New Brunswick’s historic Bantry Bay Farm is being brought back into production by this intrepid foursome: Mike Hadfield, Luke McLean, Katherine McCord and Brad Aune. Photo by Larry Lack. by Larry Lack A historic saltwater farm in New Brunswick on the St. Croix River near Calais has a new lease on life thanks to the
Jesse Rusak (left), Raphael Nd’ung’u Kimani and Saima Sidik share a humorous moment looking at a book while sitting on a compost bin. Photo courtesy of Expanding Opportunities. by Saima Sidik Saima Sidik of Lincolnville, Maine, and Jesse Rusak of Halifax, Nova Scotia, spent January to July 2006 in Kenya with an organization called Expanding
Maine farmer Ken Geiser directs the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. He spoke about progress in green chemistry during his keynote at the Common Ground Country Fair. English photo. Exciting Alternatives to Hazardous Technologies Ken Geiser, director of the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production at the University of
In her keynote speech at the 2006 Common Ground Country Fair, Cynthia Thayer talked about the delicious foods produced locally – mostly on her farm – that make up family meals at Darthia Farm in Gouldsboro. English photo. Another Way to Eat For 28 years, the highly diversified Darthia Farm in Gouldsboro has been MOFGA-certified,
Our Future Is In Sustainable Agriculture First Lady Karen Baldacci has worked hard to promote Maine foods and healthful eating. She gardens and saves seeds at the Blaine House. English photo. Maine’s First Lady, Karen Baldacci, was Common Ground’s keynote speaker on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2006. Russell Libby, executive director of MOFGA, introduced her, explaining
At Islesboro Central School, a hoop house protects warm weather crops in the summer and is slid over the plot of greens for an extended fall harvest. The plastic net fencing keeps out deer. Story and photos by Jean English Bob Berg, a cheerful, older man, drives up to the Islesboro Central School (ICS)
The Gagne family – Becka, Oceanna, Rowan and Jeff, strive to balance work and play. Photo courtesy of the Gagnes. by Rhonda Tate “Ahh, country living,” laughs Becka Smith Gagne as she prepares lunch for her four-year-old daughter, Oceanna, tells her apprentice Katie where to store onion braids, answers questions on life and the pursuit
A Duckweed-Tilapia-Vegetable Cycle Grows in Washington, Maine From the outside, the garden and greenhouse at Home Grown look just like those at any other small farm enterprise. The ordinary exterior hides a unique self-sufficient system of raising large quantities of fish and vegetables in a small space. Alice Percy photo. by Alice Percy On a
By Roberta Bailey Copyright 2006 As the first frost came, I must admit that I breathed a sigh of relief. This has been the most trying gardening season of my life, and now I can begin to put it behind me, but not without an eye toward the sky. You may recall that the garden
By Eric Sideman, Ph.D. Copyright 2006 In 1648, Jean-Baptiste van Helmont did a great experiment and had clear results, but he drew the wrong conclusion. Still, he was among the first on the path to understanding the role of soil in plant nutrition. He placed 200 pounds of soil in a pot and planted a
