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Your monthly news & updates
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What's New?
- UMaine Presents - brewery tour and food fermentation talk at Bissell Brothers, Milo
- Recipe to Market: Is it for ME?
- Beekeeping Symposium
- Washing Machine Greens Spinner Workshop
- Deadline approaching for pasture, rangeland and forage Crop Insurance program
- Items of Interest
- Featured Resources
- Upcoming Events
- Newsletter Subscription Information
- Mission and Quick Links
- Local Weather Anytime - Need Pesticide Credits?
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Tour Bissell Brothers Three Rivers Brewery and hear about food fermentation on October 22nd, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Three Rivers Brewery and Taproom, 157 Elm Street in Milo.
Sponsored by the Piscataquis County Extension Association, University of Maine School of Food and Agriculture, and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. A cash bar will be available to give you an opportunity to try Three Rivers Brewery’s latest beers. Registration is required, the cost is $15 and includes light refreshments by Elaine’s Basket Cafe and Bakery in Milo.
Dr. Brian Perkins, Research Assistant Professor of School of Food & Agriculture at the University of Maine will talk about his work with general food fermentation (including brewing.) He and his grad students are doing some cool stuff with kombucha, sauerkraut, kvass and beer.
Bissell Brothers Tree River Brewery and Taproom is located in a former snowmobile dealership in Milo, Maine, near the confluence of the Sebec and Piscataquis Rivers – two of the bodies that make up the town’s moniker and namesake of the facility. This brewery was built to focus on mixed-fermentation beers, wood aging, and spontaneous fermentation. The tap room’s large outdoor area features a refurbished 1922 caboose and is host to music, games, and other entertainment.
Every year the Piscataquis County Extension Association celebrates the programs and resources that they bring from the University of Maine to the residents of Piscataquis county. This year they are offering a fun program to help people become more aware of the value-added products that are being produced in Piscataquis County.
For more information or to request a disability accommodation, call 207.564.3301 or in Maine 1.800.287.1491
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Recipe to Market: Is it for ME?
Wednesday, October 23, 2019 - 9:00 am – noon
University of Maine Cooperative Extension,
307 Maine Ave., Bangor $10 fee
or
Tuesday, October 29th, 2019 9:00 am – noon
University of Maine Cooperative Extension, 63 Boggy Brook Road, Ellsworth Free
This half-day workshop will introduce participants to important topics that an aspiring entrepreneur needs to consider before starting a food business. Topics that will be presented include: opportunities and challenges of being a food entrepreneur, the specialty food industry, business basics, an overview of the product development process, licensing and regulations, and food safety concerns. Registration is required.
This workshop will be helpful to a wide range of individuals who are thinking about starting a food business in Maine. Examples include:
- A restaurant owner or chef who wants to market a special chowder to local retail stores
- A person who wants to produce and market a unique chocolate creation developed from an old family recipe
- A retired teacher who wants to create a conserve made from Maine’s wild blueberries and cranberries
- A farmer or gardener who wants to develop and market a special hot sauce and salsa
- A farmer who wants to develop a snack food product
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Saturday, November 16
th
, 2019
10 am to 4 pm
Hampden Academy, 89 Western Avenue, Hampden, Maine. Catered lunch for those who pre-register. Cost is $25.00 per person.
This event will feature the following speakers:
Ian Steppler from Manitoba, Canada has a large commercial operation that focuses on honey production and sustainable management. He has a Youtube channel
A Canadian Beekeeper’s Blog
where he puts forth great information about managing bees in his cold weather climate.
Tucka Saville aka Tucka Bee is from Keeseville in Northern New York. She manages her own self- sustaining, treatment free operation and breeds Northern Queens (Tucka Bee, LLC.) She also works for Michael Palmer of French Hill Apiaries in Vermont and helps with his breeding program.
Jennifer Lund, Maine Apiculturist, will also be attending as a guest, but is extremely approachable and loves to talk bees.
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Washing Machine Greens Spinner Workshop
November 1, 2019
Friday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
MOFGA Exhibition Hall, Unity
Have a washing machine that you want to convert into a greens spinner? Have you already done the conversion, but want to improve it? Join us for a hands-on intensive workshop focused on getting the job done and doing it well.
The workshop is led and facilitated by Chris Callahan and Andy Chamberlin from the UVM Extension Ag Engineering Program. They have explored ways to improve these conversions for improved produce quality, produce safety, personnel safety and machine longevity. In the process, they learned some tricks that will make your conversion and your use of these machines easier and more efficient.
Please register and tell us what you have and what you hope to accomplish. We will get back to you with a shopping list and a rough plan so we can all hit the ground running on the day of the workshop.
This is a hands-on workshop and you are required to bring your machine with you along with tools and supplies to get the work done. The workshop is free, but you can make a donation to the
UVM Extension Ag Engineering fund
to help support future magic.
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Deadline Approaching for Pasture, Rangeland and Forage (PRF) program.
This crop insurance policy protects grazing or haying acres from a single peril- lack of precipitation using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Producers must enroll with a crop insurance agent before the November 15
th
deadline for 2020 coverage.
To learn more about PRF and to hear from a Massachusetts farmer who has used the policy, please view the following
webinar
recorded last year.
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November 7 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am
| $40
Have you ever wanted to know the secret to real barbecue, or how to smoke like a Southern pit master? Join Chef Robert Dumas and Colt Knight for a crash course in slow smoked barbecue. During the course, participants will learn to make dry rubs and barbecue sauce from scratch in the University of Maine commercial kitchen. In addition, participants will gain hands-on experience prepping and trimming whole chickens, pork spare ribs, and pork shoulders. Don’t fret, there will be barbecue for everyone to try. Let us help you unravel the mystery to making great Southern-style smoked barbecue.
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Website:
Saluting Service: A Guide to Lending and Resources for Farmer Veterans
. The intent of this publication is to highlight the needs of America’s next generation of producers, which includes individuals who served their country and who are now pursuing a second career in agriculture. Additionally, this publication will function as a guide to farm programs that specifically target beginning and veteran farmers and ranchers.
Online Course:
So You Want to Farm in Maine? archived video sessions from the fall 2018 course. A number of folks have been interested in signing up for this course and watching the videos at their own pace. This can count as FSA borrower training if homework and farm plan are completed and discussed with Donna Coffin. Cost is $50 and includes access to the videos, resource web site and course book.
Publications:
Visit UMaine Extension online Publications Catalog for agricultural publications such as:
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- October 22, 2019 UMaine Extension Presents: Tour Bissell Brothers Three Rivers Brewery and hear about food fermentation. Dr. Brian Perkins, Research Assistant Professor of the School of Food & Agriculture at the University of Maine will talk about his work with general food fermentation (including brewing.) 5:30 pm to 8 pm, Bissell Brothers, Milo. $15 Light meal included. Register online or by calling the Piscataquis County Extension Office at 207-564-3301 or email anette.moulton@maine.edu.
- October 23, 2019 Recipe to Market: Is it for me?, 9:00 am – noon, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, 307 Maine Ave., Bangor. $10 fee, register here.
- October 24, 2019 Managing Soil Nutrients in High Tunnels 5 - 6:30PM, Sheepscot General Farm & Store 98 Townhouse Rd, Whitefield. Bruce Hoskins, University of Maine Soil Testing Program Coordinator, will discuss high tunnel soil testing at the University of Maine and how to address the specialized management concerns of this unique growing environment. FREE! FMI and to register for this program:, contact: julie@knox-lincoln.org, 207-596-2040 or learn more at: http://www.knox-lincoln.org/farmer-gardener.
- The Farmer-Gardener Workshop Series is co-sponsored by Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District, Maine Coast Heritage Trust and Midcoast Farmers Alliance.
- October 24 & 28, 2019 Helping Customers “Find” You... Digital Resources and Tools for Farmers and Direct Marketers, with Adult Ed 10/24/19 NOKOMIS/ Newport, 6 pm to 8 pm, 10/28/19 Piscataquis Extension Office/ Dover-Foxcroft, 6 pm to 8 pm.
- October 26, 2019 Educate 2 Cultivate: Veterans Business & Assistive Technology Symposium, 9 am to 3 pm, Augusta Armory, 129 Western Ave, Augusta. $20 includes lunch. Hosted by University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Maine AgrAbility program and the United Farmer Veterans of Maine.
- October 29, 2019 Recipe to Market: Is it for ME? 9 am to noon, Hancock County Extension Office, Ellsworth. Free.
- October 31, 2019 Pricing Your Product or Service, 9 a.m. – noon, Hancock County Extension office, 63 Boggy Brook Road, Ellsworth. Free but registration required. or call 207.667.8212 or 800.287.1479 (in Maine)
- November 1, 2019 Washing Machine Greens Spinner, 2 pm to 6 pm hands-on workshop, MOFGA Exhibition Hall, Unity.
- November 2, 2019 MBPA Preconditioned Feeder Calf Sale, Noon, Dick Brown Sales and Service, Richmond.
- November 2-4, 2019 Farmer to Farmer Conference, Point Lookout, Northport. Sponsor MOFGA. $150 for full conference registration.
- November 4, 2019 11th Annual NH Direct Marketing Conference -Noon to 5:30 pm Portsmouth Country Club, Greenland, NH. The conference’s focus on agritourism will provide attendees with the skills and knowledge needed to start or grow an agritourism business in the Granite State. Her talk will specifically address the aspect of working with local government to support farms.
- November 7, 2019 Meat Science Series: Barbecue 101, 8 am to 11 pm, Hitchner Hall, University of Maine, Orono. $40.
- November 12, 2019 Ticks & Mosquitoes Pesticide Applicator Training, 12 - 5 pm, Black Bear Inn, 4 Godfrey Dr., Orono. Registration before 10/30 is $30, and $40 after that date. Light refreshments will be served. Approved for 4 pesticide credits
- November 12, 2019 Winter Care of Poultry 1 pm to 3 pm, Hancock County Extension Office, Ellsworth. In this free class prospective and beginning, small-scale meat and egg producers will gain a general understanding of what it takes to have poultry. Registration required either online or by calling 581-2788.
- November 13, 2019 Maine Grown: Building a Future on Big Ideas Focus: How can we support entrepreneurs and innovators and create a brighter future for Maine? 3:00-7:00pm. Sponsored by the Maine Community Foundation, Cross Insurance Center, Bangor. Registration is available at www.mainecf.org/summit
- November 18, 2019 Farmland Access & Transfer Conference, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, Civic Center, Augusta. Sponsored by Maine Farmland Trust & Land For Good. $15
- November 21, 2019 Seafood HACCP Alliance Segment II, 7:45 am to 5 pm, Penobscot County Extension Office, Bangor. $100. Registration required.
- November 21, 2019 Legacy Planning for Farmers, 8:30 am free breakfast, 9 am to 11 am, Governor Hill Mansion, 135 State St, Augusta. Sponsored by SCORE and MassMutual. Registration here. Includes succession planning, retirement planning and estate planning for farm owners.
- November 23, 24, 2019 Maine Harvest Festival, Cross Insurance Center, Bangor.
- December 6, 2019 Pre-conference Cattle Handling Facilities, and BBQ in the Garland Area . afternoon and evening.
- December 7, 2019 Cattlemen's College, Penobscot County Extension Office, 307 Maine Ave. (by the airport) Bangor ME. 8 am to 3 pm. How to build a cheap scale for small scale beef farms. More information later.
- December 10-12: New England Vegetable and Fruit Conference, Manchester, NH.
- December 18, 2019 Nxlevel Business Planning Training for Farmers, Maine Dept of Ag, Conservation and Forestry, Augusta.
- January 14-16, 2020: State of Maine Agricultural Trades Show, Augusta, ME.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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Piscataquis County Office
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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
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