Common Ground Radio

Host: Holli Cederholm
Editor: 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.

This month:
In this episode of Common Ground Radio marine biologist and policy expert Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and MOFGA’s executive director Sarah Alexander talk about climate change, with a focus on Maine. Following the release of her recent book, “What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures,” Johnson was interviewed at MOFGA’s Common Ground Country Fair by Alexander. Their conversation dives into the realities of climate change as well as how we can all harness our unique perspectives, skills, and interests to be part of the solution.

List of subjects:
– Climate change
– Ocean acidification
– “What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures” by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
– Organic agriculture
– Farming in Maine
– Back to the Land

Guest/s:
– Ayana Elizabeth Johnson — marine biologist; policy expert; cofounder of the nonprofit think tank Urban Ocean Lab; coeditor of the bestselling climate anthology “All We Can Save”; and author of “What If We Get it Right?: Visions of Climate Futures”.
– Sarah Alexander — executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA).

FMI:
– “What If We Get it Right?: Visions of Climate Futures” — ayanaelizabeth.com/writing
– Urban Ocean Lab — urbanoceanlab.org
– “All We Can Save” — allwecansave.earth/anthology
– Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson — ayanaelizabeth.com
– Common Ground Country Fair keynotes — mofga.org/keynotes

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 lo0ng-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

Host: Holli Cederholm
Editor: 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.

This month:
In this episode of Common Ground Radio, we talk with Mark McBrine, the director of food service at Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston, Maine. McBrine is the inspiration behind the kitchen’s from-scratch approach to cooking and 5-acre prison garden. These initiatives, including vocational training apprenticeships for residents, have led to significant cost savings at Mountain View. The food service program has become a model for other correctional facilities both in Maine and elsewhere. McBrine and Mountain View are featured in the award-winning documentary film “Seeds of Change: Breaking Free from the Prison Food Machine.”

List of subjects:
– Mountain View Correctional Facility
– Prison food system
– Prison garden
– “Seeds of Change: Breaking Free from the Prison Food Machine” documentary

Guest/s:
Mark McBrine, Director of Food Service at Mountain View Correctional Facility

FMI:
– “Serving Time and Good Food at Mountain View Correctional Facility” — mofga.org/stories/community/mountain-view-correctional-facility
– “Seeds of Change: Breaking Free from the Prison Food Machine” documentary — seedsofchangefilm.com

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 lo0ng-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

Host: Holli Cederholm
Editor: 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.

This month:
In this episode of Common Ground Radio, we discuss PFAS “forever chemical” contamination on farms and actions that are being taken on the state and federal level to protect farmers and eaters, including the recent lawsuit filed against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calling for regulation of a primary source of PFAS contamination — sewage sludge applied to farmland as fertilizer — under the Clean Water Act. Due to the practice of land-applying sludge containing PFAS, farmers here in Maine and across the country have been unknowingly contaminating their land, and consequently the food we eat. Sarah Alexander, MOFGA’s executive director, and Laura Dumais, staff counsel with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, talk about ways to mitigate contamination and reduce public health risks.

List of subjects:
-PFAS “forever chemicals”
-PFAS contamination on farmland
-PFAS in sewage sludge
-Impact of PFAS contamination on farmers
-PFAS legislation in Maine and at the federal level
-Lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Guest/s:
Sarah Alexander, executive director of MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association)
Laura Dumais, staff counsel with PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility)

FMI:

• About PFAS — mofga.org/pfas
• Take action on PFAS — mofga.org/advocacy/take-action-on-pfas
• “Lawsuit to Prevent PFAS in Biosolid Fertilizer Expands” — mofga.org/news/epa-lawsuit
• Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility — peer.org
• PEER petition to tell EPA to get PFAS out of pesticides — peer.org/petition-tell-epa-to-get-pfas-out-of-pesticides
• PEER petition to save America’s farms from toxic contamination — peer.org/petition-save-americas-farms-from-toxic-contamination

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 lo0ng-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

Host: Holli Cederholm
Editor: 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.

This month:
Dairy farms are the backbone of Maine’s rural communities. In addition to maintaining working agricultural landscapes, organic dairy farms protect natural resources, and also act as economic drivers for their communities by creating jobs on the farm and for related agricultural businesses. But these farms are in crisis, with many farmers exiting the dairy industry due to a confluence of factors: from loss of contracts to lower pay prices in relation to soaring production costs. In this episode of Common Ground Radio, we’ll address these topics and others related to the state of organic dairy in the Northeast — as well as how communities can support local, organic dairy farms.

List of subjects:
– Organic dairy industry
– The state of organic dairy in Maine and the Northeast
– Origin of Livestock USDA organic rule
– Cost of organic dairy production
– Organic dairy pay price
– Where to buy local, organic milk
– Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership
– Dairy breeding and genetics

Guest/s:
Jacki Martinez Perkins, MOFGA’s organic dairy and livestock specialist
Chris Grigsby, MOFGA Certification Services (MCS) director
Olga Moriarty, executive director of the Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership (NOFFP)

FMI:
Find Local, Organic Farmers and Producers — mofgacertification.org/find-mofga-certified-organic-food-and-products
Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership — saveorganicfamilyfarms.org
Pledge to Support Northeast Organic Family Farms — saveorganicfamilyfarms.org/pledge
Ways to Support Organic Dairy — mofga.org/advocacy/support-organic-dairy
Common Ground Radio 12/8/22: Maine Organic Dairy Farms Are In Trouble – How You Can Help — archives.weru.org/common-ground-radio/2022/12/common-ground-radio-12-8-22-maine-organic-dairy-farms-are-in-trouble-how-you-can-help

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 lo0ng-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

Host: Holli Cederholm
Editor: 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.

This month:
This episode of Common Ground Radio is an organic gardening Q&A with MOFGA’s crop specialist, Caleb Goossen. Listeners from around Maine submitted their questions in advance of the show. From soil testing and selecting potting soil for container growing to starting seedlings indoors and out, Goossen covers a wide range of topics related to organic gardening.

List of subjects:
– Organic gardening
– Soil testing
– Soil for container gardening
– Seed starting and planting dates
– Plastic reduction strategies in the garden
– Pest management
– Garlic planting

Guest/s:
Caleb Goossen, MOFGA’s crop and conservation specialist

FMI:
MOFGA’s Seed Planting Calendar — mofga.org/resources/gardening/seed-planting-calendar
Starting Garden Seeds Indoors — mofga.org/resources/gardening/starting-seeds-indoors
Spring Gardening Resources — mofga.org/spring-gardening
Certified organic seedling map — mofga.org/mofga-seedling-map
MOFGA’s Gardener Newsletter — mofga.org/newletter-sign-up-gardener
MOFGA’s Pest Report and Fact Sheets — mofga.org/farmer-resources/pest-reports

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 lo0ng-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

Host: Holli Cederholm
Editor: 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.

This month:
This episode of Common Ground Radio explores garden planning for seasonal eating and food preservation. With Roberta Bailey of Seven Tree Farm in Vassalboro, Maine, we discuss gardening in Central Maine, including her tried and true planting calendar, as well as how she plans her garden for food preservation. Each year, Bailey fills a pantry with canned and dried goods, a root cellar and four freezers. Later in the show, Stephanie Wang of Le Rizen, a farm in Quebec, Canada, discusses growing Asian vegetables in a northern climate. Her book, “Asian
Vegetables: Gardening, Cooking, Storytelling” features delicious recipes as well as information about how to grow 15 Asian vegetables organically.

Guest/s:
Roberta Bailey, Seven Tree Farm
Stephanie Wang, Le Rizen

FMI:
“How to Plan Your Harvests for Food Preservation” by Roberta Bailey — mofga.org/resources/canning/how-to-plan-your-harvests-for-food-preservation
“Asian Vegetables: Gardening, Cooking, Storytelling” by The Wang Sisters — houseofanansi.com/products/asian-vegetables
Le Rizen in Quebec — growers.co/blogs/news/the-roots-of-le-rizen
MOFGA’s Seed Planting Calendar — mofga.org/resources/gardening/seed-planting-calendar
Starting Garden Seeds Indoors — mofga.org/resources/gardening/starting-seeds-indoors
Spring Gardening Resources — mofga.org/spring-gardening
Certified organic seedling map — mofga.org/mofga-seedling-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 lo0ng-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

Host: Holli Cederholm
Editor: 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.

This month:
In advance of MOFGA’s annual Seed Swap & Scion Exchange, held in Unity, Maine, the February 2024 episode of Common Ground Radio explores saving seeds and fruit tree grafting, both of which are useful skills for the garden, farm and homestead. With Will Bonsall, author of “Will Bonsall’s Essential Guide to Radical Self-Reliant Gardening,” we talk about the importance of saving seed, as well as seed saving basics for beginners. Later in the show, we are joined by C. J. Walke, MOFGA’s orchard program manager, to discuss fruit tree propagation via grafting, including bench grafting, top working, and bud grafting techniques.

Guest/s:
Will Bonsall
C.J. Walke

FMI:
MOFGA’s Seed Swap & Scion Exchange — www.mofga.org/trainings/annual-events/seed-swap-and-scion-exchange
“Will Bonsall’s Essential Guide to Radical Self-Reliant Gardening” by Will Bonsall —
chelseagreen.com/product/will-bonsalls-essential-guide-to-radical-self-reliant-gardening
“Seed to Seed” by Suzanne Ashworth — chelseagreen.com/product/seed-to-seed
“Seed Saving: An Introduction” by Roberta Bailey — mofga.org/resources/seeds/saving-seed
“A Spring Grafting Primer” by Roberta Bailey — mofga.org/resources/orcharding/grafting-primer
Maine Heritage Orchard — mofga.org/our-community/the-maine-heritage-orchard
MOFGA apple database — mofga.org/maineheritageorchard

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 lo0ng-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

Host: Caitlyn Barker
Editor: 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.

This month:
Seasonal eating in Maine in the colder months, preparing local foods, preserving foods.

Guest/s:
Cheryl Wixson, local foods advocate and community health educator. www.rabbithillfarmmaine.com/

FMI Links:
Healthy Island Project
Maine Cooperative Extension

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