[act-ma] Social, Political and Cannabis happenings at the 2016 MOFGA-CGCF

[Roger Leisner]

As one of the three coordinators in the Social and Political Action (SPA) area, the other two are Gary Lawless and Beth Leonard of the Gulf of Maine Book Store in Brunswick, and a member of the MOFGA/CGCF Fair Steering Committee, I invite you to attend the 40th annual Maine Common Ground Country Fair in Unity.



Radio Free Maine - The Maine Paparazzi - Button ME will be sponsoring three talks in the SPA speaker's tent at the 2016 Common Ground Country Fair in Unity.

Friday - September 23 - 4:00 PMThe Bigelow Battle and the Future of Environmental Activismfeaturing Lance Tapley, founder of Friends of Bigelow and coordinator of the Save Bigelow effort andKen Spalding, of Restore: The Maine Woods, and one of the original activists in Friends of Bigelow
This year is the 40th anniversary of CGCF and the Bigelow Mountain Referendum.
Known as Maine's "Second Mountain", the Bigelow Range might look very different today had it not been for the efforts of many conservation groups, including the Friends of Bigelow.  During the 1960s and '70s, land developers had plans to turn the Bigelow Range into the "Aspen of the East", but opponents forced a state referendum on the issue.  In 1976, the citizens of Maine decided by a 3,867-vote margin to have the state purchase the land and create a 40,000-acre wilderness preserve. From Stratton to Carrabassett Valley, you will walk through what could have been a series of ski lifts, ski slopes, and summit houses.
Saturday - September 24 - 12 NoonArtificial Intelligence and Farming in the 21st Centuryfeaturing John Bliss, Hannah Semler and Scott Ring
As the world population grows to 8.2 billion by 2025, and 9.7 billion by 2050, we will need to produce 70% more food than is currently produced today.  Agricultural requires a revolution, but is artificial intelligence that revolution?  Through precision agriculture, agricultural drones, vertical farming, driverless tractors and open data, artificial intelligence will enable farmers to produce more food and reduce environmental impact, but will it require all farmers to become technicians?
Sunday - September 25 - 12 NoonWomen 2019featuring Phyllis von Herrlich, Feminist HistorianThe struggle for universal woman suffrage in Maine began rather quietly in 1854, but eventually was characterized by heated debates on both sides of the argument.  At the turn of the 20th century, Maine suffragists were repeatedly defeated by opposition in both the community and the Legislature, although there were groups of women and men who certainly did support this right for women.  By 1915, the Maine State Grange had formally endorsed woman suffrage, and in 1919, Maine became the 3rd New England state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution giving women the unrestricted right to vote.  The Maine Legislature had approved the Amendment, but a citizen initiated referendum tried to overturn their vote.  It turned out that this initiative was to no avail, because the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, granting women the universal right to vote, was ratified by a sufficient number of states in August of 1920.  Maine’s angry citizens had no choice!
Medical Marijuana Food Preparation in the Country Kitchen Demonstrations TentCatherine Lewis, Chairperson of the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine and owner of Homegrown Healthcare of Maine, will demonstrate the preparation of and cooking with medical marijuana oil in the Country Kitchen Demonstrations tent on Saturday - September 24 - 1:00 PM and Sunday - September 25 - 12 Noon.
MOFGA Clean Cannabis Certification Program in the Social and Political Action AreaMOFGA has begun a trial program to certify that cannabis (marijuana) grown for medical purposes meets a verified production standard corresponding to the national organic standards now applied to food and other crops.The trial program, to be known as MOFGA Certified Clean Cannabis (MC3), will verify that cannabis produced for medical purposes in Maine is grown, processed and handled within guidelines paralleling those of the National Organic Program (NOP) and the American Herbal Products Association.  The USDA NOP standards currently do not allow for cannabis to be certified as organic.Five Maine growers are participating in the one-year trial.  All have demonstrated that they grow medical cannabis according to MC3 standards and have been inspected to verify that the standards are being met.  Certifications were issued to these growers for the first time in August.Consumers and growers who would like to learn more about this program are encouraged to visit the MC3 booth in the Social and Political Action (SPA) area at the Common Ground Country Fair on September 23-25 in Unity, Maine.  The growers participating in this trial will be on hand all three days to answer questions and discuss production techniques.
Maine Medical Marijuana Talks in the Social and Political Action Speaker's Tent
Friday - September 23 - 10:00 AM
Erica Haywood, co-owner of Love Grown/Caregiver Services of Maine and one of the five MOFGA Certified Clean Cannabis growers, will speak about the MOFGA Certified Clean Cannabis (MC3) program.
Saturday - September 24 - 5:00 PM
Long time medical marijuana advocates Cullen Stuart of Business Alliance for Commerce in Hemp (BACH) and Maine Vocals Founder Don Christen will update the Maine cannabis scene.
Sunday - September 25 - 4:00 PM
Catherine Lewis, Chairperson of the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine (MMCM) and owner of Homegrown Healthcare of Maine, will speak about the different methods of medical cannabis ingestion.
Social and Political Action (SPA) Speaker's Tent Schedule
Friday - September 2310:00 - Erica Haywood - MOFGA Certified Clean Cannabis11:00 - Betsy Garrold - 17 and Counting - Local Food Sovereignty Ordinance12:00 - David Boyer - Why Maine Should End Marijuana Prohibition1:00 - Gil Harris - Guaranteed Living Income - A Green Party Discussion2:00 - Rob Brown - Converting Maine Businesses to Worker Ownership3:00 - Ginny Scheider - The Whys and Wherefores of War Tax Resistance4:00 - Lance Tapley and Ken Spaulding - The Bigelow Battle and Environmental Activism5:30 - Hillary Lister - Maine People Before Out of State Profit - Vote No on 1
Saturday - September 2410:00 - Leah Boyd - Transforming Conflict11:00 - Nadejda Stancioff - Introduction to Restorative Justice12:00 - John Bliss - Hannah Semler - Scott Ring - Artificial Intelligence and Farming in the 21st Century1:00 - Gil Harris - Guaranteed Living Income - A Green Party Discussion2:00 - Betsy Garrold - 17 and Counting - Local Food Sovereignty Ordinance3:00 - Larry Dansinger - Movement Building:  The Power to Create Change4:00 - Cynthia Phinney - Should Maine Raise Its Minimum Wage5:00 - Cullen Stuart and Don Christen - Update the Maine Cannabis Scene
Sunday - September 2510:00 - Jonah Fertig - New American and Native American Farming in Maine11:00 - Leah Boyd - Transforming Conflict12:00 - Phyllis von Herrlich - Women 20191:00 - Gil Harris - Guaranteed Living Income - A Green Party Discussion2:00 - Jamie Bissonette Lewey - Beyond Right Relationships - A Journey of Healing3:00 - Cynthia Phinney - Labor Song Sing Along4:00 - Catherine Lewis - Ingesting Medical Marijuana
MOFGA staff have informed us that the SPA Speaker's Tent will be solar powered this year.
The calm before the storm - Photos of CGCF-MOFGA on 8/11/16
16.08.11 CGCF-MOFGA Summer

  
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16.08.11 CGCF-MOFGA Summer
 Roger Leisner The Maine Paparazzi Radio Free Maine - Founder/Owner since 1988 Recordings can be found at audible...  |   |

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Roger Leisner
The Maine Paparazzi
Radio Free Maine
P.O. Box 2705
Augusta, Maine 04338
207-242-0643