Erik Nielsen, third from left, with some of the Biosa team in Frederiksvaerk, Denmark. Story and photos by Ron Rosenthall North Americans may soon associate Denmark with more than Hamlet, blue cheese and the Little Mermaid: We may add products from Biosa Danmark ApS that could improve the well-being of farm animals, the yield and
Maine Department of Agriculture Educational Outreach Trailers Pitch the Right Message by Marada Cook Say you went to the fair. Not the Common Ground Country Fair, but, as a local homeschooler put it – a “real” fair – one with a midway, cotton candy, dust, bright lights and teenage excitement. You’d expect to see horse
Farm Insurance: What You Should Know Linda Whitmore-Smithers of Medicine Hill Farm, a small, diversified farm in Starks, Maine, says she’s not an expert on insurance. She learned a lot about the subject, however, when her barn burnt to the ground, and she shared that information at the Farmer to Farmer Conference in Bar Harbor
Barbara and Jason Kafka described their conservative methods of earning and saving money for retirement at MOFGA’s 2018 Farmer to Farmer Conference. English photo By Jean English Barbara and Jason Kafka of Checkerberry Farm in Parkman, Maine, and Paul and Sandy Arnold of Pleasant Valley Farm in Argyle, New York, spoke at MOFGA’s 2018 Farmer to Farmer
A 1955 Farmall Cub. Photo by Ben Hoffman By Ben Hoffman To me, the most versatile, useful, practical farm machine ever made was the Farmall Cub. Introduced in 1947 to replace horses and mules on small farms, about 245,000 Cubs were produced from 1947 until 1979. The tractor featured a 4-cylinder, 9.25 horsepower gasoline engine,
Emily Oakley spoke at MOFGA’s Farmer to Farmer Conference about making a living on a small farm and about having input into national organic standards. Left to right: Jim Gerritsen (Wood Prairie Family Farm), Emily Oakley, and Eric Sideman and Dave Colson from MOFGA. English photo As organic foods gain an ever wider audience and
By Alice Percy, MOFGA President Treble Ridge Farm, Whitefield I can’t count the number of times I’ve had this conversation. Customer: So how big is your farm? Me: Well, we try to grow out about 80 pigs each year, and we’re cropping between 80 and 100 acres. Customer: That’s huge! Actually, that’s not huge. It’s
Pheonix Obrien and Megan Gardner are the current farmers-in-residence at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center in Unity. This photo shows them preparing for MOFGA’s Common Ground Country Fair, which takes place right outside the farmhouse where they live during their residency. English photo Farmers-in-residence grow crops on MOFGA’s grounds, enabling them to begin a farming
By Russell Libby What do you do when you keep running into the same farmers while you’re delivering to the local restaurant trade? Often, you work hard to try to build better connections with the chef so that you can be sure that your produce is in demand. However, when your competition is mostly your
Paul and Sandy Arnold of Pleasant Valley Farm (118 South Valley Rd., Argyle, NY 12809; [email protected]) were the “Farmers in the Spotlight” at MOFGA and Maine Cooperative Extension’s 2010 Farmer to Farmer Conference in Northport, Maine. Both grew up in suburbia. Paul worked in the nursery business for about six years, then farmed for two years
