By Noah Gleason-Hart If thoughtful forest stewardship is a long, winding road, then a forest management plan (FMP) is the map that can lead to a healthy, complex and productive forest. These documents – written by licensed foresters – describe the current state of a forest, define the landowner’s objectives and prescribe actions a landowner
By Caleb Goossen, Ph.D. In my role at MOFGA, I frequently give talks and provide advice to farmers and gardeners regarding organic management of plant diseases. As any attendee can probably attest to, I often pack as much information into the talk as I possibly can. I sometimes fear that making space for the specifics
By Jacob Mentlik For decades Maine’s apple expert and pomological detective John Bunker has been hunting for and rediscovering rare old varieties of apples. Using all of the clues he can gather, he pieces together the history and possible locations of ancient trees, finds and collects fruit and then spends hours poring over old books
By Jacki Perkins The history of dairy consumption dates back nearly 5,000 years. Milk pasteurization has existed since 1862 and has become mainstream right along with the push for urbanization and the loss of agrarian lifestyles. One can find studies and articles arguing both sides of the pasteurization debate. What I would like to highlight
By Roberta Bailey Happy 50th birthday, MOFGA. Few remember a time before MOFGA was a part of Maine. It has become the mycelium that connects and enriches all of Maine’s community, from gardeners, farmers, artists, co-ops, apprentices and journey-folk to businesses and fairgoers. As with mycelia, MOFGA extends the reach of our roots and furthers
By David McDaniel I am an organic farmer recovering from a heavy reliance on and addiction to the agricultural plastic needed to make my commercial farm competitive, productive and profitable. I got into organic farming for the noble purpose of working in a vocation that would theoretically pay a livable wage while allowing me to
By Sonja Heyck-Merlin “Each time we’ve dug a shallow well, the excavator operator looks at me and says, ‘I don’t know Joe, I don’t think you’re going to get much water out of there,’” says Joe Ayotte, a hydrologist with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in New England. “It does look pretty dry but
Pests: Spinach leafminer (Pegomya hyoscyami), Beet leafminer (Pegomya betae) Pest/disease identification and lifecycle, most common symptoms and crops affected: These closely related species of leafminer attack spinach, beet, chard and some weeds, such as lambsquarters. The adult is a fly that lays its eggs on the undersides of leaves. Eggs hatch in as few as
Pests: Imported Cabbageworm (Pieris rapae), Diamondback Moth (Platella zylostella), Cabbage Looper (Trichoplusia ni) The first sign of imported cabbageworm is typically one or more white moths with dark marks on their wings fluttering around brassica plants during the day. Also known as cabbage whites, these moths lay ⅛-inch long eggs singly on brassica crop leaves,
Pest: Onion Thrips (Thrips tabaci) Pest/disease Identification and lifecycle, most common symptoms and crops affected: Onion thrips are active already, and if they have been a problem for you in years past it is time to start scouting for them. They are very tiny and easily overlooked until the onion plants start showing leaves that
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