Archives: Resources

Tax Tips for Farmers

by Craig Idlebrook Come March, farmers may be wondering how to pay this year’s taxes when crop income is still just a twinkle in their eyes. Here are 10 tax tips from three farm business specialists from University of Vermont Extension: Dennis Kauppila, St. Johnsbury; Bob Parsons, on campus; and Glenn Rogers, St. Albans. 1.

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Greensprouting Potatoes

Greensprouted potatoes. Photo courtesy of New Brunswick Dept. of Agriculture and Aquaculture, www.gnb.ca/0029/00290048-e.asp by Sue Smith-Heavenrich Last spring I was intrigued when Andy Leed, an upstate New York grower, mentioned that he was “greensprouting” his potatoes. He’d been growing table-crop spuds for many years and, frustrated by the lack of organic seed tubers in smaller

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Frank Morton

Frank Morton enjoys a conversation with Farmer to Farmer participants. English photo. Frank Morton has been breeding and experimenting with vegetables for some 25 years. Varieties that grow well under organic cultivation on both coasts are offered in quantities of ½ ounce or more in his Wild Garden Seed catalog from Gathering Together Farm, PO

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Maine Micro Dairy Cooperative

Perry Ells and Keith Morgan-Davie talked about the potential for micro-dairies in Maine, focusing on sheep and goat milk, at the Farmer to Farmer Conference. English photo. Scroll down for: Dairy Goat Budgets & Dairying Resources Sheep farmers Keith Morgan-Davie of North Whitefield and Perry Ells of Union described their operations at the Farmer to

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Growing Grapes

With attention to variety, siting and soil, many varieties of grapes can be grown in northern New England. Photo by Dierdre Fuchs. By John Fuchs Grapes are an ideal, but often challenging, crop for the homeowner or homesteader to grow in far northern climates. They are amazingly productive, grow in a wide variety of soils and need

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Maine Winemaking Sampler

A sampling of Shalom’s fruit wines.  Photo by Frances Idlebrook. by Craig Idlebrook So you want to start a vineyard in Maine. Before you plow up your squash patch, you might want to talk to some farmers who have tried growing grapes. Dennis King has a small organic vineyard at King Hill Farm in Penobscot.

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Chainsaw Safety for Women

Under the instruction of Mike Maines, participants in the chainsaw safety workshop held last March get hands-on experience. by Ellen S. Gibson This is the story of how 25 women showed up at the barn on Stearns Hill Farm in West Paris on a chilly Saturday morning in March last year to attend a workshop

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Redefining Soil Fertility

There is No Soil Fertility Without a Healthy Forest Branches under 3 inches in diameter, from deciduous trees, can be chipped to make a soil-building, crop-fertilizing amendment.  English photo. by Céline Caron Terms in italics are defined in the glossary at the end of this article. Have you ever wondered how a forest can grow

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Healthy Food in Hospitals

The stir fry bar at Maine Medical Center in Portland. Photo courtesy of Maine Medical Center. by Terry Allan For most people, hospital food conjures images of bland, institutional, overcooked meat and vegetables accompanied by surreal Jell-O. But a quiet revolution taking place gradually in hospital kitchens around the country has positive implications not only

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Honoring Hestia

Colette harvests big tomatoes, and abundance of chard, and much more to supply her family all year with fresh and preserved produce. Photo courtesy of the Thompson family. by Marada Cook Hestia was a goddess of hearth and fire. Greek script lacks capital letters to distinguish names from objects, so Hestia meant literally the ‘hearth,’

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