Conference sessions encourage networking and help attendees learn about current agricultural, food system and natural resource management topics. The conference session page includes a list of all currently scheduled events. 

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The Piscataquis County Extension Association announces the speaker for their annual meeting on Monday, January 10, 2022, at 3 pm by Zoom. All are invited to attend this very interesting meeting on Veterinary Forensic Pathology and One Health by Nanny Wenzlow, DVM, PhD, MRCVS (forensic veterinary pathology). Register for this free session online or by calling Anette Moulton, at 207.564.3301 or in Maine at 1.800.287.1491 or email extension.piscataquis@maine.edu. A link to the meeting and recording (when available) will be sent to you.

For more information or a reasonable accommodation, please contact Anette Moulton at 207.564.3301 or 1.800.287.1491 (in Maine) or email extension.piscataquis@maine.edu.

In cooperation with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Board of Pesticides Control is offering many opportunities to earn pesticide recertification credits at this year's show. Check out the schedule of recertification courses.

Attendance if free but pre-registration is required for credit. Info and links to pre-register may all be found on the BPC Credit Calendar.

The Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry (DACF) has allocated approximately $20MM in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for the new Agricultural Infrastructure Investment Program (AIIP).

The AIIP will provide critical funding for Maine farms and agricultural food processors pursuing infrastructure upgrades that will:

The Department has partnered with Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) to serve as Third-Party Administrator for the program.

Sign up for updates on the program here

Register for informational webinars here:

DACF will also develop a digital library to offer lectures, workshops, and educational content for Maine specialty crop producers and develop a PSA campaign to promote the sale of Maine specialty crop fruits and vegetables across New England. Find more information about current and past SCBG projects on the DACF webpage.

Watch for registration for the Winter Care of Equines and Winter Care of Camelid programs that will be offered virtually February 1st and 15th at noon.

Interested in running a meat goat operation? The Penn State Meat Goat Production and Management Home Study Course is for goat producers interested in improving their production practices and ultimately the profitability of their operation. This is a home study course with an additional offering of three optional supplemental webinars to review materials. Click here for more information.

My name is Izzy Ruffin, and I am currently writing a research paper for a Mediation: Premise, Practice and Policy class on the cumulative impact of stress on Maine farmers and how the impact of that stress can and should be addressed. This short anonymous survey, intended for farmers, will take no more than 5 minutes.

The results of this survey will serve as supplemental evidence to substantial research on stress and stress management in the field of agriculture and point to existing resources that are already available for free to Maine farmers through organizations like the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. With any hope, the paper will be officially published by the University of Maine in the Spring.

You can find the link to the survey here. Feel free to share it with other farmers you know. Thank you for your time!

The Farmer Equity National Assessment Project is seeking to better understand the needs and challenges of Farmers of Color and to highlight farmers' barriers, constraints, and innovations through storytelling. If you are willing, please complete a survey by December 15, 2021, to be entered on a list of farmers to potentially serve as case studies. The project will hand-select 50 farmers for the case studies, and farmers who are selected will receive a $500 stipend.