The Maine Organic Farmer and Gardener: History, MOFGA Profile, Content and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
The Maine Organic Farmer and Gardener, known to readers as The MOF&G, is the quarterly publication of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, one of the oldest organic farming groups in the country. Published from MOFGA's grounds in Unity, Maine, it carries features, interviews, columns, poetry, reader stories and the official guide to the Common Ground Country Fair.
| Publisher | Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), founded 1971 |
|---|---|
| Home | 294 Crosby Brook Road, Unity, Maine |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Editor | Holli Cederholm |
| Longest-serving editor | Jean English, 31 years |
| Related event | Common Ground Country Fair, held since 1977 |
| Official website | MOFGA.org |
History of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener (MOFGA)
MOFGA began organizing in 1970 as the Maine Organic Foods Association and was formally established as the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association at a gathering on August 12, 1971, convened by Cooperative Extension agent Charlie Gould with Scott and Helen Nearing as guest speakers. It certified its first organic farm in 1972, held the first Common Ground Country Fair in Litchfield in 1977, bought land in Unity in 1996 and opened its Education Center there in 1998. MOFGA Certification Services LLC, formed in 2002, provides USDA-accredited certification in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
The MOF&G grew up alongside the association as its newspaper. Pam Bell edited it through 1988, and Jean English, who had written about trees for the paper for three years, then edited it for 31 years. Her reporting on organic practices, soil erosion, climate change, biodiversity, seed saving, pesticides, GMOs and local farm economies helped keep MOFGA at the front of the organic movement, and she won the 2019 Pollinator Award from the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram.
After English retired, the publication continued as MOFGA's quarterly magazine, now edited by Holli Cederholm.
The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener (MOFGA) Today
The MOF&G is published quarterly, and each issue appears on MOFGA's website. The fall issue doubles as the guide to the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity. Each issue also publishes a selection of first-person nonfiction submitted by readers, under MOFGA's writers' guidelines.
MOFGA Notes report on volunteers, business members, events and the Maine Exchange, and the magazine carries classifieds and advertising from Maine farms and businesses.
What The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener (MOFGA) Is Publishing Now
Features and interviews
In-depth pieces on organic growing, soil, seeds, livestock, climate and food systems, plus an interview in each issue.
Columns and reader stories
Columns such as Harvest Kitchen, reader-submitted stories and the Poetry Grove.
MOFGA Notes and the Fair
Association news, Volunteer Voices, business members, events, MOFGA Moments and the annual Guide to the Fair.
The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener (MOFGA) Editors and Staff
Editors of The MOF&G named by MOFGA:
- Holli Cederholm - Editor
- Jennifer Wilhelm - Media inquiries contact
- Jean English - Former editor (31 years), retired
- Pam Bell - Former editor (to 1988)
MOFGA can be reached at PO Box 170, Unity, ME 04988.
Who Reads The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener (MOFGA)
Readers are MOFGA members, certified organic farmers, home gardeners, homesteaders and Common Ground Country Fair visitors in Maine and across New England. Organic and soil-health practices the magazine covers are supported by USDA programs: NRCS offers conservation assistance to organic farmers, and SARE research shows how cover crops build healthy soil.
MOF&G readers have argued the merits of compost tea and seed garlic through more Maine winters than they care to count. farm.FM honors that spirit with farm satire about black fly season, farm humor about Common Ground parking and ranch humor for the few Mainers raising beef on rocky pasture. Its farm jokes are organic, though not certified.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener (MOFGA) Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- MOFGA: The Maine Organic Farmer and Gardener - current issue and sections.
- MOFGA: Tribute to Jean English - the longtime editor's career.
- MOFGA: History and mission - the association since 1971.
- USDA NRCS: Assistance for organic farmers - federal soil health support.
- SARE: 10 ways cover crops enhance soil health - sustainable agriculture research.
The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener (MOFGA) FAQ
Who publishes The Maine Organic Farmer and Gardener?
The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), based in Unity, Maine.
How often is The MOF&G published?
Quarterly.
Who edits The MOF&G?
Holli Cederholm; Jean English edited it for 31 years before retiring.
Can readers submit stories?
Yes. Each issue publishes selected first-person nonfiction from readers, following MOFGA's writers' guidelines.
Half a century into the organic movement it helped build, The Maine Organic Farmer and Gardener still gives MOFGA's growers a place to learn from each other.