Common Ground Radio

Producers/Hosts: Holli Cederholm, Caitlyn Barker
Editing: Clare Boland

Common Ground Radio is an hour-long discussion of local food and organic agriculture with people here in the state of Maine and beyond.

The August 2022 episode of Common Ground Radio is all about apples! Host Holli Cederholm is joined by Laura Sieger, orchard manager with the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), and Lydia Pendergast, an orchard intern with MOFGA and self-described “fruit explorer.” They talked about the Maine Heritage Orchard, the importance of cultivar preservation, and how fruit exploration and genetic testing both play important roles in identifying apples at risk of extinction and protecting these fruits in perpetuity.

-Historic apples
-Fruit explorers
-The Maine Heritage Orchard in Unity, Maine
-Apple identification
-DNA testing of apples
-Apple propagation
-Organic orcharding
-Apples and climate change
-Summer apples

Guest/s:

Laura Sieger, orchard manager, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) in Unity, Maine (mofga.org/maineheritageorchard)
Lydia Pendergast, orchard intern with MOFGA and fruit explorer

FMI Links:

Maine Heritage Orchard
Stewardship Apples, Fedco: fedcoseeds.com/trees/stewardship-apple-248
“What’s in a name? The importance of identity in heirloom apple tree preservation,” published in Plants People Plant and co-authored by Sieger, Pendergast, et al.
North American Fruit Explorers
Washington State University’s Apple Genome Project
MyFruitTree, appleID: myfruittree.org
Out On A Limb Apples (John Bunker)

About the hosts:

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.

Caitlyn Barker has worked in education and organic agriculture on and off for the last 17 years. She has worked on an organic vegetable farm, served on the Maine Farm to School network, worked in early childhood education and taught elementary school. She currently serves as the community engagement coordinator for MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Producers/Hosts: Caitlyn Barker, Holli Cederholm
Editing: Clare Boland

Common Ground Radio is an hour-long discussion of local food and organic agriculture with people here in the state of Maine and beyond.

The July episode of Common Ground Radio explores the issue of farmers and stress. Host Caitlyn Barker speaks with Abby Sadauckas, a farmer in southern Maine and member of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Farm Coaching Team and MOFGA Farmer Programs Director Ryan Dennett. Topics include land access, financial stability, mental health and many others. A variety of relevant resources are also provided.

-Farmers and stress
-Resources available to farmers
-Mental health and farming

Guests:
Abby Sadauckas, co-owner of Apple Creek Farm and member of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Farm Coaching Team.
Ryan Dennett, Farmer Programs Director, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association

FMI:
MOFGA Farmer Resources Labor Movement: labor-movement.com
Labor Movement
Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network
Maine Farmer Resource Network
211 Maine
Farm Aid Farmer Resource Network
Maine Farmland Trust
Land For Good

About the hosts:

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.

Caitlyn Barker has worked in education and organic agriculture on and off for the last 17 years. She has worked on an organic vegetable farm, served on the Maine Farm to School network, worked in early childhood education and taught elementary school. She currently serves as the community engagement coordinator for MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Producers/Hosts: Caitlyn Barker, Holli Cederholm
Editing: Clare Boland

Common Ground Radio: A monthly hour-long discussion of local food and organic agriculture with people here in the state of Maine and beyond.

This episode of Common Ground Radio digs into PFAS contamination of farmland in Maine. Host Holli Cederholm talked with Sarah Alexander, executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA); Ryan Dennett, MOFGA’s farmer programs director; and Caleb Goossen, crop specialist with MOFGA. The discussion covered the impact of PFAS contamination on Maine’s farmers as well as PFAS legislation enacted in Maine and how it can serve as a roadmap for other states also dealing with contamination from so-called “forever” and “everywhere” chemicals.

Key Discussion Points:

1. Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
2. PFAS contamination of farmland
3. PFAS contamination pathways
4. PFAS legislation in Maine
5. Farms impacted by PFAS
6. PFAS mitigation
7. PFAS testing for farms

Guests:

Sarah Alexander, executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA);
Ryan Dennett, MOFGA’s farmer programs director; and
Caleb Goossen, crop specialist with MOFGA.

FMI Links:

MOFGA’s PFAS resource page
PFAS Q&A with Caleb Goossen: mofga.org/resources/toxics/pfas-contamination-in-maine

PFAS policy recap
“Webinar: Lessons from Maine: Food, Farms and Forever Chemicals” from Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy: iatp.org/watch-lessons-maine-food-farms-and-forever-chemicals

EGAD Septage and Sludge Sites Map

About the hosts:

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.

Caitlyn Barker has worked in education and organic agriculture on and off for the last 17 years. She has worked on an organic vegetable farm, served on the Maine Farm to School network, worked in early childhood education and taught elementary school. She currently serves as the community engagement coordinator for MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Producers/Hosts: Caitlyn Barker, Holli Cederholm
Editing: Clare Boland

Common Ground Radio: A monthly hour-long discussion of local food and organic agriculture with people here in the state of Maine and beyond.

The May 2022 episode of Common Ground Radio explores homesteading in Maine in conversation with homesteaders of varying levels and lengths of experience. Host Caitlyn Barker spoke with Sikwani and Nathan Dana of The Dana Homestead about living off the land in Solon, Maine, and how they use social media to share their homesteading journey. Later in the show, Barker is joined by Angela DeRosa who has been homesteading for decades in Wellington, Maine.

-Homesteading in Maine
-TikTok
-Beginning homesteading experiences

Guests:
Sikwani Dana, The Dana Homestead, Solon, ME
Nathan Dana, The Dana Homestead, Solon, ME
The Dana Homestead TikTok
Angela DeRosa, homesteader, Wellington, ME

FMI
Down East article about The Dana Homestead

About the hosts:

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.

Caitlyn Barker has worked in education and organic agriculture on and off for the last 17 years. She has worked on an organic vegetable farm, served on the Maine Farm to School network, worked in early childhood education and taught elementary school. She currently serves as the community engagement coordinator for MOFGA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Producer/Host: Holli Cederholm

The April 2022 episode of Common Ground Radio celebrates spring, and all the delicious foods of spring. Host Holli Cederholm spoke with local food enthusiasts about what seasonal foods they’re cooking up in their kitchens. Roberta Bailey of Seven Tree Farm in Vassalboro, Frank Giglio, kitchen production manager at Ararat Farms in Lincolnville, and Wendy Watson, kitchen manager at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) in Unity, shared their favorite spring foods and recipes, from nettle tea to salt-cured goose eggs. They also dished on their favorite methods for food preservation, with tips for those new to putting by the harvest.

-Seasonal eating
-Spring foods
-Native and invasive wild edible plants
-Cooking and recipes
-Food preservation methods (fermenting, drying, salting, vinegar)
-Gardening

Guests:

Roberta Bailey, Seven Tree Farm in Vassalboro, Maine; recipe columnist for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, the quarterly publication of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA)

Frank Giglio, kitchen production manager at Ararat Farms in Lincolnville, Maine

Wendy Watson, MOFGA kitchen manager and food liaison for the Common Ground Country Fair

FMI links:

“Wild Spring: Recipes for Foraged Greens and Roots” by Roberta Bailey, Harvest Kitchen columnist

“How to Plan Your Harvests for Food Preservation” by Roberta Bailey, Harvest Kitchen columnist

The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener
Ararat Farms recipes: araratfarmslincolnville.com/recipes

MOFGA recipes

Seasonal eating guides

Click here to sign up for MOFGA’s monthly Local and Organic Kitchen Newsletter

About the host:

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: 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