Organic dairy farmers Steve and Mia Morrison in their barn. Photo by Kate Morrison. Second Generation Morrison Farmers Profit from Organic Dairy By Rhonda Houston On a clear, crisp day in January, hundreds of dairy farmers convened in Augusta to convince legislators that they cannot keep up their current way of life. They are drowning
Nancy and Bob Sullivan are as busy in “retirement” as they were when they worked – maybe even more so. English photo. Bob and Nancy Sullivan in Vibrant Retirement by Marada Cook “They’re retired,” says Janice Clark, “but they don’t really know the meaning of the word.” “We just run errands and help count the
When It Rains, by Sue Smith-Heavenrich Inca Gold, by Mariana S. Tupper When It Rains When it rains thirsty squash pick up their roots, dance-splash mud on radish leaves. Cat-faced tomatoes and snap peas tango, dip-swirl past rutabagas, kale, escarole. Habaneros strut like roosters, they think they are such hombres calientes. Beans snap, poppies shake,
Toki Oshima drawing By Mort Mather If you know that I’m a past president of MOFGA, you might think you know how I will answer this question. It is not that simple, though. To begin with, taste is, to a large extent, subjective. Add to that different varieties, different weather conditions, different soil types and
By John Bliss Last spring, Stacy, Emma and I moved from Pennsylvania to Maine; two whole shades of difference on the zone hardiness map! So for us, spring seemed to last twice as long last year. Before the move, our first set of seedlings broke through their moist soil and stretched toward the window overlooking
Bill and Cynthia Thayer and two new friends pose in front of the Darthia Farm Store. Erin James photo. By Rhonda Houston “Well, it’s pretty exhausting work,” say Bill and Cynthia Thayer after a moment of thought. A few days after I sat down with the Thayers of Darthia Farm in Gouldsboro, I can’t quite
Karen Volckhausen. English photo. Karen Volckhausen: Not Just a Tourist by Marada Cook Karen Volckhausen began her volunteer work on vacation. “We took a two-week trip with our husbands to Guatemala, in 1992,” said close friend Peggy Strong, “We went to all the usual tourist sites, but it was meeting the people that really sparked
By Mary Anne Libby One Sunday afternoon’s perusal of the seed catalogs and we are off – In the midst of a gentle, deep snow we can dream of sweet peas, turning the names of varieties over and over in our minds, on our tongues. Matucana, Cupani, Mrs. Collier, Painted Lady, and Little Sweetheart. Mammoth
Forty-year-old Golden Delicious trees thrive in this 26-acre orchard that sits 1200 feet above the Pacific Ocean, close enough for avid surfer Stuart Beck and his family to make a quick run to the beach. Lamb photo. By Jane Lamb I met Stuart Beck’s apples before I met the grower himself. In the midst of
Jim Gerritsen. Jim Gerritsen: Standing Firmly for Organic Certification by Marada Cook When Jim Gerritsen bought land in Bridgewater in 1976, he and his wife Megan began an organic seed potato business and published a mail order catalog that made WoodPrairie Farm into a well-known, successful family farm. What is less well known about Gerritsen
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