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John Harker
- Male
- Mount Vernon, ME
- United States
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John Harker's Discussions
Resolving False Promotion of Organic Farming as better than Conventional Farming in the Marketplace
8 Replies
Started this discussion. Last reply by Colin Powell Jun. 29, 2009.
John Harker's Page
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Get Real is getting updated as we speak. We hired a new web company to update. Should definitely be out by January, then farmers need to update the listings.
I'm not sure there's a simple solution to your problem. It has taken years to get people on board with the idea of organic, and I think it's going to be an even bigger uphill struggle to get people to move back to vegetables. Your questions, especia…
Much of this discussion is based on a marketing practice that is in my opinion fundamentally flawed. I have been selling produce in Maine for over 20 years, almost exclusively in a 25 mile radius, though also to restaurants in Boston, New York, and…
Share your experiences, thoughts and questions about consumer buying clubs.
Just a quick self-defense against Lisa's bash of produce distributors. There are many positive attributes to what Crown O'Maine Organic Cooperative is doing now and continues to try to do for Maine farmers, both organic certified and not. High farm-…
John,
I'll skip to the "main point of the discussion" (although I like the question about MOFGA and rotenone - good point)
My conventional friends at the farmers' markets do not have prices that are low enough that they could sell to grocery store…
Lisa,
You said stuff that exactly demonstrates my points as to why I do not understand why the radical organic folks rail against the conventional ones (which causes confusion in the marketplace and in the halls of the legislature).
1. If you have…
Hi John!
In your first e-mail you say "how do we deal truthfully with the issue that organic farmers use dangerous pesticides as well." More accurately, it's that organic farmers MAY use dangerous pesticides as well. On our farm we use Bt, Entrust,…
Thanks for engaging here Tom.
Let me start by saying, although you may think me a bureaucrat, I have been operating or working on farms and nurserygreenhouse businesses for 34 years, so I must have a few more gray hairs than yours....Although you h…
I can only approach this from my vantage point of 29 years of small scale organic truck farming.
To answer questions 1: In any such discussion, we must first remember not to consider unequal things as being equal. To lump the pesticides allowed und…
I get questions from farmers all the time about how to deal with customers asking them if they are organic or not. This is especially troublesome for many who need to apply pesticides to control insects for which there are no organic controls, for t…
Hi Ed,
Except for the two quips about government in P 4 and 5, the rest is exactly how I feel. It interests me that the old verbage, the larger they get, the harder they fall, still holds true......I am very concerned about concentration at any lev…
Ed,
Unfortunately, I do not believe in the 80/20 appproach or the top down approach.
How about this........we need to somehow encourage consumers to put 20% of their leisure caloric generation into 80% of their own food production through gardenin…
Welcome to the conversation about how we, the people of Maine, can take cooperative action to sustainably grow as much of our food within Maine as possible - for our environment, our economy & for our health!
Profile Information
- Where in Maine do you live and eat?
- Mount Vernon
- What issues are you and/or your group interested or expert in?
- health and nutrition, farm to school, school gardens, home gardens, community gardens, hunger and local foods access, local foods marketing and distribution
- Are you a food producer? If so, what types of food do you produce?
- berry fruit
- If you produce foods of some sort, please choose one of the following:
- I produce foods for sale to others
- If you produce foods for sale, where or how can Mainers buy them?
- www.cranberrycreations.com
- Other info about Me (please mention any food, fishing, agriculture, or community groups you are affiliated with):
- I try to be philosophically minimalist organic pesticides and commercial pesticide user, anti-authoritarian,pro-individualist, pro-family, pro-universal values of peace, protreadlightlyontheearthifIcanandifIthinkofit. I am quite decidely pro-family farming (at any size and type), pro-science-based research and development, pro-education, pro-addorganicmatterinthesoil type individual. However, I recognize that, in some way, in our current society and time, we are all hypocrites and, in the end, we gotta just do the best we can to be good people to each other.
- Website (if any):
- http://www.cranberrycreations.com
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Food for Maine's Future serves as an umbrella for groups and campaigns which share a common goal of building a just, secure, sustainable and democratic food system to the benefit of all Maine farmers, communities, and the environment.
For discussing issues around farmers' markets in Maine, for veterans, newbies, those in between and those thinking about starting or attending a farmers' market.
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Use this group to post information, ask or answer questions and share stories about making school food Local Food.
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Gail, Same as Meadow Ridge Per Farm. I sell bulb flowers, perennials, herbs (potted and some cut) and greens. In May we also have baked goods, meats, dairy...pretty much everything else but the late-season vege.
The two markets we attend open in May, Mother's Day weekend. This is great for us because we sell perennials and cut flowers. Our markets also have bakers, meats, annuals, and a few farmers with early crops. And to Penobscot - all the markets love t…
Hi Gail,
In response to your question: "Some of your markets open in May! Can you tell me just what you have for sale at such an early date? Thanks!", there are several things to consider. One is that many growers now have greenhouses or hoophouses…
Can u send me your email address....I can forward the application and guidelines!
That would be great! We're still in the early stages of planning, but it's good to have options and Milbridge is a community we would like to work with. Thanks!
Penobscot...we're looking for a seafood person in Milbridge (Washington County). I can send you an application if you're interested.
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