OXFORD – John Pino, an organic farmer and an expert in the art of small-scale niche farming, will give a series of educational presentations in the new Farm Life Center exhibition at the Oxford County Fair Wednesday through Saturday, Sept. 12 to 15. The Farm Life Center will celebrate Oxford County farmers and promote locally grown foods.

Pino will speak all four days of the fair on three general subjects and will be available to answer questions on many aspects of small-scale farming. A schedule of Pino’s presentations will be posted daily at the Farm Life Center.

His topics will include using unheated greenhouses to grow greens in Maine nine months of the year, pairing animals and crops to improve soil and reduce pests and key steps to farming successfully on a small scale.

Pino has been growing vegetables, flowers and seedlings organically in greenhouses at Mooarhill Farm since 1991. He has demonstrated the economic viability of growing greens in Maine nine months of the year using unheated greenhouses.

Pino made a presentation to a crowd at the South Paris Cooperative Extension office in June on the topic of greenhouse construction.

His presentations are being sponsored by Western Mountains Alliance, which is promoting the “Eat Smart/Eat local” initiative to support local agriculture and to help people make conscious decisions about their food, their health and their community. The alliance is a member of the Oxford County Ag Group, which is working with the Oxford County Fair Association in sponsoring the Farm Life Center.

For more information, contact Ellen Gibson, exhibition coordinator, at 674-3887 or [email protected].