Organic and Sustainable Agriculture News

Forecast grows more dire Portland Press Herald - 10/22/2009. By John Richardson – Portland: Greenland's glaciers are melting and falling into the ocean far faster than expected just five years ago, which means higher sea levels and more coastal flooding than expected here, researchers from the universities of Maine and New Hampshire said Wednesday. "A whole series of changes have started to take place in Greenland (that) lead us to believe we can expect a much larger sea level rise," said Gordon Hamilton, a research associate professor at the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute. And, Hamilton said, "we're going to see a lot of this sea level rise come a lot sooner than we thought." Dresden farmers turn talents to plant-based proteins Portland Press Herald - 10/21/2009. By Avery Yale Kamila – Autumn sunlight filters softly through the kitchen windows as Andy Berhanu pours a fungal culture known as tempeh starter into a stainless-steel bowl of cooked soybeans. His wife, Jaime Berhanu, gently stirs the culture into the beans. Next, the pair, who own Lalibela Farm in Dresden, work together to scoop the mixture into specially perforated plastic bags. Jaime uses a rolling pin to flatten each bag. The bags will later be placed in a gently heated baking rack, where they'll ferment for a day before the starter turns each bag of loose beans into a solid cake of tempeh. Forum cultivates a taste for trade Bangor Daily News - 10/21/2009. By Eric Russell – Bangor: Members of the Maine Grocers Association and the newly formed Maine Food Producers Alliance came together Tuesday to discuss how they can cooperate in marketing Maine food products. The first Maine Food Means Business event, held at Hollywood Slots Hotel & Raceway, was attended by about 150 people representing manufacturers, producers, distributors and retailers of food products made in Maine. The good food revolution Boston Globe - 10/20/2009. Op-Ed by Will Allen, founder and CEO of Growing Power, Milwaukee – Autumn has arrived in the Northeast. The leaves are turning colors, the days are getting shorter, and the weather has a hint of the chill to come. It’s a time of change in many ways. Our nation is grappling with the daunting challenges of health care and global warming. Another change is coming as well. It’s called the good food revolution. By bringing locally grown, organic, nutritiously rich food to a table near you, the good food revolution can help us tackle these larger societal issues, and benefit us all. Title makes Gifford’s cream of the crop Portland Press Herald - 10/19/2009. By Doug Harlow – Skowhegan: I scream. You scream. We all scream for the world's best ice cream. Right? Well, locally owned and operated Gifford's Ice Cream is rising to the top nationally with a recent first-place showing in competition and the distinction of having the "World's Best Chocolate Ice Cream." Gifford's earned a perfect score in the World Dairy Expo 2009 contest last month in Madison, Wis. Real ‘comfort food’ comes from local farms Maine Sunday Telegram - 10/18/2009. By Pat Theriault – Waterville: I have always associated the term comfort food with food prepared at home: creamy mashed potatoes and a savory pot roast, baked macaroni and cheese, a warm slice of apple pie. But this summer I have developed a new definition: comfort food is food that is grown close to home. Opportunity, just below the surface Maine Sunday Telegram - 10/18/2009. By John Richardson – Casco Bay: Tollef Olson and Paul Dobbins poke the roots of young kelp plants into a mesh sleeve. The brown seaweed hangs off the sleeve like boiled lasagna noodles as Dobbins lowers it into the cool water west of Chebeague Island. "These plants, by the spring, will be six to eight feet long," said Olson. It's planting time at what is believed to be the first kelp farm in the United States. In a few months, if all goes according to plan, the grown plants will be harvested, cut, cooked and turned into, well, kelp noodles. And kelp salad. And kelp slaw. Current  Archive     Page: 1 2 3 4 5