News

When the Maine legislature approved the state food sovereignty law in 2017, they were told it ran afoul of federal food safety laws when it came to meat and poultry processing. The original bill allowed municipalities to adopt an…
Read more...

One of the attractions of tiny houses is the ability to place the small structures on a trailer with wheels, creating a mobile — or portable — dwelling. This allows the occupants the option of moving whenever the mood strikes them. But…
Read more...

There are few things young children like better than the sights and sounds of motorized machinery in action like the tractors, combines, mowers or trucks found on family farms and homesteads. But kids and these powerful rigs can be a…
Read more...

Coastal Resources of Maine facility in Hampden.| Photo by Sam Schipani Since the 1970s, recycling has attempted to tackle the ever-increasing piles of trash in landfills by turning waste into new materials. The system has proven far…
Read more...

Image by DJI-Agras from Pixabay Even though technology seems almost unavoidable in the current day and age, farming still has a reputation for being low-tech. Precision agriculture aims to change that by using technologies like sensors…
Read more...

The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts that 2020 will be a tumultuous year for weather in New England, punctuated by a slushy winter and a sweltering summer. Photo by Sam Schipani Founded in 1792, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which is…
Read more...

With the staggering environmental cost of producing fast fashion, consumers are increasingly turning to second-hand stores to get a more eco-friendly style fix. Struggling department stores are hoping to ride the trend by partnering with…
Read more...

Photo by Julia Bayly A working farm has a lot going on. It can be a place that harvests produce, raises animals, grows landscaping plants or trees. But when it comes to what qualifies as a farm, there are very specific criteria. The…
Read more...

Photo by Gabor Degre Even the thought of eating broccoli, kale and arugula makes many people pucker, but if you aim to eat healthier, science says to suck it up: simply adding more bitter vegetables to your diet will eventually change…
Read more...

Photo by Abigail Curtis Could playing with livestock improve your baby’s health? New research suggests it might. In a study from The Ohio State University recently published in Frontiers in Immunology, researchers found that the…
Read more...

Colt Knight, assistant professor of extension and state livestock specialist at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, constructing a GPS tracking collar for a cow. | Photo by Sam Schipani Farming has a bad reputation for being…
Read more...

New research is shedding light on what might make people more likely to recycle. Could changing the message increase recycling? What motivates people to take the extra step to put recyclable waste in a separate bin from the trash?…
Read more...