The PFAS Testing Grants Program is available to all commercial farms throughout the state. The program is administered by MFT and MOFGA to assist farmers who have concerns regarding potential PFAS contamination. The Program will pay for:

A simple application form will assess eligibility for the program and several farms will be selected upon a weekly review to participate in the program.

Get full eligibility requirements and program details here.

April 20th

9:00 am to 12:30 pm

This 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: the specialty food industry, business basics, an overview of the product development process, licensing and regulations, and food safety concerns.

UMaine Cooperative Extension course instructors include:

*Louis Bassano, Professor Emeritus of Cooperative Extension

*Beth Calder, Extension Food Science Specialist, Professor of Food Science, and Director of the UMaine Food Testing Services

*Jim McConnon, Professor Emeritus, School of Economics and Cooperative Extension, University of Maine

Register here.

Farm and tractor accidents can happen to any of us. Whether you have new employees who will be working on or around tractors, youth employees or family members, or seasoned veterans, the new Tractor Safety Video Training Series is worth the watch. Video topics include:

View all of the training videos here.

Save the Date! Maine Pork Producers Swine Seminar

May 13, 2022

Viles Arboretum, Education Center

125 Hospital Street, Augusta

Agenda is coming soon.

8:30 am registration to 3 pm

Cost of the seminar/lunch (pulled pork) is $20 per person. Make checks payable to Maine Pork Producers, 695 Woodman Hill Rd., Minot, ME 04258. FMI brittany@hemondsmx.com or call 207-212-9930.

Lunch count needed by May 9th.

This annual agritourism promotion will happen on October 9th this year. There is no fee to join promotions, but you must sign up via Real Maine.

Looking for support developing your food safety plans? This project will fund an Extension Educator, trained in Produce Safety, to work with you one-on-one on your individualized farm food safety plan. Fill out the form linked below to apply for the project.

Participation is on a first-come-first-served basis, as well as farm size (small to medium-sized farms, not fully covered by FSMA, will be given preference).

The program is free; registration is required. Register on the program webpage. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Alisha Targonski, 207.622.7546; extension.4hagleadership@maine.edu.

Now is the time! This annual event happens the fourth Sunday in July (7/24/2022 this year). There is no fee to join promotions, but you must opt in via Real Maine.

Plastic eligible for recycling is clear, low-density polyethylene #4 (LDPE #4) used to cover greenhouses, high tunnels, hoop houses and other agricultural structures. The program will also accept white overwintering plastic bundled separately from clear plastic. UMaine Extension's GPR program video explains the process in full.

There is no program fee; registration is required. Register and find more information on the GPR program website. More information also is available by contacting Matt Wallhead, 207.581.2949; agplasticrecycling@maine.edu.

Most hayfields are perennial sods consisting of clovers (red and white) and grasses (bluegrass, orchard grass, quackgrass, and timothy). Over time (without mowing) woody species begin to invade (alders, birches, and poplars are common). Bluegrass begins to dominate all other species. Many perennial weeds also become prevalent, including milkweed, bedstraw, dandelions and red sorrel. Without additions of limestone, soils in neglected fields become more acidic. This favors numerous weed populations, including bedstraw. Frost action may also begin to bring large rocks to the surface.

If you have time, and the field is smooth enough for your purposes, regular mowing (three times per season) plus appropriate fertilizer and lime additions will produce a good field in three to four years.

When winter begins to wind down and spring is right around the corner, many horse owners are excited to turn horses out on pasture. However, there are some potential problems to be aware of and precautions to take when transitioning horses to spring pasture.

Laura Kenny, Extension Educator, Penn State University covers the following on her Transitioning Horses to Spring Grazing site:

Current update for high pathogenic avian influenza as of April 7, 2022.

There have been eleven farms in six counties that have had confirmed cases of HPAI. All have been backyard farms. The risk continues to be high. Go to the MDACF site for current status.

There are several forms of influenza (AI) that can affect poultry: relatively non-pathogenic (low path AI; LPAI) and the more dangerous form (high path AI; HPAI). If you see severe illness and sudden death losses in your flock, you should call the regional USDA hotline: 866.536.7593, and also let your farm vet know. If your flock is experiencing losses, but you doubt that they are due to HPAI, then you should have a necropsy conducted; the University of Maine Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory can assist farmers in our region.

Maine Office of Tourism is in the midst of strategic planning – they want farmer input!

Three ways to share your opinion: take a survey, attend an in-person event, virtual call—or all of the above.