With almost 100 craft breweries in Maine, livestock producers are interested in using a by-product of this industry, wet brewer's grains (WBG) as a low-cost feed ingredient. WBG does have a number of challenges including high moisture, high transportation cost/ pound of nutrient, and high perishability (especially in warm weather.) We are wondering about the level of interest in livestock producers in a research project to look at how WBG can be made more convenient to feed out to livestock. Please take a moment and
complete this survey . Thanks for your help.
Donna Coffin, UMaine Extension Educator
Colt Knight, UMaine Extension Specialist
Juan Romero Gomez, UMaine Researcher
|
|
Your monthly news & updates
|
|
What's New?
Grazing Conference
Quickbooks Basics for Farms
Looking for a Farmers' Market?
Register Today for Open Farm Day
Climate Change Adaptation Research for Beginning Farmers
2019 Crop Insurance Policies Deadlines
2019 Maine Vegetable & Fruit School
Home and Small-Scale Greenhouse Program
Pork 101: Beginners Guide to Keeping Pigs
Got Hayfields & Pastures? Workshops
Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training
Nursery, Christmas Tree & Landscapers Invitation to Participate
UMaine Cooperative Extension Offers Media Training for Farmers
Items of Interest
Featured Resources
Upcoming Events
Newsletter Subscription Information
Mission and Quick Links
Local Weather Anytime - Need Pesticide Credits?
|
|
Registration is open for the Maine Grass Farmers Network's (MGFN)
Annual Grazing Conference
;
8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 23, at Kennebec County Community College's Alfond Campus on Route 201 in Hinckley.
Livestock producers are invited to learn about grass-based production and how grazing systems can become more profitable and environmentally sound.
Morgan Hartman, managing partner of Black Queen Angus Farm, LLC, in Berlin, New York, and co-founder of the Winter Green-Up Grazing Conference, will deliver a keynote about holistic planned grazing. Steve and Seren Sinisi, owners-operators of Old Crow Ranch, will present a virtual tour of their pasture-based livestock operation.
Session topics include using 3D printers to make tools, composting manure and mortalities, and climate adaptation strategies.
Registration: The conference fee is $60; $45 for current MGFN or Maine Beef Producers Association members; and $25 for students 18 years and younger. Lunch and snacks are included. Register
online
.
MGFN is coordinated by producers, with support from University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Richard Kersbergen, 207.342.5971;
richard.kersbergen@maine.edu
. More information about the conference also is
online.
|
|
SCORE and UMaine Cooperative Extension are pleased to announce a FREE four-part workshop on QuickBooks Basics for Farms beginning on
Monday, April 8th! Please note the class is for QuickBooks Desktop Pro version and not for the on-line version of QuickBooks. If you have the on-line version you will still benefit from the classes but the hands-on exercises and temporary use license are for the desktop version.
QuickBooks is recognized as the #1 accounting solution for small businesses to help with invoicing, tracking sales and expenses, and handling bookkeeping requirements for tax preparation, as well as management of the business.
These 2 1/2 hour, 4 evening workshops (April 8th, 10th, 15th and 17th) will help you better understand how to use several key features found in QuickBooks. The instructor will introduce students to recording sales transactions,
entering expenses, generating reports, and how QuickBooks keeps track of transactions "behind the scenes." Plus, students will practice learned skills through a simulated bookeeping exercise, to help you learn how to manage your business and keep your accounting records up-to-date and accurate.
If you are a first time user or just need hands on help with your questions, this is the workshop for you!
Please click on the Get More Information link below for complete course details, the presenter bio and to register.
Space is limited, so please register by Wednesday, April 3rd. Please note that a PC laptop will be needed. If you do not have QuickBooks already installed on your PC laptop, we will provide a temporary QuickBooks Accountant 2018 license for these four classes. If you need the temporary QuickBooks installation, please come to the first class at 5:00 PM to allow time for installation.
Please contact either Erin Roche at Cooperative Extension or me if you have any questions about the event or how to register.
|
|
|
|
Are you a Maine farm who wants to help the public learn more about your farm's role in agriculture?
Are you able to host visitors to your farm Sunday, July 28, 2019?
We invite you to be a host for the 30th Anniversary of Maine's Open Farm Day!
|
|
Researchers at UMaine have a new project focused on collaborating with farmers to develop resources for better adapting to changes in weather and climate. We are currently looking for beginning farmers to participate in interviews during March-April 2019.
Interested farmers should fill out
this google form .
Those chosen to participate will be compensated with $50 Visa gift cards for their time.
|
|
2019 Maine Crop Insurance Policies Deadline
March 15
th is the deadline to enroll, change or cancel coverage on crop insurance policies for spring-seeded crops and the Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). The 2018 Farm Bill resulted in a price increase of Catastrophic coverage to $655 per crop per county and $325 per crop per county for NAP.
March 15, 2019 is the deadline for the following products:
- Corn
- Forage Seeding
- Fresh Market Sweet Corn
- Green Peas
- Potatoes
- Spring Barley
- Spring Oats
- Spring Wheat
- Whole-Farm Revenue Protection
Developing a risk management plan is a critical step for any serious farmer. In the event of a natural disaster, your best protection might be enrollment in the Non-insured Assistance Program (NAP), Whole-Farm Revenue Protection or Multi-peril Crop Insurance (specific crop).
|
|
The school will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26 at the Bangor Motor Inn Conference Center. Topics include:
- Legislative Update
- Multi-Species Cover Crops Can Benefit Your Vegetables
- Update on “New” Insect Pests and Management Strategies
- Maximizing Farm Operations with Value-Added Products
- Simple Ways to Improve Your Record Keeping
- Tarping for Soil Conditioning and Weed Management
- IPM for High Tunnels
- Farm Marketing: How Your Marketing Strategy Can Buffer Against Unexpected Weather-related Losses
- Circle B Farms: Berries in Caribou
- Optimizing Compost Applications for Plant Growth and Soil Health
- Paper Mulch Trials at Highmoor Farm
More information is posted on our website:
Photo: Edwin Remsberg
|
|
March 21, 2019
10 am to noon
Piscataquis County Extension Office
Dover-Foxcroft
UMaine Extension will be hosting a program on Home and Small-Scale Greenhouses with Dr. Matt Wallhead, UMaine Extension Ornamental Horticulture Specialist.
Greenhouses, hoop houses or high tunnels may be the best way to add at least a month on either end of the season or make winter crops possible. They can allow for greater control over the growing environment of plants when managed well.
A home greenhouse can be a simple, polyethylene-covered framework that can be put together in one afternoon for less than one hundred dollars or it can be a six-thousand dollar plus, prefabricated structure.
Come and learn the technical specification of a greenhouse and key factors which may be controlled including temperature, levels of light and shade, irrigation, fertilizer application, and atmospheric humidity as well as planting schedules and crop selection.
Course fee: $10
For more information go to our
website
|
|
March 22, 2019
11 am to 2 pm
Piscataquis County Extension Office
Dover-Foxcroft
Dr. Colt Knight will present this program is for folks who are planning to get a couple pigs this spring to raise through the summer and harvest in the fall as well as folks who are planning to get a sow to raise their own piglets.
- When should you get your pigs
- Who should you buy them from
- Where will you keep them
- How will you house them
- What will you feed them
- What health care is needed
- When will you harvest them
- Also, if you are thinking about keeping a sow to raise baby pigs
Dr. Knight will cover information to help assure success.
A light lunch will be included.
We will have fresh, brined, and smoked bacon to taste different preparation techniques.
Course fee: $10
For more information go to our
website
|
|
So, you have hayfields and pastures that are in need of some attention?
Are you feeding your animals good quality forages? Do you want to learn what makes a good haycrop?
This 3 hour workshop is for you!
Join Rick Kersbergen and Gary Anderson, from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension covering topics including:
- Improving pasture and hayfield yield and quality
- Production basics for hay and baleage
- Understanding forage quality and using a forage analysis
This workshop will be presented in 9 different locations across Maine, (listed below with directions). $10 per farm.
This workshop will be presented in 9 different locations across Maine. $10 per farm.
|
|
 |
Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training
Fruit and vegetable growers and others interested in learning about produce safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, farm food safety best practices, and co-management of natural resources and food safety. The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in § 112.22(c) that requires “At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.”
The course will provide a foundation of farm food safety best practices and co-management information, FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements, and details on how to develop a farm food safety plan. Individuals who participate in this course are expected to gain a basic understanding of:
- Microorganisms relevant to produce safety and where they may be found on the farm
- How to identify microbial risks, practices that reduce risks, and how to begin implementing produce safety practices on the farm
- Parts of a farm food safety plan and how to begin writing one
- Requirements in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule and how to meet them.
After attending the entire course, participants will be eligible to receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) that verifies they have completed the training course. To receive an AFDO certificate, a participant must be present for the entire training and submit the appropriate paperwork to their trainer at the end of the course.
|
|
|
|
Locations for Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training:
- Dover-Foxcroft March 29, 2019 (Snow date: Apr 4) 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Congregational Church in Dover-Foxcroft, Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 - Register Online Registration closes March 22, 2019 Limit: 28 attendees
- Farmington April 5 (Snow date: Apr 19) 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM University of Maine Farmington – Olsen Memorial Student Center – Conference Room 123. 111 South Street, Farmington, Maine USA 04938 Parking available at Lot 15 – Behind the Student Center on High St. ***For the snow date, the CHANGED location is:*** Mt. Blue High School, 129 Seamon Road, Farmington, ME - Register Online - Registration closes March 29, 2019
Note: Grant funded; limited to Maine residents only.
Photo: Remsberg
|
|
|
|
Nursery, Christmas Tree & Landscapers... Invitation to participate:
Please take 5 to 10 minutes to complete this survey on herbicide resistant weeds in nursery crops, Christmas trees and landscape plantings.
The information you provide will be completely anonymous and confidential. No identifying information is requested other that your state and occupation.
The information gathered from this survey will help researchers and Extension educators better understand the importance of herbicide resistance in nursery crops, Christmas trees and landscape plantings. Data will be compiled and shared with other weed control researchers and used to guide future research and outreach education efforts.
This survey is being conducted and administered by Dr. Joe Neal at North Carolina State University and Dr. Jeff Derr at Virginia Tech University. If you have any questions about this survey please feel free to contact Dr. Neal via email at:
joe_neal@ncsu.edu
or 919-805-1707.
|
|
Open Farm Day participants encouraged to register.
Learn how to respond to media requests and welcome visitors to your farming operation.
UMaine Cooperative Extension will offer media training April 29, 2019 as part of their leadership development programming. 10 am to 3 pm at the KVCC Alfond Campus.
Learn how to respond to media requests and welcome visitors to your farming operation.
This will be useful for farms wishing to be hosts for the 30th Anniversary of Maine Open Farm Day.
Interested participants should register online. The registration fee is $10 per participant, and is limited to 30 attendees.
Participants will receive hands on training about:
- How to Tell Your Farm’s Story
- Working with the Media
- Social Media Best Practices
- Crisis Responses
Photo: Remsberg
|
|
- Norbrook Laboratories Limited of Newry, Northern Ireland is recalling two lots of Enroflox® 100 Injection (enrofloxacin), two lots of Noromectin® Injection (ivermectin) and two lots of Ivermax® 1% Injection (ivermectin) to the veterinarian/consumer level as a precautionary measure as product sterility cannot be assured.
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Specialty Crop Program is conducting a webinar on March 13, 2019, to solicit public comments on the multiple sections of the 2018 Farm Bill relating to industrial hemp.
- Northeast SARE Partnership Grants fund projects that work in partnership with farmers to address issues that affect the farming community. Applications for 2019 Northeast SARE Partnership Grants are due April 23. Learn more at www.northeastsare.org/PartnershipGrant.
- Researchers at Newcastle University have published a study showing that limonene in marigolds repels tomato whiteflies.
- IRS News Release 2019-24, IRS waives estimated tax penalty for farmers, fishermen who file returns and pay tax by April 15. (April 17 for Maine.)
- Misbranded/Adulterated Pesticide Product (pdf) The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) has ordered the stoppage of sale and distribution of a pesticide product manufactured by Southern Agriculture Insecticides Inc., after finding the presence of three pesticide active ingredients not listed on the product label. Triple Action Neem Oil Broad Spectrum Fungicide, Insecticide, Miticide is labeled for use on house plants, trees and shrubs, fruits and vegetables, and lawns, and for use in and around homes and home gardens.
- Eastern Maine Development Corporation (EMDC) is launching a new Youth Work Experience Program for individuals who reside in Penobscot, Piscataquis, Washington and Hancock County. EMDC is actively seeking employers to host individuals for a work experience. EMDC will pay the full wages for the work experience. To learn more about the Work Experience program, please contact EMDC’s Director of Workforce Services, Susan Cerini, by phone at (207) 561-4044 or by email at scerini@emdc.org.
- Looking for a farmers' market to join? This Facebook page is offered as a clearing house for you. A project of the Maine Federation of Farmers' Markets http://mffm.org and http://www.facebook.com/mainefarmersmarkets.
- Majority of consumers want to nix "milk" from non-dairy beverage labels. A survey by National Milk Producers Federation shows that 63% of people believe the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should restrict the use of the term "milk" on non-dairy beverage labels.
- 3rd Annual Saffron Conference "Saffron Production Progress & Marketing Promise" March 15th at UVM, Burlington, VT. $65
- Maine Maple Equipment Dealers - 2019 list put together by Kathy Hopkins - UMaine Extension Somerset County.
- New Plant Disease Submission Form for the UMaine Extension Diagnostic Lab. What to send and how to send it.
- Maine Hay Directory - is available to help farmers with hay to sell and farmers looking for hay to buy. Be cautious of hay scams.
- Agrichemical and Fertilizer Suppliers in Maine - compiled by David E. Yarborough, Extension Blueberry Specialist.
- Maine Farm Labor Link Network - MDACF to link potential employers with job seekers.
- Jobs at UMaine Extension: a number positions throughout the state.
- Small Ruminant Residency - Meadowcroft Farm, Washington. FMI contact Nanne Kennedy, 207-542-2587 or email queen@getwool.com.
|
|
Video:
The Slide Hammer Seeder:
(YouTube) A Novel Tool for Planting Small Seeds. Dr. Erin Brennan, USDA - ARS shows how to make a seeder in your shop for about $32 worth of parts to use when seeding tiny seeds in the field.
Webinars:
Publications:
Visit UMaine Extension online Publications Catalog for agricultural publications such as:
|
|
- March 15th & 16th, 2019 Digging into Farm Accounting, a free two-day workshop in Caribou on Friday from 4 pm to 7:30 pm and Saturday in Presque Isle from 9 am to 5 pm. Brought to you by Maine Farmland Trust and sponsored by Bangor Savings Bank.
- March 15, 2019 Safforn: Production Progress and Marketing Promise (pdf), Burlington, VT or live streamed on ZOOM. Sponsored by UVM.
- March 16 - 18, 2019 New England Giftware and Specialty Food Show will take place on at the Portland Sports Complex in Portland, Maine.
- March 19, 2019 Dairy Seminar, Elks Club, Waterville. Dr. Tom Oelberg will speak on feeding management and TMR audits. Advance registrations are FREE! After March 11 pay at the door $22. To register contact Melissa.libby1@maine.edu or call 1-800-287-7170 (Maine only) or 207-581-2788.
- March 21, 2019 Home & Small-scale Greenhouse Program, 10 am to noon, Piscataquis Extension Office, Dover-Foxcroft, Matt Wallhead, speaker. $10 per person. Registration online or by calling 207-564-3301.
- March 22 - Pork 101: Beginners Guide to Keeping Pigs 11 am to 2 pm, Piscataquis County Extension Office, Dover-Foxcroft, Colt Knight, speaker. $10 per person. Registration online or by calling 207-564-3301.
- March 23, 2019 Grazing Conference, KVCC Hinkley. More details later.
- March 25, 2019 Got Hayfield and Pasture Workshop, 6 pm to 9 pm at the Piscataquis Extension Office, Dover-Foxcroft, Rick Kersbergen speaker. More details later.
- March 26, 2019 Maine Vegetable and Fruit School, 9 am to 4 pm, Bangor Motor Inn Conference Center, Hogan Road, Bangor. Preregistration required. Early bird $45 per person before March 8th, $55 if after. Lunch and materials included.
- March 27, 2019 Got Hayfield and Pasture Workshop, 9 am to noon at the Penobscot Extension Office, Bangor, Rick Kersbergen speaker. More details later.
- March 27 - 31, 2019 Maine Flower Show, Thompsons Point, Portland.
- March 29, 2019 (snow date April 4) Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training, Dover Foxcroft Congregational Church, Dover-Foxcroft. Sponsored by UMaine Extension. More details later.
- April 6, 2019 25th Annual Rural Living Day, Mt View School in Thorndike, Maine (Route 220), Lots of topics from Amish technology to tick talk. Proceeds benefit 4-H Camp Tanglewood.
- April 8,10,15 & 17, 2019 Quickbooks training with SCORE, 6 pm - 8:30 pm, Penobscot County Extension Office, 307 Maine Ave, Bangor. Registration required for this free class. Click here to register.
- April 13, 2019 2nd Annual Keeping Small Ruminant: Disease Awareness and Screening. Foxcroft Large Animal Veterinary Associates, Dexter Rd., Dover-Foxcroft. More details later.
- April 29, 2019 Media Training for Farmers, 9:30 am to 3 pm, Hinkley (Barn), $10 Learn how to respond to media requests and welcome visitors to your farming operation. It will also be useful for farms wishing to be hosts for the 30th Anniversary of Maine Open Farm Day.
- July 28, 2019 Open Farm Day. Registration is open until May 1st.
|
|
Newsletter Subscription Information
The Central Maine Farming Newsletter (CMFN), now received by over 900 readers, has been offered as an educational resource by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension for over 15 years. On January 1, 2015 the CMFN transitioned to electronic-only delivery. There is still three ways to receive the CMFN from your local UMaine Extension:
- Central Maine Farming Newsletter remains available online for free! You can sign up to receive the newsletter through your email or view the archived issues anytime at at this website 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.
- Those with no email can opt to pay an annual subscription to receive the newsletters monthly for $15/year by contacting your County office.
- A third option is to come into the Piscataquis or Penobscot County Extension Offices and pick up a free printed copy of the newsletter.
We appreciate our readers referring others to the newsletter, and sharing it with their family and friends. Thank you for your continued support of the CMFN, providing valuable agricultural information from Extension for folks in the central Maine area since 2003.
|
|
Mission
The 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.
|
|
|
|
Local 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
|
|
|
|
Edited by
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
Goal
The goal of the Central Maine Farming Newsletter is to provide timely information on the production and marketing of crops and livestock grown in central 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: Donna Coffin unless indicated otherwise.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Piscataquis County Office
|
|
Open Monday - Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm
307 Maine Ave Bangor, ME 04401 207-942-7396 or 800-287-1485
Piscataquis County Office -
website
Open Monday, Thursday, Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm
Open By-chance on Wednesday, Closed Tuesday
165 East Main St Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 207-564-3301 or 800-287-1491
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
