Feature Stories From The Archives
Learn more about the MOFGA community and Common Ground Country Fair
Creating a Multi-Family Farm at 3 Level Farm
By Tim King When Kim Patnode and Christopher Hahn came separately to 3 Level Farm in South China 11 years ago, they were acquainted with each other but had no idea what the future would bring. Hahn had just purchased the 143-acre farm, formerly known as French Farm, and imagined it supporting multiple enterprises, more
Meeting House Herb Growers Collaborative
Bringing More Organic Herbs, and Herb Growers, to Maine By Sonja Heyck-Merlin The 25 members of the Meeting House herb growers collaborative talk enticingly about their plant medicines: whether it’s the sticky, resinous calendula buds or the tufts of crimson bee balm flowers reminiscent of an ‘80s rockstar hairdo. They’re equally passionate about the unassuming
“Common Ground”
What follows is a collection of stories from MOFGA members, staff, volunteers and the community in response to the theme: “common ground.” These stories first appeared in the MOFGA Stories segment in the fall 2022 issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. I went to my first Common Ground Fair sometime around 1992. I
Morgan Cameron Wins 2022 Common Ground Country Fair Poster Contest
By Holli Cederholm Morgan Cameron paints animal portraits in oil, and has a special love for horses. As a child, Cameron, now 30, spent her summers and afternoons on her grandparents’ 100-acre farm in Dover-Foxcroft getting to know an array of animals that became inspiration for her artwork, including dogs, cats, cows, rabbits and her
A Tribute to Michael Phillips (1957-2022)
By John Bunker The orchard community suffered a terrible loss this past winter when orchardist, author and educator Michael Phillips died unexpectedly one night out in his northern New Hampshire orchard. Many of us in Maine knew Michael from his regular visits to teach workshops at MOFGA. Others who never had the good fortune to
Community and Education Meld at Crystal Lake Farm & Nursery
By Danielle Walczak Each early spring for the past 15 years, Eli Berry has walked Crystal Lake Farm & Nursery looking for invasive plants. The non-native species stand out like sore green thumbs among the brown and gray field edges of the farm which he runs with his mother, Sharon Turner. Things look different now
The Next Generation of Organic Dairy
Family Farming at Silver Valley Farm By Sonja Heyck-Merlin In August of 2021, Horizon Organic, owned by the French company Danone, terminated its contracts with 14 organic dairy farms in Maine. Silver Valley Farm in New Sharon was one. Horizon gave them 12 months to find a new buyer; later it extended that by six
“Climate Change”
What follows is a collection of stories from MOFGA members, staff, volunteers and the community in response to the theme: “climate change.” These stories first appeared in the MOFGA Stories segment in the spring 2022 issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. We do not expect the wind in October. We survive the biting
Making Decisions at Moodytown Gardens
By Sonja Heyck-Merlin A farm is the sum of decisions. Long-term strategic and on-the-fly decisions. Decisions that induce arguments and ones requiring risk. They can be based on emotion. And some decisions are rooted in childhood experiences — as is the case with the owners of Moodytown Gardens in Palmyra, Maine. Johanna Burdet, or Jo
Making Essential Oil from Logging Slash
The Essencers capture the aromas of Maine with a mobile still By Danielle Walczak Snow fell in Stockton Springs while Brent Holiday fired up a chainsaw. It was January and the wind, characteristic of Midcoast Maine, shook the greenhouse next to the white pine he would cut down. With the pine gone, in a few
“Seed”
What follows is a collection of stories from MOFGA members, staff, volunteers and the community in response to the theme: “seed.” These stories first appeared in the MOFGA Stories segment in the spring 2022 issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. I was born and raised in what was referred to as Spanish Harlem
September — Preserving
By Dani Walczak Each year since I started farming I pack my bike panniers like Christmas stockings and head north to Unity for the Common Ground Country Fair with Ali. On Friday after work, we meet in the Park-and-Ride of I-95 at the Augusta Mall. We head Northeast on our bikes. Stumbling through parking lots,
“Feast”
What follows is a collection of stories from MOFGA members, staff, volunteers and the community in response to the theme: “feast.” These stories first appeared in the MOFGA Stories segment in the winter 2021-2022 issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. Autumn leaves swirled about our steel toes and the crisp wind kissed the
“First Frost”
What follows is a collection of stories from MOFGA members, staff, volunteers and the community in response to the theme: “first frost.” These stories first appeared in the MOFGA Stories segment in the fall 2021 issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. We scrambled among the rambling, leafy vines, crating squash as fast as
“Neighbors”
What follows is a collection of stories from MOFGA members, staff, volunteers and the community in response to the theme: “neighbors.” These stories first appeared in the MOFGA Stories segment in the summer 2021 issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. We are all neighbors, whether we live next door to each other or
“Breaking Ground”
What follows is a collection of stories from MOFGA members, staff, volunteers and the community in response to the theme: “breaking ground.” These stories first appeared in the MOFGA Stories segment in the spring 2021 issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. We bought the land in 2012: a 9-acre field, once sheep and
“The Fair”
Readers submitted the following stories in response to the theme “The Fair.” They appeared in appeared in the 2020-2021 winter issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener. My favorite memory of the Fair is not so much a specific incident but rather a feeling. It’s a rhythmic sense of contentment and connectedness that washes
Ripples in the Milk Pail
By Jacki Martinez Perkins The recent news that Danone, owner of Horizon Organic, has made the decision to withdraw from the Northeast, to focus on sourcing their fluid milk from larger producers in the West, has the potential to shake the moorings of Maine agriculture. Our beautiful and rural state holds the potential to provide
Farm to Table Kids Builds Strong Connections with Nature
By Pete Salmansohn On a sunny mid-June morning a group of young children, under the guidance of farmer Stephanie McDonough, are exploring the world of radishes. “They seem to love pulling them out of the ground more than they like eating them,” she says. “But that’s ok. I call it ‘harvest therapy’ … getting their
Maine Milk Mavens Model Creative Approach to Local Cheese Distribution
by Tim King Maine Milk Mavens, of Whitefield, Maine, has expanded rapidly since its founding in March 2020. Prior to then Jessie Dowling and her crew were milking goats and sheep at Fuzzy Udder Creamery, also in Whitefield, and selling milk, cheese and related products through farmers’ markets, restaurants, grocery stores and specialty shops throughout
Flying Boat Farm Brings Organic Bison to Maine
By Sonja Heyck-Merlin “We can’t get close enough to see the calves,” says Keith Radonis. “We use binoculars to investigate, and we think it’s two females and a male, but we’re not sure.” Scientifically speaking, these calves — the first to be born at Flying Boat Farm in Whitefield, Maine — are bison, not buffalo.
Amy Bigelow “First Frost”
This story appeared in the 2021 fall issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener in response to the theme “first frost.” Transferring to a new high school brings a world of new traditions, opportunities and experiences. My move from a rural public high school in New Hampshire to the Maine School of Science and
Dwight Gagnon “First Frost”
This story appeared in the 2021 fall issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener in response to the theme “first frost.” In the fall of 1969, I was 14 and my family had moved to my great-grandfather’s abandoned homestead in Benton, Maine. It was supposed to be temporary. My family had come here after
Jack Kertesz “First Frost”
This story appeared in the 2021 fall issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener in response to the theme “first frost.” Frost, you say? Probably one of my least favorite aspects of fall is this landscape-altering feature. Over the years of gardening on MOFGA’s fairgrounds, I have learned to associate the approach of the
