Organic technique topic of meeting at Stillwater

STILLWATER – The first in the summer series of public nights at Rogers Farm will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 26, on the Bennoch Road, roughly halfway between Route 43 and Stillwater Avenue. The evening’s topic will be Organic Techniques for Soil Improvement, and the event will take place rain or shine.

The speaker is Eric Sideman, technical adviser for Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Sideman, a longtime advocate of nonchemical farming methods, will explain why organic methods enrich and improve the soil. UM sustainable agriculture student Valerie Sanders also will give a tour of the certified organic area, which grows food for the Black Bear Food Guild.

Deb Armstrong, project director of Plant-A-Row, will be available to answer questions and explain the program, in which gardeners grow a row of produce for area shelters and food banks.

Other public meetings at Rogers Farm are scheduled for Saturday, July 14; Tuesday, Aug. 7; Saturday, Aug. 18; Tuesday, Sept. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 20.

For more information about the program, call the Penobscot County Extension Office at 942-7396 or (800) 287-1485 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.