Common Ground Radio

Producer/Host: C.J. Walke

Organic Food and Farming in Maine: ReTreeUs – Growing Trees of Fruit and Seeds of Thought

-Planting school gardens and orchards
-Aligning school gardens with curriculum and learning standards
-Inspiring the next generation of ecological stewards

Guests:
Richard Hodges, Founder and Program Director, ReTreeUS
Shelley Kruszewski, Program Coordinator, ReTreeUS

About the hosts:

C.J. Walke has been involved in Maine agriculture for over 20 years and has worked in numerous capacities for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) starting in 2006. He holds degrees in park management/environment education and library science. Common Ground Radio debuted in June of 2010 and C.J. has been the show’s host since 2014.

Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a long-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Producer/Host: C.J. Walke

Organic Food and Farming in Maine: Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership (NOFFP)

-Organic dairy production in the Northeast
-Danone/Horizon’s contract cancellations with 89 organic dairy farms in the Northeast
-Efforts to support the Northeast organic dairy farms

FMI: www.saveorganicfamilyfarms.org

Guests:
Annie Watson, Sheepscot Valley Farm, Whitefield, ME
Gary Hirshberg, co-founder and former CEO of Stoneyfield Farm
Claire Eaton, Director of Natural Resource Markets and Economic Development, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF)

About the hosts:

C.J. Walke has been involved in Maine agriculture for over 20 years and has worked in numerous capacities for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) starting in 2006. He holds degrees in park management/environment education and library science. Common Ground Radio debuted in June of 2010 and C.J. has been the show’s host since 2014.

Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a long-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Producer/Host: C.J. Walke

Organic Food and Farming in Maine: Soil Carbon Farming

-Carbon sequestration on organic farms
-Linking soil health to crop health and human health
-Ecological benefits of carbon sequestration

Guest: Dr. Gladis Zinati, Director of Vegetable Systems Trial, Rodale Institute, Kutztown, PA

About the hosts:

C.J. Walke has been involved in Maine agriculture for over 20 years and has worked in numerous capacities for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) starting in 2006. Since 2012, C.J. has worked as farm manager for College of the Atlantic’s Peggy Rockefeller Farms in Bar Harbor, Maine, where he works with students to grow organic fruits, vegetables and livestock products. He holds degrees in park management/environment education and library science. Common Ground Radio debuted in June of 2010 and C.J. has been the show’s host since 2014.

Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a long-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Producer/Host: C.J. Walke

-PFAS “forever chemicals” and their historic use in industry
-How PFAS moves through, soils, crops and livestock
-Current testing efforts and attempts at remediation in Maine

MOFGA’s PFAS Maine Farmer Information and Support

Guests:
Ryan Dennett, Farmer Programs Director, MOFGA, Unity, ME
Jacki Martinez Perkins, Organic Dairy and Livestock Specialist, MOFGA, Unity, ME
Caleb Goossen, Organic Crops and Conservation Specialist, MOFGA, Unity, ME

About the hosts:

C.J. Walke has been involved in Maine agriculture for over 20 years and has worked in numerous capacities for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) starting in 2006. Since 2012, C.J. has worked as farm manager for College of the Atlantic’s Peggy Rockefeller Farms in Bar Harbor, Maine, where he works with students to grow organic fruits, vegetables and livestock products. He holds degrees in park management/environment education and library science. Common Ground Radio debuted in June of 2010 and C.J. has been the show’s host since 2014.

Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a long-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Producer/Host: C.J. Walke

Keynote Address from the 2021 MOFGA Farmer to Farmer Conference – Dr. Gladis Zinati – Rodale Institute

-Gladis Zinati – “Linking Soil Health to Plant Health: Connecting the Dots”
-Linking soil health to crop health and human health
-Nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration

Speaker: Dr. Gladis Zinati, Director of Vegetable Systems Trial, Rodale Institute, Kutztown, PA

About the hosts:

C.J. Walke has been involved in Maine agriculture for over 20 years and has worked in numerous capacities for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) starting in 2006. Since 2012, C.J. has worked as farm manager for College of the Atlantic’s Peggy Rockefeller Farms in Bar Harbor, Maine, where he works with students to grow organic fruits, vegetables and livestock products. He holds degrees in park management/environment education and library science. Common Ground Radio debuted in June of 2010 and C.J. has been the show’s host since 2014.

Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a long-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Producer/Host: C.J. Walke

-Karen Washington – “Food Justice is More Than Growing Food and Feeding People”
-Stacy Brenner – Farm Viability Through Land Justice and Farmworker Rights
-2021 CGCF Keynote addresses

Speakers:
Karen Washington, Rise & Root Farm, Black Urban Growers
Stacy Brenner, Broadturn Farm, Scarborough, ME

About the hosts:

C.J. Walke has been involved in Maine agriculture for over 20 years and has worked in numerous capacities for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) starting in 2006. Since 2012, C.J. has worked as farm manager for College of the Atlantic’s Peggy Rockefeller Farms in Bar Harbor, Maine, where he works with students to grow organic fruits, vegetables and livestock products. He holds degrees in park management/environment education and library science. Common Ground Radio debuted in June of 2010 and C.J. has been the show’s host since 2014.

Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a long-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Producer/Host: Holli Cederholm, MOFGA

On this episode of Common Ground Radio, we discuss traditional food systems with Barry Dana. Barry is a former Penobscot Nation chief and an advocate for Penobscot values, traditional foodways, language revitalization and education, and environmental protection along the Penobscot River. Growing up on a Wabanaki reservation on the Penobscot River, he learned canoeing, basket making, snowshoe making, hunting, gathering, and other Native traditions from his elders. Barry studied forestry and education at the University of Maine – Orono.

FMI links:

Barry Dana’s essay, titled “Sovereignty for Native People” — referenced in this episode — is included in MOFGA’s book, “The Organic Revolution.” Copies of the book are available here

Read an article about Barry Dana and traditional foodways here

Learn about Barry Dana’s baskets at the Abbe Museum

About the hosts:

C.J. Walke has been involved in Maine agriculture for over 20 years and has worked in numerous capacities for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) starting in 2006. Since 2012, C.J. has worked as farm manager for College of the Atlantic’s Peggy Rockefeller Farms in Bar Harbor, Maine, where he works with students to grow organic fruits, vegetables and livestock products. He holds degrees in park management/environment education and library science. Common Ground Radio debuted in June of 2010 and C.J. has been the show’s host since 2014.

Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a long-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Producer/Host: Holli Cederholm, MOFGA

This episode of Common Ground Radio commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). To celebrate this milestone, MOFGA put together a 50th anniversary book called “The Organic Farming Revolution: Past, Present, Future.” In this episode, guest host Holli Cederholm dives into the pages of the essay collection — and, more specifically, focuses on essays that conjure up Maine’s harvest season and agricultural community — in conversation with two of the book’s contributors: Eli Berry, a member of MOFGA’s Common Ground Country Fair steering committee, who contributed an essay about creating common ground through the country fair, and apple historian John Bunker, whose essay talks about the democracy of the apple tree.

FMI links:

Pre-order “The Organic Farming Revolution: Past, Present, Future” here
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Common Ground Country Fair
Crystal Lake Farm & Nursery
Maine Heritage Orchard
John Bunker’s books on apples
Fedco Trees

About the hosts:

C.J. Walke has been involved in Maine agriculture for over 20 years and has worked in numerous capacities for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) starting in 2006. Since 2012, C.J. has worked as farm manager for College of the Atlantic’s Peggy Rockefeller Farms in Bar Harbor, Maine, where he works with students to grow organic fruits, vegetables and livestock products. He holds degrees in park management/environment education and library science. Common Ground Radio debuted in June of 2010 and C.J. has been the show’s host since 2014.

Holli Cederholm has been involved in organic agriculture since 2005 when she first apprenticed on a small farm. She has worked on organic farms in Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Scotland and Italy and, in 2010, founded a small farm focused on celebrating open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables. As the former manager of a national nonprofit dedicated to organic seed growers, she authored a peer-reviewed handbook on GMO avoidance strategies for seed growers. Holli has also been a steward at Forest Farm, the iconic homestead of “The Good Life” authors Helen and Scott Nearing; a host of “The Farm Report” on Heritage Radio Network; and a long-time contributor for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, which she now edits in her role as content creator and editor at MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download