When it comes to capturing the essence of the Common Ground Country Fair, longtime MOFGA volunteer and former board member Eli Berry does it well in his essay in “The Organic Farming Revolution: Past, Present, Future.” He writes: Each year at fair time, a family reunion of a kind takes place among visitors, participants, and
The fall issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, MOFGA’s quarterly publication, is now available! In it, you’ll find information on growing beets in your garden, potluck recipe ideas, tips for managing browntail moth, and more. Other topics include farm equipment for livestock, DNA fingerprinting for apple variety detection, and PFAS contamination in compost.
Did you know that each year over 2,000 volunteers contribute their time and energy to make the three days of the Common Ground Country Fair possible? We rely on volunteers to direct traffic, greet fairgoers, sort compost and recycling, entertain children and perform countless other tasks that make the Fair a success. The Fair couldn’t
The 2023 Common Ground Country Fair schedule is now available online! Every year the Common Ground Country Fair hosts over 700 scheduled events ranging from educational talks about farming and gardening to livestock demonstrations to yoga classes to performances by Maine-based entertainers. This year we are excited to offer many of the staples of the
MOFGA is pleased to announce the keynote speaker lineup for the 2023 Common Ground Country Fair. Each day of the Fair, keynote speeches are presented from 11 a.m. to noon on the common. First up, on Friday, September 22, is Ryan Parker, farmer, writer, and FoodCorps Impact and Partnerships Lead, Maine. Parker’s keynote “Kids Learn
Tickets are on sale now for the 47th annual Common Ground Country Fair at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center in Unity, Maine. The fair, the premier event of MOFGA, will take place on September 22, 23 and 24. MOFGA’s annual celebration of rural living offers something for everyone. This year, MOFGA is excited to welcome
MOFGA is astounded by Governor Mills’ last minute veto of a bill (LD 398) that would ensure a farmworker’s right to minimum wage. Under current federal and Maine law, farmworkers are ensured of only $7.25 per hour (the federal minimum wage — unchanged since July of 2009), no overtime and no protected right to engage
Looking for a book to read this summer? Here’s a look back at some of our favorite books reviewed in The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener in 2023. The short list includes cookbooks and deep dives into some of the most pressing issues of our time, from climate change to biodiversity loss. For the full
MOFGA and MOFGA Certification Services (MCS) are pleased to announce that we have been chosen as a core partner and the state lead for Maine through USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP is one of three focus areas by USDA to transition more agriculture to organic (generally known as the Organic Transition Initiative),
The Senate and House Agriculture Committees of Congress are well into discussions on the 2023 Farm Bill, the country’s enormous spending package that strives to secure our nation’s food supply, support our farmers, and protect the natural resources on which our food and agriculture systems depend. It’s difficult to comprehend the scope and size of
