If you are unable to attend, you may send comments to your local soil & water conservation district. FMI about LWGs, please visit https//www.knox-lincoln.org/local-working-group.

Thanks to the Northern Border Regional Commission and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, low- or no-cost business consulting / 1-on-1 technical assistance services are being made available for farm and food businesses in eligible counties in Maine.

Eligible Maine Counties: Androscoggin, Aroostook, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo, Washington. Eligible businesses can receive consulting services from Farm Credit East consultants worth up to $5,000 and pay only a 10% cost-share. (This cost share can be waived for limited-resource enterprises). For this grant, consulting must be completed by June 30, 2022.

Interested producers can contact Chris Laughton at [email protected] or 1-800-562-2235 for more information.

Contact Chris Laughton at our Enfield, CT office: [email protected] or 860-741-4380.

Visit: www.FarmCreditEast.com/GenerationNext for more information or to sign up!

Fertilizer costs and supply are reported to be fluctuating widely this winter. It is going to be worth the time and effort to shop around and compare fertilizer sources. Michigan State Extension has a new fertilizer cost comparison tool to help you do just that. There are separate tools for vegetable, forage, and field crops, in addition to an "Introduction to Fertilizer Planning" resource. Find them all at this link.

See the full list and benefits seen from these improvements at the full fact sheet here.

For more information, including registration information, visit the conference website, https://nevbga.com/nevfc/, or click the button below to register.

Contact Nicolas Lindholm at MOFGA for more info. questions:

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association is now offering Maine Produce Safety Improvement Grants designed to help specialty crop growers, including growers of fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and nursery crops. These grants can be used by growers to implement on-farm food safety practices; transition to compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule; and meet market demands for on-farm food safety.

Applications for Maine Produce Safety Improvement Grants are welcome from any Maine farm engaged in production agriculture of specialty crops for commercial purposes that grosses at least $10,000 in annual sales. Proposed projects are restricted to improving the food safety of specialty crops. The application deadline is December 15, 2021. For more information, including detailed funding criteria, and to apply, visit mofga.org/maine-produce-safety-improvement-grant.

As the UMaine Extension dairy specialist, Pereira will work directly with dairy farmers, conduct applied research and develop educational programs for dairy and livestock producers across Maine and New England. For more information contact [email protected] or 207.581.3240. More information also can be found on the Extension dairy resources website.

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.

Our team (Regenerative Design Group, Wellspring Forest Farm, and filmmaker Costa Boutsikaris) is seeking to inventory practitioners of any type and scale to develop and provide educational materials for tree and livestock integration (silvopasture) in the Northeast region, including the states of CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT. Funding for the project is through the National Agroforestry Center (NAC)

Questions can be directed to [email protected]

Questionnaire Link: https://airtable.com/shrgPs1ajfwKCQXQT

This free webinar from Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) on January 13, 2022, features a panel of NCAT Agriculture Specialists. Margo Hale, Tracy Mumma, Linda Poole, and Linda Coffey will discuss how they handle lambing, kidding, and calving, including what to have on hand, helpful tools, recognizing imminent birth, how a normal birth proceeds, and when and how to intervene. Register here.

Low-cost or free computers and devices are often just as important as having access to low-cost internet options, particularly for people in low-income communities.

The National Digital Equity Center’s Affordable Equipment Program provides no cost or low cost tablets to Maine Residents who are of low to moderate income.

To request a device for you or someone that you know, please go to https://digitalequitycenter.org/request-device/ or call (207) 259-5010.

They also can provide training on how to use the equipment, starting with phone consultations and working up to Zoom sessions. Their site includes a number of valuable videos on Internet use and safety.

Please take a moment to share your thoughts on a potential specialized equipment share program for Southern Maine Farmers. Find the Shared Use Equipment Needs and Interest survey here.

American Farm Bureau Foundation announced 'American Farm Trail,' a new agritourism app that will showcase agritourism operations and tours. Developers are looking for agritourism stops to add to the app. Farms and attractions can create their own free profile showcasing their operation, history, products, and more.

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.