By Caleb P. Goossen, Ph.D., MOFGA Crop Specialist As the extent of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemical contamination of agricultural systems began to be better understood in Maine in 2022, MOFGA chose to initiate our own due diligence (as did many other businesses and organizations, I hope). Our initial testing was performed on water
By Roberta Bailey What can I make for the potluck? How much extra time do I have? What is in the refrigerator? What do I have a surplus of in the root cellar? How far do I have to travel? Will that dish travel well? Can I make it ahead? Does it need to be
By Will Bonsall There’s nothing new about beets. They’re among the oldest vegetables cultivated by humans. The ancient Greeks esteemed them, starting with their wild ancestor, Beta vulgaris spp. maritima (still found growing wild on the Adriatic littoral). They eventually bred them into the sweet and succulent food we enjoy today. In much more modern
By Tim King In 1903, the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture commissioned a report on the browntail moth following a substantial outbreak of the pest, which had been introduced to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, only a few years earlier. Among other things, in “A Report on the Life History and Habits of the Imported Brown-Tail Moth,”
Disease(s): Common Foliar Diseases of Alliums This fact sheet discusses botrytis leaf spot (Botrytis squamosa), purple blotch (Alternaria porri), stemphylium leaf blight (Stemphylium vesicarium) and downy mildew of onion (Peronospora destructor). These are the most commonly occurring foliar diseases of alliums in the Northeast, and many of their disease dynamics are closely linked; if one
Pest: White mold (Sclerotinia sclerotium) Pest/disease lifecycle, most common damage symptoms and crops affected: White mold (Sclerotinia sclerotium) is a widespread disease of over 300 species of plants. It is only a sporadic problem in “normal” and dry growing seasons; however, white mold can be very damaging in wet years and, if it goes unrecognized
Pest: Slugs and Snails Pest/disease identification and lifecycle, most common damage symptoms and crops affected: Land slugs and snails are closely related mollusks, known together as “gastropods,” the primary difference between them being that snails have external spiraling shells. There are over 90 terrestrial gastropods found in Maine. The gray garden slug is most common
Pest: Two-spotted spider mites (Tetryanchus urticae) Pest/disease identification and lifecycle, most common damage symptoms and crops affected: Two-spotted spider mites are the most common mite pest of crops in the Northeast. Because they thrive in hot and dry conditions, they are commonly found in greenhouses and high tunnels. Spider mites can feed on many crops
By Jacki Martinez Perkins Fencing In the life of an organic livestock farmer summer brings one never-ending task: fencing. The winter frosts heave most posts loose of their moorings, the deer disregard the works of mankind in their quest for forage, and mother nature herself eats away at even the stoutest of materials. All this
By Laura Sieger This summer marks the Maine Heritage Orchard’s 10-year anniversary. It’s pretty wild that a decade ago Dennis Jones and crew were shaping the old spent gravel pit into a terraced, plantable landscape that would become the Maine Heritage Orchard. John Bunker and Russell Libby had campaigned for a space to be used
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