By Eric Sideman A book from the 1950s by J.I. Rodale called the Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening refers to ‘compost water.’ “It is no trouble to make,” writes Rodale. “All you have to do is fill a sprinkling can half with finished compost and half with water.” Rodale points out that some of the valuable
Toki Oshima illustration. By Jan Suszkiw, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff People aren’t the only ones to benefit from salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin. Spraying this naturally occurring compound onto some plants triggers natural defenses that keep harmful fungi, bacteria and viruses at bay. Plants have always had some means to defend themselves,
The OMRI categories that may include pesticides are: amino acids Bacillus thuringiensis Beauveria bassiana biological controls boric acid botanical pesticides calcium polysulfide copper products corn gluten diatomaceous earth enzymes nonsynthetic fungicides gibberellic acid nonsynthetic herbicides hydrogen peroxide inoculants lime sulfur limonene neem cake and extract nonsynthetic nematicides narrow range oils nonsynthetic oils pheromones potassium bicarbonate
From The New Farm® www.rodaleinstitute.org/new_farm Copyright © 2003 The Rodale Institute®. Reprinted with permission. Imagine the press that would be generated if the genetic engineering industry developed a transferable gene that would allow crops to yield 35% to 100% more under drought conditions. Every newspaper would feature the story on its front page, and it
Waltham Butternut. Photo provided by Johnny’s Selected Seeds. By Jean English On a cold and snowy day in January, Rob Johnston Jr., Chairman of Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Albion, Maine, urged growers to go home after Maine’s Agricultural Trades Show and do their “winter kitchen table work. Do it tonight in front of the wood
By John Hershey For us gardeners, the approach of spring is a most exciting time. It’s not that we don’t enjoy the winter, with its time away from the garden to rest and recharge. After a busy autumn of harvesting the garden’s bounty, winter offers time for quiet contemplation. Perhaps we have, in fact, a
The kitchen at Fort Fairfield High School would be the envy of many bakers. Here, visitors watch while students knead and shape dough to make hundreds of loaves of certified organic bread each week. Photo courtesy of Students Baking a Living. By Marada Cook A calm, composed voice answers the phone. “Students Baking a Living,
Wood from white oak (shown here), black locust, cedar and honey locust can be used as an organic alternative to pressure-treated wood. English photo. By Eric Sideman, Ph.D. I have worked for MOFGA for nearly 20 years as the “answer man,” and questions about treated lumber have come in every spring when gardeners and farmers
By Diane Schivera I wanted Maine grass farmers to know that MOGFA, Cooperative Extension, Unity Barnraisers and a group of farmers received a SARE grant to establish the Maine Grassfarmers Network. We began to work on the following objectives in May: 1. Four regional workshops will be held in Maine for Cooperative Extension educators, Maine
Illustration by Toki Oshima. By Roberta Bailey In the last few years, I have noticed a significant increase in the number of small dairy operations, many of them organic, in Maine. Transitioning to organic has helped small dairy farms survive. Selling milk wholesale is one option, but I have noted an increasing number of farms
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