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The Slow Flower Movement Grows in Maine

A bouquet of peonies, grown and arranged by the author. Photo by Jude Lamb. By Karen Volckhausen Welcome to the first column in a series about the slow flower movement in the United States and Maine. It is time to start highlighting the great flower growing that is going on here and elsewhere. Like the

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Vegetable Pest and Disease Calendar

By Eric Sideman, Ph.D. Sometimes it is better to be prepared for bad news then to be surprised by it. This chart prepares growers for some of the most common vegetable problems seen in Maine. It is based on the Bug Reporter, which used to be published by the University of Maine Extension Pest Management Office, and

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Treating a Sheep Without Antibiotics

By Patti Hamilton This was an exciting case in which attentive nursing by the farmer, as well as herbal and nutritive supplements and homeopathic remedies, saved the life of a ewe. Pyrogen, a remedy made from putrescent meat, effectively did its job of reducing the fever. – Diane SchiveraOn Tuesday, March 18, 2014, I put

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Purslane

Purslane is high in healthful omega-3 fatty acids – for a vegetable. English photo. By Roberta Bailey Last year was the first year that purslane started showing up in my garden. When I saw it my heart leapt with a little fear. All the voices of other gardeners complaining about this difficult weed rushed through

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Loss of Scab Resistance in Once Resistant Apple Cultivars

Scab on an apple. Photo by C.J. Walke. Scab lesions on apple leaves. Photo by C.J. Walke. By C. J. Walke For organic apple growers in the Northeast, one of the major disease challenges is managing apple scab in orchard trees. Apple scab, caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis, can severely affect unsprayed or unmanaged

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Harvest Kitchen Kale

‘Red Russian’ kale. English photo. By Roberta Bailey Kale is all the rage! It is rocking the health studies with its cancer fighting properties and the nutritional scene with its high levels of beta-carotene and other carotenoids, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein and calcium. The red kales have invited the popular buzzword “anthocyanin” to their

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Food Safety Will It Affect Your Farm

By Dave Colson MOFGA Agricultural Services Director Food safety issues came back into the spotlight for many farmers and agricultural groups this year. In January 2013, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its proposed rules for implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act passed by Congress in 2011. A year in the writing, these proposed

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Focus on Marketing

Broadturn Farm posts photos on Instagram, Facebook and on its website for maximum exposure to social media. Photos courtesy of Broadturn Farm. How can you connect with customers through social media? Farmers highlighted their storytelling strategies at a marketing session at MOFGA’s 2013 Farmer to Farmer Conference. Stacy Brenner and John Bliss of Broadturn Farm

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Kneading Conference

Barak Olins of Zu Bakery, making bread at the Kneading Conference. Photo by Amy Halloran. By Amy Halloran The Kneading Conference (https://kneadingconference.com/) began in 2007 with a few tents and mobile ovens in a church parking lot. Now those tents and ovens congregate at the Skowhegan fairgrounds each July, drawing people from all over the

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Notes from Livestock Meetings

By Diane Schivera, M.A.T. The Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA) Field Days, held in Mansfield, Penn., in September, featured talks on innovative ideas, current research and practical strategies for enhancing the health, productivity and profitability of organic dairy farms. Here are some tips from that event. Fodder from Sprouted Grain John Stoltzfus of Be-A-Blessing

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