Your Monthly News & Updates
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News and events for the Maine Beef Producers from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, Maine Beef Producers Association and other agricultural organizations in Maine.
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Please note that in light of the changing situation with regard to COVID-19 there is a strong possibility that events could be canceled. It is strongly encouraged that you register for your desired event. Should it need to be canceled or postponed, you will be notified. Some events will be offered by ZOOM technology. As of March 16th all county Extension Offices are open. You can contact staff through phone or email. Like our
UMaine Livest
ock Facebook page to get up-to-date information.
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What's New?
- What Farmers Can Do During Situation with COVID-19
- Maine Meat Cutting School - still on
- Maine Grazing Conference - Cancelled
- Hands-on Workshop: Introduction to Making Sausage at Home - Cancelled
- 2020 Pork and Beef Quality Assurance Training - Cancelled
- New MDACF Livestock Specialist
- 2020 Scholarships from MBPS - April 1 deadline
- Calves for Kids - April 1 deadline
- MBPA New Website and Online Membership Payment - Up and Running
- National Beef Prices
- Items of Interest *Featured Resources
- Upcoming Events *Newsletter Subscription Information
- Mission and Quick Links
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What Farmers Can Do During Situation with COVID-19
Already some farmers are experiencing losses in their direct and wholesale markets while others are experiencing a jump in Farmers' Market attendance and sales.
It will be important to be able to report loss of sales, loss of jobs, etc. should a federal farm relief program be developed.
The Beginning Farmer Resource Network is developing a survey to help assess the impact of COVID-19 on the whole farming community. This can help drive a relief effort. If you have had any losses due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the response to it, please complete this short survey when it is sent to you.
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May 11 - 15, 2020
8:30 am to 5:30 pm
We have been working hard to improve and expand the Maine Meat Cutting School. This year we are excited to announce that the Maine Meat Cutting School will be held on Campus at the University of Maine in Orono. We will have access to larger and more comfortable classrooms.
The pilot plant is now a custom exempt licensed meat processing facility equipped with freezers, walk in coolers, smokehouse, sausage grinders, and more! This year we will be able to break the class into smaller groups for hands on cutting demos and learning. We are also making arrangements to have many more animals available to cut up. Last year we filled up in about a week and half, act quickly!
Hopefully the Covid-19 situation will be resolved by the date of this program, but please stay tuned.
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Sorry Canceled
March 29, 2020
9:30 am to 3 pm
KVCC - Alfond Campus, Hinkley
This year, the conference will be highlighted by a keynote address by Troy Bishopp. Troy, affectionately known as “The Grass Whisperer”, is a 32-year well-seasoned grass farmer and grasslands advocate. Troy owns and manages Bishopp Family Farm in Deansboro, NY with his understanding wife, daughters and parents. Their certified organic, 100% grass-fed, custom grazing operation raises dairy heifers, grass-finished beef and backgrounds feeder cattle on 180 acres of owned and leased cool season pastures in the Mohawk Valley. Toy’s keynote address is titled “My Quest for Extended Grazing: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly”
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Sorry Canceled
Hands-on Workshop: Introduction to Making Sausage at Home
Friday, April 17, 2020
UMaine Extension Penobscot County, Bangor, Maine
Who should attend: Anyone interested in learning more about sausage making is welcome to attend. This workshop will cover meat selection, seasoning, grinding, stuffing, storage, and sanitation.
Description: This beginners guide to making sausage will encompass all the basics you need to know to get started making your own sausage. Participants will have the opportunity for hands-on experience selecting meat, grinding, seasoning, stuffing, and packaging. We will be making breakfast sausage and traditional linked Italian sausage/bratwurst.
Instructors: Dr. Colt W. Knight, Assistant Extension Professor and State Livestock Specialist for the UMaine Extension, and Donna Coffin, Extension Professor for UMaine Extension.
UMaine Extension is planning to offer a video at a later time TBA.
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Sorry Canceled
2020 Pork and Beef Quality Assurance Certification
Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus training and Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training
March 27, 2020
Windham Butcher Shop,
Windham, Maine
hosted by Windham Butcher Shop
Who should attend: Both pork and beef producers wanting to improve the quality of their product through humane handling, best management practices, and health of animals.
Participants can expect to learn about low-stress handling techniques, the importance of implementing biosecurity features, health concerns, housing, transportation, improving the quality of their product and welfare of their animals. Those who complete this program will receive Certificates in both Pork Quality Assurance Plus and Beef Quality Assurance.
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New MDACF Livestock Specialist
Carol Delaney
received a M. S. in Ruminant Nutrition from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY and a B.S. in Animal Science from University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont. Since 2008, she has been grant coordinator of the Farmer and Partnership grant programs for the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), a NIFA/USDA on-farm research grant program.
From 1998 to 2008, she was the Extension Small Ruminant Dairy Specialist at the University of Vermont, Department of Animal Science and the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Prior to that, she was Faculty and Farm Manager at Sterling College, Craftsbury, Vermont. Carol has many years of experience owning and operating farm and retail food businesses, working on livestock farms, shearing sheep commercially, and raising cows, sheep and goats for dairy, meat and draft purposes.
Carol is currently pursuing a PhD, part-time, in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, investigating ‘Optimum Dietary Fiber Levels for Dairy Goats’ as her PhD research topic.
She can be reached at
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2020 SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE MAINE BEEF PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION
Change in Deadline - Applications due
April 1st, 2020
A maximum of two $500 scholarships will be awarded each year by the MBPA.
REQUIREMENTS:
-Applicant must be a family member of or have been employed by a member of the Maine Beef Producers Association.
-Student must be a Maine resident.
-Student must provide a transcript of a 2.75 or higher cumulative GPA at the time of application.
-Must submit application and required information.
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Calves for Kids
The Maine Beef Producers Association is once again accepting
application (pdf)
for the Calves for Kids program. The deadline is April 1st, 2020.
Youth applying will be asked to come for an interview before the Calves 4 Kids committee at a later date. This program, started in 2007, has given 28 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.
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A brand new updated MBPA website is up and running with a number of new items.
Information about the association, the board of directors, and forms are all available and more easily found.
You can now join the association online and pay by credit card on a secure site.
There is an option to pay 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.
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
r.jflorenz@gmail.com
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National Beef Prices
USDA Ag Marketing Service
publishes agriculture price for a number of commodities throughout the US. Here is the latest cattle dashboard graph showing the current, last year and three year average price received for slaughter cattle.
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Information
- Farmers can sign up now for Open Farm Day 2020. Deadline is May 1, we have a goal of 200 farms in honor of the Bicentennial—we’re asking supporters of agriculture and service providers to help us recruit farms who would be great at sharing their story, and increasing awareness of agriculture to the public. Signup and farmer resources: www.maine.gov/dacf/openfarmday FMI: ACFOpenFarmDay@maine.gov
Grants & Loans
- Maine Association of Agricultural Fairs - 2 ($1,000) Scholarships for post-secondary education in related agriculture field. Deadline for application is April 29th. Here is the application.
- Slow Money Maine: On The Road - meeting in Piscataquis County on April 28th from 9:30 am to 1 pm at the Commons at Central Hall. The mission of Slow Money Maine is to build a diverse network of individuals, philanthropists, businesses, nonprofit organizations and government entities that are focused on investing in farms and fisheries, and the ecosystems that sustain them as a means of growing our local food systems, economies and communities statewide.
- The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund is a small grant program that provides direct assistance to veterans who are in their beginning years of farming or ranching. Awards range from $1,000 to $5,000 to purchase equipment or supplies that will support your farm business. The application process is extremely competitive and submitting an application does not guarantee funding.
- The New England Farmer Microgrant Program (NEFMP) from American Farmland Trust! NEFMP is designed to provide between $500-$5,000 to assist farmers in New England with financial barriers to land access, expanding onto new land, and farm succession planning. The goal of NEFMP is to fund farmers in two primary categories: professional services and infrastructure costs related to assuring agricultural land is in production. They will begin accepting applications March 1st and continue on a rolling basis until all funds are distributed.
- Maine Rural Rehabilitation Trust Fund - has a loan program to help beef producers purchase breeding stock or feeder cattle.
- Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) RFP - Deadline March 5th. VAPG program helps agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and marketing of new products. The goals of this program are to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities and increase producer income.
Equipment, supplies, etc.
Agriculture Jobs
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Reports:
“Where’s the Beef” in Value-Added Dairy Beef Crosses?" (doc) USDA Market News, in New York, Holstein x beef breed bull calves are bringing a $50-$100/head premium when sold as newborns compared to purebred Holstein bull calves. The vast majority of these calves are leaving the state to be raised. Given the abundant supply of high quality forage in Northern NY, there is potential to raise the calves to feeder weight (300 lb–800 lb) or even finish them using feed refusals from the dairy enterprise. The study found that once bulls are sorted on fertility and calving ease, selection pressure should be applied to add value through average daily gain, feed efficiency, and ribeye area.
Videos:
Got Hayfields and Pastures?
2019 talk by Rick Kersbergen, UMaine Extension Waldo County on improving hay and pasture yield and quality. Production basics of hay and baleage.
Publications:
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- March 19, 2020 Selling More Maine Foods, Sorry Postponed Focus on Value Added Foods, University of Southern Maine, Abromson Hall, Portland, $35 includes lunch.
- March 7, 2020 Pork and Beef Quality Assurance Training, Sorry Canceled 10 am to 3 pm, Windham Butcher Shop, 247 Varney Mill Rd., Windham. register online or contact Melissa Babcock at 207.581.2788 or 1.800.287.7170 (in Maine)
- March 28, 2020 Maine Grazing Conference. Sorry Canceled KVCC Alfond Campus, Fairfield. Sponsored by Maine Grass Farmers Network and UMaine Extension.
- April 1, 2020 Deadline Application for Calves for Kids and Application for Beef Scholarship
- April 11th, 2020 Precondition Protocols (pdf)should be completed for May 16th feeder calf sale.
- April 17, 2020 Hands-on Workshop: Introduction to Making Sausage at Home, Sorry Canceled - watch for a video 5:30 pm to 8 pm, Penobscot County Extension Office, 307 Maine Ave., Bangor. Register online or contact Melissa Babcock at 207.581.2788 or in Maine 1.800.287.7170.
- April 28, 2020 Slow Money Maine: On The Road, 9:30 am to 1 pm, The Commons at Central Hall, Dover-Foxcroft. Free. Networking, guided discussion and locally sourced and prepared lunch. Sponsored by PCEDC & UMaine Extension.
- May 11 to 15, 2020 Meat Cutting School, Pilot Plant, Hitchner Hall, UMaine Orono.
- May 14 - 17, 2020 Northeast Livestock Expo, Windsor Fair Grounds, Windsor.
- May 16, 2020 Spring Preconditioned Feeder Calf Auction and Pen Sale at NELE.
- July 26, 2020 Open Farm Day, Sponsored by MDACF. Agritourism opportunity for farms throughout the state.
- August 19 - 20, 2020 Maine Farm Days, Misty Meadow Farm, Clinton. Field Demonstrations, speakers, vendors, etc.
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Maine Beef Producers Association
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Join the Maine Beef Producers Association.
The Maine Beef Producers Association is accepting dues for the 2020 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
The Maine Beef Producers Association has a Facebook page. Like and follow to get the fastest information from Maine Beef Producers Association.
Facebook
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Newsletter Subscription Information
The Maine Beef Newsletter (MBN) is now received by over 690 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.
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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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Contributors
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
Colt Knight, Extension Specialist
Goal
The goal of the Maine Beef Newsletter is to provide timely information on the production and marketing of beef 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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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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