Registration: Online registration here or contact Melissa Libby Babcock at melissa.libby1@maine.edu or call 207-581-2788 .

Kentucky ranks as the 8^th in the nation for beef cattle, and has the most cattle of any state in the eastern US with 1,033,000 head of beef cattle and 33,823 beef cattle producers. Dr. Lehmkuhler will give a talk focusing on forage and pasture nutrition and Dr. Rentfrow will highlight the new Beef Alternative Marketing (BAM) cuts by doing cutting demonstration on ribeye primals, and then we will grill and eat the steaks for lunch! Dr. Rentfrow is also a tremendous wealth of knowledge on grass-fed vs. grain-fed beef.

The use of virtual fencing to manage cattle grazing on sagebrush rangelands has the potential to create fuel breaks needed to help fight wildfires, a recent Oregon State University and U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service study found.

Virtual fencing involves placing collars on livestock. The collars communicate with GPS and reception towers to form a virtual fence set by the rancher. Auditory stimuli emit from the collar when the livestock reach the limit of the virtual fence and they receive a benign shock if they pass the fence limit.

Virtual fencing has been around for decades, but in recent years, with advances in satellite, battery and GPS technology, it has gained more attention in the agricultural community. It allows ranchers to control livestock distribution in rangeland landscapes without physical fences, which are costly to construct and maintain.

Could virtual fencing be used to in rotational pasture situations in Maine?

At the September 8 Board meeting of the MBPA the Board discussed the sales page on the Website, Previously we had talked about which ads would be accepted but no written plan was ever adopted. The discussion on the plan was tabled so that members present could

think about the discussion and so that Board members not present could review and comment on it. The following is a summary of our discussion and a proposal for a formal policy. This plan is meant to be a draft only and all items should be reviewed before a plan is accepted.

There was also discussion of ads for other material such as animal feed products and bedding.

If these are allowed I would favor members only or have such ads go on to our sales advertising section, for a fee.

Discussion will be at the October 13th Maine Beef Producers Association Board Meeting 6:30 pm contact Kevin Woltemath kwoltemath@pfnmeats.com or phone 207-749-5602 if interested in attending. All are welcome.

Our factsheet How Maine Farmers Can Determine if They Have Enough Hay and Forage for the Winter walks you through steps to estimate how much you need and how much you have in storage.

Our YouTube video Got Livestock – Need Hay features Rick Kersbergen, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Professor, who shares information on how to assess what you have for feed, assess how much feed you will need for the next six to seven months, and strategies to consider if you don’t have enough feed.

Maine Hay Directory - if you need hay or have hay to sell check out this site.

The MBPA website has information about the association, the board of directors, and forms for awards, activities, and sales. Members have the opportunity to have their farm listed with a photo, description of their farm, and a link to their own farm website. You can add this information when you join or send the information and digital photo to Russ Florenz at info@mainebeefproducersassociation.com

The Maine Beef Producers Association has a Facebook page. Like and follow to get the fastest information from Maine Beef Producers Association. Facebook

The Maine Beef Producers Association is accepting dues for the 2022 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 and online payment go to http://www.mainebeefproducersassociation.com

You can join the association online and pay by credit card on a secure site or by mailing the information to Sally Caverly by either printing off the form from the website, or completing the pdf version of the form and mailing to her at 1457 River Rd., Clinton, ME.

USDA Ag Marketing Service publishes beef cattle prices for a number of locations throughout the US.

This report shows the Weekly average steer price for this year, last year and the 5-year average. Get the full pdf of this National Weekly Cattle and Beef Summary.

National Monthly Grass Feb Beef Report - includes wholesale and retail (direct to consumer) prices of cuts of meat as well as small and very small producer carcass prices (wholesale $4.39/# - direct to consumer $7.97/# to $8.84/#.)

Vermont Monthly Local Beef Report - includes carcass prices as well as retail prices (direct to consumer) per cut for locally raised beef. Dressed beef carcass value for August 2022: $333/cwt.