"A patent on seeds is a patent on freedom. "
- Ka Memong Patayan
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MOFGA Membership Meeting
January 13, 2009
1:30 p.m.
At The Agricultural Trades Show
At The Augusta Civic Center |
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Bill Spiller and his wife, Anna, have participated in Plant a Row for the Hungry since the program began in 2001. The fruits of their labor (Maine Sunday Telegram, 11/23/08) Gregory Rec, Portland Press Herald photographer.
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• Soil not oil: why we need to kick petroleum out of our farms (Vandana Shiva, Alternet, 12/3/08)
• Trade pacts may undermine state laws (Bangor Daily News, 12/3/08)
• A message for climate change negotiators: small farmers key to combating climate change (Common Dreams, 12/2/08)
• Burger and fr ... uh, what was I saying? (Grist, 12/2/08)
• Local food plus: a model for food citizenship in North America (WorldChanging, 12/2/08)
• One man’s 3-year experiment in eating organic food – all the time (New York Times, 12/2/08) POST
• Colby ranked sixth for best food (Kennebec Journal, 11/30/08)
• Holiday fun helps farm thrive in new landscape (Maine Sunday Telegram, 11/30/08)
• Cheer, caution greet shrimp season start (Maine Sunday Telegram, 11/30/08)
• Trapped: Maine lobster towns try to weather a global economic storm (Maine Sunday Telegram, 11/30/08)
• Dairy: the good news, the bad news (Bangor Daily News, 11/29/08)
• Mashed potatoes more than a dance (Sandy Oliver, Bangor Daily News, 11/29/08)
• Dairy business gets family’s goat (Bangor Daily News, 11/28/08)
• Food and fuel (WorldChanging, 11/27/08)
• Produce perversions part 1: living with the underbelly (Ethicurean, 11/27/08)
• More thoughts on USDA and Obama (Grist, 11/26/08)
• Organic food scientifically proves healthier (OrganicToBe, 11/26/08)
• Top of the food chain (Richard Heinberg, 11/25/08)
• The garden farm guide to beekeeping (Gene Logsdon, OrganicToBe, 11/25/08)
• A state of hunger (Portland Press Herald, 11/25/08)
• How food companies have caused obesity (Alternet, 11/25/08)
• Living the good life on $5000 a year (Alternet, 11/25/08)
• Farmland put to good use by many residents (Kennebec Journal, 11/24/08)
• The fruits of their labor (Maine Sunday Telegram, 11/23/08)
• Rich countries launch great land grab to safeguard food supply (The Guardian [UK], 11/22/08)
• Growers split on rules for aerial spraying (Bangor Daily News, 11/22/08)
• A closely gardened secret (Bangor Daily News, 11/22/08)
• For a holiday dinner, simplicity is the key (Sandy Oliver, Bangor Daily News, 11/22/08)
• New varieties for food growers (All-American selections) (Bangor Daily News, 11/22/08)
• Family farms pulled us out of the Great Depression (Common Dreams, 11/22/08)
• Pig genetically engineered to make factory farming easier is closer to market (Organic Consumers, 11/22/08)
• American food system fertilized with industrial chemical melamine (TreeHugger, 11/22/08)
• As crop prices fall, farmers face losses (New York Times, 11/21/08)
• Soil erosion threatens land of 100m Chinese, survey finds (The Guardian [UK], 11/21/08)
• Finding a solution to soil’s carbon problem (The Guardian [UK], 11/21/08)
• Nine must-read books on eating well (TreeHugger, 11/21/08)
• Lobster feasts would be cause for thanks (Portland Press Herald, 11/20/08)
• Together at the table (Grist, 11/20/08)
• A ruminant with a view (Grist, 11/19/08)
• Wheat yields could halve says scientist (Soil Association, 11/18/08
• Online market touted as tool for farmers (Bangor Daily News, 11/17/08
• Mutant strain of antibiotic-resistant e. coli found in the UK (Soil Association press release, 11/17/08)
• Movement wants kids to ‘experience life, not watch’ (Kennebec Journal, 11/16/08)
• Online market touted as tool for farmers (Bangor Daily News, 11/16/08)
• Wait an Ag Sec: Getting real about who will head the USDA (Ethicurean, 11/15/08)
• Insecticide! (An ecological disaster that will affect us all) (The Independent [UK], 11/15/08)
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MOFGA is....
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Kitchen Licensing Workshop
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Tuesday, December 9th at MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center in Unity. Designed for farmers and others interested in home-food processing for resale. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. Program starts at 9:30. Licensing requirements, food safety, and liability insurance will be covered by panel members, including: Dr. Beth Calder, Food Science Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension; Russell Libby, Executive Director of MOFGA; and Dana Finnemore, from the Maine Department of Agriculture. MOFGA's Resident Chef, Cheryl Wixson, will moderate the morning panel presentation. After a local, seasonal, organic luncheon, participants will tour MOFGA's Common Kitchen. The afternoon program will focus on: labeling requirements; organic certification requirements, with Kate Newkirk, Associate Director of MOFGA Certification Services, LLC; and a round table sharing of experiences. Registration fee (including lunch): $35 for MOFGA members, and $40 for non-members. A work-study rate is available. Register online or call 207-568-4142.
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Annual MOFGA Membership Meeting
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Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at the Agricultural Trades Show at the Augusta Civic Center. 1:30 p.m. MOFGA Staff and Volunteers will summarize program accomplishments and goals. Membership will vote on a slate of Board Members for 2009, and on proposed changes to MOFGA's Bylaws.
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MOFGA Day At The Agricultural Trades Show
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Each year at Maine's Agricultural Trades Show, MOFGA offers a series of presentations and discussion groups covering a wide range of sustainable agriculture subjects. All presentations are free and open to the public. MOFGA has an information exhibit during all three days of the Trades Show. Staff and Committee members are available to answer questions about MOFGA's ongoing programs. Details.
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Seed Swap & Scion Exchange
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| Saturday, March 28, 2009. The Maine Tree Crop Alliance, the Maine Seed Saving Network, Fedco and MOFGA will host the tenth annual combined Seed Swap and Scionwood Exchange, in MOFGA’s Common Ground Exhibition Hall in Unity. For gardeners and orchardists, it’s like the most wonderful flea market in the world. Details |
Grow Your Own Organic Garden
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| April 1, 2009. Each year MOFGA sponsors this statewide educational event at over 20 different locations in Maine. Classes run from 6 to 9 p.m. The workshops are open to the public and to people of all gardening skill and experience levels. They are designed to provide folks with essential skills and knowledge needed to make a transition from conventional to organic gardening. Details. |
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See the full calendar... |
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PO Box 170
294 Crosby Brook Road
Unity, ME 04988
Phone: 207-568-4142
Fax: 207-568-4141
Email: mofga@mofga.org
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