March 2018
News and events for Maine Beef Producers from University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, Maine Beef Producers Association and other agricultural organizations in Maine.
Veterinary Feed Directive Survey - 
Managing the health of your herd is a primary responsibility of all farmers. The Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) rules that went into effect January 1, 2017 may have impacted how you manage herd health. The rules limited the use of medically important antibiotics to disease prevention, control or treatment, and only when a veterinarian writes a VFD for their use.
 
Michigan State University Extension, in partnership with Land-Grant Universities nationwide, is conducting a survey of farmers who raise and manage dairy or beef cattle, pigs, sheep or goats. They want to learn about changes that have occurred in response to the VFD, in terms of your use of antibiotics, health of your herd, and in your relationship with your veterinarian.
 
The survey is open from now until April. All responses are confidential and your participation is voluntary. It will take 10-15 minutes to complete. Click to take the survey: VFD Survey.

Thanks for your help.
What's New?   
TreatyMBPA Pen Sale at NELE 
The MBPA is offering the opportunity to display, market, and purchase quality breeding stock in a private treaty type format at this year's Northeast Livestock Expo (NELE) May 18-20. In addition to the annual feeder auction, this event, which is open to young bulls, heifers and cow/calf combos, will provide another sale option at NELE.

Display pens, located in a barn separate from the feeder sale barn, will be provided including bedding (sawdust) and water. Seller will be responsible for all care of the animals including providing feed/hay. All animals should be preconditioned as per the MBPA protocols. Compliance with interstate health requirements is the responsibility of the seller. Pens will be availa ble late afternoon on Thursday May 17th. Pricing and all negotiations with buyers is the sole responsibility of the seller. The MBPA reserves the right to screen cattle in advance, to assure high quality.

Cost to the seller is $50 per head (cow/calf count as one) and 2018 MBPA membership is required. Commitment to participate with payment in full must be received by April 15th by sending a check to the MBPA c/o Sally Caverly, 1457 River Rd, Clinton, ME 04927 and by emailing pictures and any pertinent information and contact information to:
Russ Florenz at r.jflorenz@gmail.com.

The MBPA will promote the pen sale as it promotes the feeder calf sale. In addition the MBPA will feature pen sale animals on its Facebook page. 

Sold animals may be loaded for transport at any time that is not in conflict with other activities at NELE. Sellers will have the option of offering their animals for sale by auction after the feeder calf auction on Saturday May 19th at no additional charge. Notice of participation in the auction must be given no less than one hour prior to the start of the feeder cattle sale.

For more information contact:
Pete Dusoe pbdusoe@roadrunner.com 207-416-5441
Kevin Woltemath kwoltemath@pfnmeats.com 207-721-0263
Russ Florenz r.jflorenz@gmail.com 207-743-9019
auctionMBPA Spring Feeder Cattle Sale

The Maine Beef Producer's Association is seeking consignments for their annual Spring Feeder Cattle Sale to be held on Saturday May 19th as part of the 11th annual Northeast Livestock Expo (NELE) at the Windsor Fairgrounds May 18-20.

Preconditioning protocol needs to be completed before the sale. 

***Attention consignors: as in recent years, a $25/hd. consignment fee will be assessed, but this year that will be the applicable fee only if payment of $25/hd. is made by April 20th. You must mail a check payable to MBPA to:  
beef red at sale

Sally Caverly, MBPA Treasurer
1457 River Road
Clinton, ME 04927

Please include number of head consigned X $25 on the memo line. 

This fee is non-refundable.
After April 20th, consignments will still be accepted up to the event, but a  $50/hd. sale cost will be deducted prior to settlement.
For more information, contact: Peter Dusoe, Cell: 207-416-5441 or Home: 207-473-5441 or email: pbdusoe@roadrunner.com.
beef
calves4kidsCalves for Kids 
The Maine Beef Producers Association is once again accepting  applications for the Calves for Kids program. The deadline is April 1st, 2018. 

Youth applying will be asked to come for an interview before the Calves for Kids committee at a later date. This program, started in 2007, has given 24 youth in the State of Maine a heifer calf. 

The program gives a youth an opportunity to have a registered beef heifer to show and start a herd. The youth's obligation is to breed the heifer to a registered bull and give back to the program the first heifer calf. If they do not get a heifer calf born after a few years they are obligated to pay the MBPA $1000. Of the 24 heifers that have gone to youth so far, 10 were either donated or bought by MBPA and 14 have come back from the youth.

In 2017, four youth received heifers. Meisner, Dawson, Madelyn, and Mackenzie Ramsdell.

For more information contact Jenn Grant   Findviewfarm@juno.com  

Past Calves for Kids Program Recipients: 

2016: Bethany Devoe - Hereford heifer bought by MBPA (with money from Shelby Walker) from Darcie Campbell McCarthy; Brooke Bickford - Chimaine heifer bought by MBPA (with money from Kristen Salley) from Norris Smith and Cindy Kilgore. . 

2015: Colby Waters - Angus heifer from Cierra Waters; Elizabeth Phinney - percentage lowline bought by MBPA from Wiliam Fisher. 

2014: Shelby Walker - Charolais heifer from Roger Flannery; Ashton Caron - Belted Galloway heifer from Morgan Allen; and Jared Kimball - Shorthorn heifer bought from Rupert Pratt with money from the sale of Alexander Clark's animal. 

2013: Cierra Waters - Angus heifer from Adam Pride; and Kristen Salley - Chi-Angus heifer bought from McGee Farm with money given back by Katerine Newcombe. 

2012: Matthew Carroll -  Angus heifer from Tyler Stevenson
 
2011: Morgan Allen - Belted Galloway from Sam Newcombe; and Adam Pride - Angus heifer from Samantha Grant
 
2010: Alexander Clark - Hereford heifer from Sage LeBlanc; Wesley Turner - Angus heifer from Tom McKenney; and Roger Flannery - Charolais heifer from George Miller
 
2009: Sage LeBlanc - Angus heifer from Ben Pride; Sam Newcombe - Belted Galloway from Kayla Scheimreif; and Katherine Newcombe - Angus heifer from Mary Street and MBPA
 
2008: Tyler Stevenson - Angus heifer from Pineland Farms; Ronnie Sue Clark - Simmental heifer from McGee Farm; and Carrie Butterfield - Hereford heifer from Paul and Wendy Gallagher
 
2007:  Ben Pride - Angus heifer from McGee Farm; Samantha Grant - Angus heifer from Pete Wayne; and Kayla Scheimreif  - Belted Galloway from Aldemere Farm 
MGFN logo
grazing2018 Annual Grazing Conference

March 16, 2018    9:00 am - 3:30 pm
Alfond Campus,  Kennebec Valley Community College
US Route 201, Hinckley, ME
Pre-registration is required
Deadline to register - March 12

Directions:
From I-95 North or South: Exit 133, Skowhegan/ Fairfield (US-201). Merge onto US-201 N/ Skowhegan Road. Appx. 6.6 miles Campus on the Left.  There is a blinking light at the Alfond campus entrance.  For GPS users, use coordinates 44.669057, -69.630307   It says Fairfield, but the location is actually in the town of Hinkley!
inventoryNortheast Region Cattle Inventory - NASS
Posted Feb. 8, 2018

Area
Number / Percent of 2017
Number / Percent of 2017


All cattle and calves

All cows that have calved
Maine
82000 / 98%
40000 / 98%
US
94 million / 101%
41 million / 101%
 

Beef Cows that have calved

Milk Cows that have calved
Maine
10000 / 91%
30000 / 100%
US
32 million / 102%
9 million / 101%
 

Heifers 500 pounds and over

Heifers 500 pounds and over
 
Beef cow replacement
Milk cow replacement
Maine
4000 / 100%
12000 / 100%
US
6 million / 96%
5 million / 101%
 

Calves under 500 pounds
Maine
14500 / 94%
US
14 million / 100%

interestItems of Interest

resourcesFeatured Resources

Webinar:
Getting Started with Beef Cow-Calf Production -  This two-hour session from MSU covers basic management practices critical to profitable beef production, beef cow/calf cost of production values, and evaluating profitability by cost per unit of production.

Mono-Slope Beef Barn Design and Management -  What is a Mono-Slope Beef Barn? It's a newer style barn for cattle that is becoming increasingly popular in the upper Midwest. Watch this 70-minute webinar from Iowa State University to discover what exactly a mono-slope barn is and why beef producers are building them. Learn about the basic design of the roof, flooring, walls, curtains, alleys, manure storage and other features. Listen as two cattle producers share how they designed and manage their mono-slope barns. See how they operate the barn curtains to adjust air flow, maintain and bed the pack, handle manure, provide feed, move cattle and comply with state and federal regulations. Both of these producers are currently cooperating in a multi-state USDA grant to determine gas emissions from deep-bedded mono-slope beef barns. 

Publications:    
Visit the UMaine Extension Cooperative Extension online Publications Catalog
for agriculture information, such as:
  •  Using Your Smartphone to Enhance Your Farm Business #1061 You likely have a smartphone in your pocket, so why not use it to make your farm business more efficient and more profitable? If your phone is used primarily to make calls, then this fact sheet will help you explore how your phone can help you in your farm business. 4 pages. © 2018 by University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Download it for free or buy a color copy $0.50.
  • Beef Cattle Herd Health Vaccination Guide for Maine #1031
    A herd health management plan is vital to profitable beef production. Do not wait until a disease outbreak occurs before implementing a sound herd health program. For cattle to reach their performance potential, they must be healthy. Vaccinations are an approved practice for organic producers. 5 pages. © 2014 by University of Maine Cooperative Extension.  Download it for free or buy a color copy $0.75.
events  Upcoming Events
joinmbpa Maine Beef Producers Association
Join the Maine Beef Producers Association 
The Maine Beef Producers Association is accepting dues for the 2018 year. Annual dues are $35. For an extra $25 you can get a year subscription to County Folks. For more information on this organization and for membership application go to http://www.mainebeefproducersassociation.com/forms.html

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subscription Newsletter Subscription Information   
The Maine Beef Newsletter (MBN) is now received by over 660 readers, has been offered as an educational resource by University of Maine Cooperative Extension since 2011. As of January 1, 2015, the MBN transitioned to electronic-only delivery. There will still be four ways to receive the MBN from UMaine Extension:
1) Maine Beef Newsletter remains available online for free! You can sign up to receive the newsletter through your email or view the archived issues anytime at  http://bit.ly/PPfarming If you currently do not have an email, you can get one for free from several email hosts. If you do not have a computer, community libraries have computers for you to use to access information on the Internet and to view your email.
2) Those with no email can opt to pay an annual subscription to receive the newsletters monthly for $15/year. If you are interested in subscribing send a $15 check made out to UMaine Extension to Piscataquis County Cooperative Extension, 165 East Main St., Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426.  
 3) A third option is to come into the Piscataquis or Penobscot County Extension Office and pick up a free printed copy of the newsletter.  
4) Maine Beef Producers Association members who do not have an email on file will receive a printed copy of the newsletter as a benefit of their membership.  
       We appreciate our readers referring others to the newsletter, and sharing it with your family and friends.
    Thank you for your continued support of the MBN, providing valuable agricultural information from Extension for beef producers and those interested in the beef industry in Maine since 2011.
Mission
University of Maine Cooperative Extension is the major educational outreach program of the University of Maine with offices statewide.  UMaine Extension provides Maine people with research-based educational programs to help them live fuller, more productive lives.
______________________________________________

Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product, or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.
quick Quick Links
weatherLocal Weather Anytime
Many farming activities are driven by the weather.  Our local National Weather Service in Caribou has meteorologists on staff 24 hours a day.  They are willing to talk with you about rain predictions for your town.  Give them a call at 492-0180.  Or check out their online detailed maps at  http://www.weather.gov/car/.

Need Pesticide credits?  Check out the   Maine Board of Pesticide credit calendar.  Many approved pesticide applicator re-certification programs are listed.
Contributors
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
and
Colt Knight, Extension Livestock Specialist

Goal
The goal of the Maine Beef Newsletter is to provide timely information on the production and marketing of beef grown in Maine.
The University of Maine does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, including transgender status and gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director, Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, 207.581.1226.
 
Photos by Donna Coffin unless otherwise noted.  

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