"The major problems in the world are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way people think."
- Gregory Bateson
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MOFGA
PO Box 170, Unity, Maine 04988
Phone: 207-568-4142
Fax: 207-568-4141
Email: mofga@mofga.org
Physical Address:
294 Crosby Brook Road
Unity, Maine
MOFGA is an Equal Opportunity organization, provider, and employer.
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| Join us in Portland to learn about flower arranging from Andrea Bachynsky of Honeysuckle Way Flower Farm & Design |
MOFGA Workshops in Portland
Please join us at 769 Congress Street in Portland
FMI: Anna Libby, alibby@mofga.org or 207-568-4142
Introduction to Fermentation
October 2, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
$45 for MOFGA members and $55 for non-members.
Cider: The History of its Decline and Rebirth
October 5, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m
$15 for MOFGA members and $20 for non-members.
Landscape Quilting Workshop
October 10, 9 a.m. to noon
$45 for MOFGA members and $55 for non-members.
Gardening Q&A with Eric Sideman
October 12, 5:30 p.m.
Workshop is free (donations accepted) and does not require registration.
Flower Arranging Workshop
October 13, 5:30 p.m.
$50 for MOFGA members, $55 for non-members.
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Organic and Sustainable Agriculture News
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The value of being greener
The Boston Globe - 8/22/2011. By Kathleen Pierce – There was a time when farm life was impossible without a big, beefy truck. Carting bales of hay and hauling equipment took a burly gas-guzzler. At Otter River Farm, David Smith’s utility vehicle uses no gas at all. Zipping around his dairy in Winchendon, home to Smith’s Country Cheese, on a zero-emissions golf cart, Smith is blazing a path for greener and cleaner times in agriculture. |
Harvesting all that the August garden has to offer
Bangor Daily News - 8/20/2011. By Reeser Manley – For this gardener August means ripe blueberries and ripening tomatoes, fresh cucumbers every day, the first basil harvest, a river of orange and yellow self-sown calendulas flowing through the vegetable garden. August is stepping gingerly over elephant-ear leaves of winter squash, broccoli seedlings growing on the porch rail, goldfinches pecking at sunflower heads, the fragrance of summersweet blossoms, oak trees with moth-eaten leaves, ripe acorns in the grass. |
Only thing consistent about Maine weather is its inconsistency
Kennebec Journal - 8/19/2011.By Denis Thoet – All farmers seem to do, besides farming, is complain about the weather. In 2009, we had 20-plus inches of rain during that June and July, and the moaning was as loud as the highway noise on Interstate 295 when the wind is right. "You can't do anything about the weather," is the typical whine. So, after the initial braying, it's time to think about what to do, then do it: Irrigate in drought and shelter your crops in stretches of wet weather. |
Plants, animals migrating upward as climate changes
Bangor Daily News - 8/19/2011.By Brian Vastag – Across the globe, plants and animals are creeping, crawling, slithering and winging to higher altitudes and higher latitudes as global temperatures climb. Moreover, the greater the warming in any given region, the farther its plants and animals have migrated, according to the largest analysis to date of the rapidly shifting ranges of species in Europe, North America, Chile and Malaysia. |
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online community!
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Winter Rental in Swanville by Borealis: "Cozy 2-bedroom house in Swanville available for winter months, December or January-March. A good place for farmers who have h..." |
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Position Available by Triple Chick Farm : "Long term, full time position for an individual with a strong commitment to agriculture. Must provide own transportation and ..." |
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working oxen? by FussingDuckFarm: "Is there anyone within an hour or so of the Bangor area that has working oxen and who would be willing to harness them up for..." |
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ISO farmable land to lease-to-own by Runamuk Acres: "Local beekeeper/farmer looking for farmable land to lease-to-own in central Maine: Madison, Anson, Solon, Bingham, Starks, In..." |
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October 2 - Introduction to Fermentation |
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., MOFGA's Common Ground on the Town, 769 Congress St., Portland. Fermentation is a traditional practice that has been used for thousands of years as a way to preserve food for extended use. Please join Frank Giglio of Three Lily Farm and learn the basic fundamentals of fermentation. In this hands-on class, you will learn a variety of techniques to properly ferment a wide range of ingredients. $55; $45 MOFGA members. Registration. |
October 5 - Cider: The History of its Decline and Rebirth |
Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., MOFGA's Common Ground on the Town, 769 Congress Street, Portland. Hard Cider is a drink with deep roots in Maine stretching back to the seventeenth century. It is now the basis of a booming new industry that draws on that tradition with modern twists. This talk will explore the history of cider in Maine from settlement through the temperance movement of the nineteenth century and beyond to examine its virtual disappearance in the state as a commercial enterprise in the twentieth century. Interestingly, the decline of cider in the twentieth century may have very little to do with Prohibition. Come learn what makes heirloom apples so great for making cider, and why you would not want to eat some cider varieties. $20; $15 MOFGA members. Registration. |
October 7 - MOFGA's Common Ground Call-In Radio Show |
An hour on local food and agriculture. 10 a.m. on 89.9 FM or weru.org |
October 8 - Aroostook Apple Day |
11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Littleton Agricultural Museum, 1664 Rt. 1, Littleton Maine. Free admission! Celebrate fruit varieties for the North with apple identification, apple tasting, fruit displays, workshops on plums, apples and pears, organic pest and disease management, plus vendor sales of local products. Cosponsored by MOFGA, Fedco Trees, Maine Farmland Trust and Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District. FMI: Angie Wotton, www.saswcd.org |
October 8-10 - Nose to Tail Pork Processing |
Saturday to Monday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center, Unity. This is one of our most popular workshops, covering all aspects of raising, humanely slaughtering, and processing pigs. Information. |
October: 10: Landscape Quilting Workshop |
Monday, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, MOFGA's Common Ground on the Town, 769 Congress St., Portland. Join quilter Nora Flanagan and learn to make a landscape quilt. You’ll get to begin your project at this hands-on workshop. $55; $45 MOFGA members. Registration. |
October 12: Gardening Q & A with Eric Sideman |
Wednesday, 5:30 to 7 p.m., MOFGA's Common Ground on the Town, 769 Congress St., Portland. Join MOFGA's Crop Specialist Eric Sideman who will be available to answer all of your gardening questions. This event is by donation. For information contact the MOFGA office: 207-568-4142; mofga@mofga.org. |
October 13 - Flower Arranging Workshop |
Thursday, 5:30 p.m., MOFGA's Common Ground on the Town, 769 Congress Street, Portland. FMI: Anna, alibby@mofga.org or 207-568-4142. Registration: $50 for MOFGA members, $55 for non-members, at MOFGA's online Country Store |
October 14 - 5th Annual Maine Farm to School Conference |
Bates College, Lewiston. Cost ($25) includes locally sourced lunch. Information and registration. |
October 15 - Post-Fair Cleanup |
9 a.m., MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center. Help us clean up after the Fair and enjoy meals and fun with MOFGA supporters! |
October 16 - Great Maine Apple Day |
Rain or shine: 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center, Unity. Celebrate the history, tradition, and flavor of Maine apples with MOFGA. Information. |
November 4-6 - Farmer to Farmer Conference |
Point Lookout Resort and Conference Center, 67 Atlantic Highway (Route One), Northport, Maine. MOFGA's annual conference for farmers provides a great opportunity to talk about what works and what doesn't while learning new ideas from university faculty, fellow farmers, and others. Information. |
November 17-20 - Low Impact Forestry Workshops |
MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center, Unity. For people, beginning and experienced, to learn and practice sustainable woodlot management, and logging with animals and low-impact machinery. Information. |
November 18-19 - Chainsaw & Forestry Safety Courses |
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center, Unity. Level I is a two-day course covering many aspects of chainsaw use including - the basics of saw mechanics, operation, maintenance, safety and an opportunity to learn and practice safe felling techniques. Level II is designed for the saw operator who has experience, but want to practice and improve upon his or her technique. Information. |
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SEE THE FULL CALENDAR |
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