Black Gold for Soil, Long-Term Carbon Storage for Earth by Jean English Biochar (or agrichar) is the product of pyrolysis – of burning plant material under controlled, low-oxygen conditions (in a kiln, for example) to produce charcoal. Adding this highly stable form of carbon to soils may increase plant yields (especially on degraded soils); reduce
by Marada Cook Thinking about starting a farm? Looking for good land, good markets that are reasonably close, a little (or a lot) of start-up capital, a place to live, a way to pay bills in the off-season, a community of organic farmers, equipment that isn’t outrageously expensive or in disrepair? Maybe you’ve found the
McDougal Orchard in Sanford is one of three farms that Maine Farmland Trust has helped protect. Bridget Besaw photo. by John Piotti When I give presentations on farming in Maine, I usually begin with this true-or-false quiz: • In the last two federal agricultural censuses, the number of farmers in Maine increased. • In the
Allen Smith and daughter Isabel selling apple products at the 2007 Common Ground Fair. Photo courtesy Allen Smith. by Craig Idlebrook When I first met Allen Smith at the end of the 2007 Common Ground Country Fair, he had the tired look of someone who had dished out hundreds of apple cider-sweetened snow-cones for three
Here are 20 foods that Maine can produce for its citizens to enjoy all year. 1. POTATOES 2. APPLES 3. MILK/CHEESE /DAIRY 4. BLUEBERRIES 5. EGGS 6. MAPLE SYRUP, HONEY 7. CARROTS 8. FRESH AND PROCESSED TOMATOES 9. GRAINS 10. DRY BEANS 11. GARLIC 12. ONIONS 13. GREENS, SPINACH, KALE 14. SEAFOOD: SHRIMP, SCALLOPS, LOBSTER,
Conference Educates and Invigorates Seed Producers by Nikos Kavanya This winter I attended my second biennial Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) conference in Oregon. Upon returning from my first, I intended to write a “travel report” for my community here in Maine, but it was the busy time in the seeds season, and one thing led
Cilantro and coriander, from Koehler’s Medicinal-Plants, 1887. by Roberta Bailey Cilantro is an herb that arouses extreme passions. People either love it or hate it. It has a pungent, parsley-citrus flavor and aroma that makes people salivate with anticipation or completely avoid the dish that contains it. Cilantro is the leaf and coriander is the
Maine Grass Farmers Network Offers Shared-Use Equipment The Maine Grass Farmers Network (MGFN), a cooperative effort of University of Maine Cooperative Extension and MOFGA, has received funds to purchase machinery for shared use by Maine farmers to improve nutrient management, pasture productivity and overall performance of grazing animals. This equipment will be available for MGFN
The larva of the carrot rust fly is a maggot that tunnels into carrots. Photos by Eric Sideman. by Eric Sideman, Ph.D. I have lived in the same house in Greene, Maine, for over 20 years, and the carrot rust fly has been a problem only one of those years. But it was awful that
The logging crew at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center, Feb. 2008. Photo by Nick Zanstra. by Pete Hagerty and Sam Brown A Little History “We had a lot of fun, made a pile of wood, and didn’t nobody get hurt. Now, pay attention because it gets complicated for a while before it gets plain.”
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