Common Ground Radio 6/13/24: Supporting Organic Dairy Farmers in the Northeast

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. The post Common Ground Radio 6/13/24: Supporting Organic Dairy Farmers in the Northeast first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.