Eric Rector with his three-year-old Dexter cow and her newborn calf. So you’re thinking of getting a family cow. You’ve probably thought of many good reasons: fresh milk 10 months of the year, copious amounts of cream, peaceful moments in the barn with your head resting against the cow while milking and letting the rest
Canadian agrologist Wendy Holm takes farmers, chefs and students on working tours of Cuba, where they help establish research plots in sustainable dairy production, learn about local foods and food preparation, enjoy Cuban culture, and more. Photo courtesy of Wendy Holm. Wendy Holm of Vancouver, B.C., has, for 34 years, been an agrologist (a professional
Perry Ells and Keith Morgan-Davie talked about the potential for micro-dairies in Maine, focusing on sheep and goat milk, at the Farmer to Farmer Conference. English photo. Scroll down for: Dairy Goat Budgets & Dairying Resources Sheep farmers Keith Morgan-Davie of North Whitefield and Perry Ells of Union described their operations at the Farmer to
by Diane Schivera, M.S., and Eric Sideman, Ph.D. Selenium (Se) serves important functions in all animals. Called the “protection mineral,” it is a key component in glutathione peroxidase, an antioxidant enzyme. The enzyme, found in red and white blood cells, heart muscle, brain, fat, lungs, liver, kidney and skeletal muscle, stops oxidation and thus protects
by Diane SchiveraMOFGA’s Livestock Specialist Record keeping serves many functions for livestock farmers (and for all farmers), and it’s a requirement for organic farmers. We all say, “I’ll remember that …,” but then we often forget. The MOFGA Certification Services Practice Manual says the following regarding animal-related record keeping: Individual animals, and in the case
By Rick Kersbergen, Tim Dalton and Lisa Bragg Copyright ©2006 by the authors The authors are extension professor, associate professor and research assistant, University of Maine, Orono. They wish to acknowledge the work of Robert Parsons, Glenn Rogers, Dennis Kauppila, and Qingbin Wang at the University of Vermont and Nat Bacon and Lisa McCrory of
Doug and Heather Donahue of Balfour Farm at their booth at the Common Ground Country Fair. Photo courtesy of Balfour Farm By Sonja Heyck-Merlin In Gaelic, Balfour means “from the grazing or pasture land.” Maine organic farmstead cheesemakers Heather and Doug Donahue settled on the name in honor of Doug’s Irish ancestry. The name also
The North Branch family, left to right: Ada, Anna, Seth, Elwyn, Tyler and Misha Some of the horse-drawn equipment used on the farm, with the fenced (from deer) fruit tree and shrub nursery in the background. A closer look at the irrigated nursery North Branch specializes in vegetable crops grown for its winter CSA Seth
Left to right: Vaughn, Laura and Brooke Chase with a few of their cows, including a newborn calf. The Chase family has been involved in dairy farming in Aroostook County for more than 60 years. Inside the barn at Chase’s. Esch Family Farm is a new, progressive organic dairy farm in Smyrna. The modern, well
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
