Russell Libby's passing on Sunday has been felt deeply throughout Maine's food and farming communities. A tireless advocate for sustainable, organic agriculture, Libby was always willing to share his abundant knowledge with anyone who asked, from farm apprentices to U.S. Senators.

To honor his legacy, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association will host a celebratory gathering in his memory Jan. 6 from 2 to 4 p.m. The event takes place in the Exhibition Hall at the Common Ground Education Center in Unity. Potluck refreshments will be served at 3 p.m.

Libby served as executive director of the association from 1995 until stepping down in October of this year. He also served on numerous boards, including the University of Maine Board of Agriculture, the Maine Farmland Trust, the National Organic Coalition, FEDCO Seeds and Maine's Own Organic Milk Co. In recent years, Libby battled cancer.

In a portrait (shown above) of Libby painted by Robert Shetterly, from his Americans Who Tell the Truth collection, Libby is quoted as saying: "We have to challenge the idea that contamination is just the price of living in the modern world. Our bodies don't have systems to process plastics or flame retardants or pesticides. If contamination is the price of modern society, modern society has failed us."

With any luck, the many people Libby inspired over the years will continue his work to ensure that modern society doesn't fail us.

Read more about Libby's legacy in the obituary published in the New York Times. Or hear Libby talk at this year's Farmer to Farmer Conference and the 2010 TEDxDirigo conference. 

To support the endowment at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, make a donation to the Russell Libby Memorial Fund.

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About the Author

Meredith Goad has harvested oysters on the Chesapeake Bay, eaten reindeer in Finland and sipped hot chai in the Himalayas. She writes the weekly Soup to Nuts column and enjoys a good cocktail.

Meredith can be contacted at 791-6332 or mgoad@pressherald.com
On Twitter: @meredithgoad

Susan Axelrod's food writing career began in the kitchen; she owned a restaurant and catering business before turning to journalism more than a decade ago. To relax, she bakes, gardens and hikes with her husband and their two dogs. A newcomer to Portland, she is an online content producer for the Press Herald.

Susan can be contacted at 791-6310 or saxelrod [at] pressherald.com.
On Twitter: @susansaxelrod

Wendy Almeida and her family have a smattering of livestock and a summer garden. After 10 years of her kids being involved in 4-H, she's finally accepted the term "hobby farm" to describe her family's work at sustainable living. These days her morning starts with milking a goat before heading into the office for her day job as an assistant editor for features.

Wendy can be contacted at wea [at] mainetoday.com or on Twitter @wea1021.

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