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The Maine Heritage Orchard (MHO), located on MOFGA’s campus in Unity, Maine, is a vibrant preservation project dedicated to protecting the state’s agricultural heritage. As it celebrates its 10th anniversary, the orchard symbolizes environmental stewardship, community collaboration, and educational innovation. What started as an effort to save Maine’s rare, heirloom apple varieties has transformed into

During 2024, MOFGA hosted a cohort of dairy and beef farmers exploring the viability of planting small grains for a fermented forage option to feed their herds in place of imported grain. Over the course of the summer, six different farms hosted learning opportunities around topics that farmers within the cohort expressed concern or curiosity

Uncertainty threatens Maine’s rural communitiesEarlier today, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) held a press conference in South Portland, Maine, to hear from Maine farmers who are among those directly impacted by the federal funding freeze of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) payments. Millions of dollars in USDA funding, including funding for

The last three weeks have been tumultuous and uncertain for farmers, community members, MOFGA staff, and our partners as we’ve been navigating federal funding freezes and the uncertainty of the legality of executive orders that are having sweeping impacts. MOFGA receives funding through 14 federal programs. In 2025, we have about $1 million in our

Organic Orcharding Workshop Series in March and April 2025  The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) will hold workshops on fruit tree care — its annual Organic Orcharding Workshop Series — at locations throughout Maine in March and April, 2025. In this series of beginner-level workshops, community members can learn different skills relevant to

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) is launching the MOFGA Ambassador Program, a new initiative intended to empower volunteers around the state to make positive change in the communities where they live and work. This program invites participants from across Maine to serve as part of a year-long cohort, working together to advocate

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just issued a draft risk assessment about the health impacts of PFAS chemicals in sludge, stating that PFOA and PFOS in sludge applied to farmland as fertilizer could create human health risks. The EPA release states: “The preliminary findings of the draft risk assessment indicate that there can

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) unveiled the 2025 Common Ground Country Fair artwork earlier today at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show in Augusta. The artwork for the fair’s promotional materials and iconic T-shirts is selected from contest submissions each year and the winning design is highly anticipated. This year’s artwork by Katherine

Our Vision for Transforming Our Food System MOFGA’s vision is a future where local organic farming nourishes all people, and sustains thriving ecosystems, healthy communities, and fair economies. We will accomplish this through our mission to transform our food system by supporting farmers, empowering people to feed their communities, and advocating for an organic future.

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we are highlighting books featuring Indigenous voices and diverse perspectives about Indigenous history and colonization. We took a look back at books reviewed in The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener and have compiled this reading list of books that center Indigenous communities and ecology, herbalism, science, relationships with