever wider audience and
The Tourne-Sol farmers, left to right: Frédéric Thériault, Reid Allaway, Renée Primeau, Emily Board and Daniel Brisebois. By farming cooperatively, these five can specialize in certain aspects of farming, take vacations, buy less equipment and realize other benefits. Photo courtesy of Tourne Sol Co-operative Farm. An aerial view of Tourne Sol. Photo courtesy of Tourne
By Alice Percy, MOFGA President Treble Ridge Farm, Whitefield I can’t count the number of times I’ve had this conversation. Customer: So how big is your farm? Me: Well, we try to grow out about 80 pigs each year, and we’re cropping between 80 and 100 acres. Customer: That’s huge! Actually, that’s not huge. It’s
Gail Edwards’ four children were born at her Blessed Maine Herb Farm in Athens, Maine. Shown here, under a favorite apple tree, left to right: Belle Hilmer, Rosa Rosario, Edwards, and Gracie Hilmer. Rosa is holding her newborn son, Emilio, while 2-1/2-year-old Mariano is front and center. Edwards’ son, Johnny, not shown, lives on Nantucket.
Matt Williams and his daughter Sara Williams Flewelling grow MOFGA-certified organic grains in and around Linneus, Maine. English photos Matt Williams with MOFGA’s John Chartier and two of Williams’ storage silos By Jean English and John Chartier, MOFGA Starting or transitioning to an organic farm on a small scale takes dedication – and a good
David McDaniel with the retort oven, where biochar is made. Stowell Watters photo By Stowell P. Watters It would do you good to drive to Jackson, out in Waldo County, where the roads go up and down forever and the silent mountains line the horizon. Somewhere between the lowland bogs and the towering hemlocks, between
Pheonix Obrien and Megan Gardner are the current farmers-in-residence at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center in Unity. This photo shows them preparing for MOFGA’s Common Ground Country Fair, which takes place right outside the farmhouse where they live during their residency. English photo Farmers-in-residence grow crops on MOFGA’s grounds, enabling them to begin a farming
Photo 1 – The ridge tillage system used at Hackmatack Farm essentially means we grow crops in single-row raised beds. Photo 2 – Onions in July. Photo 3 – Forming ridges in the spring. Photo 4 – Ridged soil in the spring Figure 1 – Depending on the crop, either one, two or three rows
Eric and Becky Sideman in a rare moment of sitting – on a granite boulder in the middle of one pasture. The 80- by 100-foot garden in spring. Vegetables are rotated between this garden and the smaller one near the house. Text and photos by Jean English Many of us know Eric and Becky Sideman
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