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News and events for Maine Beef Producers from 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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MBPA Spring Preconditioned Feeder Calf Sale Survey.
The board of the MBPA is trying to assess how to assist its members in selling feeder calves in the future. Please take a few moments to help your association serve you better by responding to these questions.
Please click on the "Finish" button to complete the survey.
Thanks for your help.
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Maine Beef Producers Association Meeting at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show
1 pm Presentations
- Dr. Colt Knight - new UMaine Extension Livestock Specialist - "Introduction & low cost GPS collar for cattle research"
- Dr. Jennifer Eberly, DVM, new Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry veterinarian - "Pathologic lesions in beef carcasses"
- Food Hubs - TBA -
- Virtual Farm Tour - Ed Carter -Mini Acres
3 pm MBPA Annual Meeting
- Nominations
- Old Business
- New Business
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New Livestock Educator!
It's official Dr. Colt Knight will be starting January 9th, 2017 as Maine's new Livestock Specialist! He will be at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show and is very excited to meet all Maine beef and livestock producers. He is planning to attend the Wednesday, Beef meeting at the trades show.
Colt is a recent PhD graduate from the University of Arizona where he studied ruminant nutrition and cow efficiency. While at UA he served as the Teaching Farm Herdsman and Interim Feedlot Manager.
His Master of Science degree is from Angelo State University where he lived and worked at the university's ranch that maintained herds of both meat and mohair goats, wool and hair sheep, and a registered Anus beef cow herd.
and his bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kentucky. While at UK he had a position living and working at UK's Animal Research Center Swine facility where he helped with feeding, cleanup, artificial insemination, farrowing and nutrition research.
He is originally from West Virginia where he grew up in a coal mining family that also operated a competitive show horse stable and small farm with poultry and goats. He is a 4-H alumni.
Please join us in welcoming Colt to Maine. We will be planning farm visits so he can become familiar with livestock farms in Maine.
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So You Want to Farm in Maine? Survey for Central Maine
A short course for farmers thinking about starting a new farm enterprise has been offered a number of times in the past.
The purpose of this course was to equip participants with the business knowledge and skills to start, adapt, and maintain a profitable land-based business. It was designed for people who want to start a profitable farm or expand their farm hobby to a profitable business.
To help us determine the best format (live, video, webinar, etc.) for this program
please complete this survey.
In the past the course objectives have been:
- Participants will feel comfortable starting a farm-based business.
- Participants will understand the need for and have a framework for a business plan.
- Participants will select and use a record keeping system.
- Participants will understand how to use Cooperative Extension and other agencies as a resource for their farm-based business.
- Participants will understand the importance of and basics of marketing their products, including customer surveys.
We anticipate offering this program in the spring 2017.
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Dung beetles reduce livestock gastrointestinal parasite availability on pasture
Recent research suggests that over the duration of a summer grazing season, temperate habitat dung-colonising insect communities, which include mainly small dung beetles of the genus Aphodius, can reduce the development and survival of livestock gastrointestinal parasites on pastures, but that this can be overridden by the effect of high rainfall.
The work demonstrates that conservation of dung beetle populations in temperate climates is important in livestock management, not only for their essential role in dung degradation and nutrient cycling, but because their activity can also reduce the survival and availability of gastrointestinal parasites on pastures.
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Dairy cattle graze fall-grown Ogle oats in mid-Nov. Olge is an early-maturing, grain type oat cultivar.
Photo credit: Wayne Coblentz D3688-1.
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Optimizing Oats for Use
A
s a
n Additional F
all Forage Crop
Wisconsin dairy producers are increasingly adopting a practice that makes economic and environmental sense: They plant oats in early to mid-August and either allow cattle to graze them through late November or harvest the crop in early November for later use. The strategy allows production of an additional forage crop before winter. The oats also "scavenge" excess nitrogen from the soil, and the plant residues enrich the soil.
Farmers needed guidance on when to allow their cattle to start grazing the fall oats and which oat cultivars to use. If they allow cattle to graze forage too early, the heifers quickly eat up whatever is available and get less forage than if the oats were given more time to grow. Putting the heifers out to graze later in the fall means running the risk of inclement weather and losing oats under snow cover.
After two years of grazing, Agriculture Research Scientists at the U.S. Dairy Research Center in Wisconsin found that it's better to put the cattle out early in the fall rather than later, and it often is better to use late-maturing cultivars. The heifers put out to graze early gained twice as much weight per day as the heifers put out later. The late-maturing oat variety also produced higher quality forage, with greater energy density in the plant stems and leaves, and greater concentrations of water-soluble carbohydrates that support cattle growth.
Source: Coblentz, W.,
Optimizing Oats for Use as Dairy Forage, USDA ARS Ag Research Online Magazine, Nov. 2016.
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Items of Interest
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Regional Food Hub Resource Guide - A regional food hub is a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products primarily from local and regional producers to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand. USDA AMS 2012.
- Cold Stress and Beef Cattle - David Hartman, Penn State Extension says to "Be prepared to handle and transport cattle appropriately in cold weather. The cold, wet and wind of winter weather present a different set of challenges."
- Photo Submissions Sought of Maine Agriculture, Farmers and Food by the MDACF. In order to publish and use the photographs, they ask that a photo release form please be included with each photo submitted. If interested in submitting a photograph, please email Ashley Sears at ashley.sears@maine.gov, or please call 207-287-7625 for further information.
- A new archive site is available for the Maine Beef Newsletter. If you miss placed one of the past issues you can find it here.
- Add the Maine 4-H Foundation to your AmazonSmile account and a portion of your purchases made on Amazon will be donated to the Maine 4-H Foundation. Also November 29th is Maine 4-H Day of Giving: Making Magic for Maine Youth. See their Facebook Page for details.
- Rural Tax Education Website sponsored by Utah State University Extension is where farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers will find a source for agriculturally related income and self-employment tax information that is both current and easy to understand.
- NH Dept of Agriculture publishes the Weekly Market Bulletin that includes local NH auction prices and an agricultural exchange section as well as articles of interest. It costs $22 for Internet or $28 for US mail.
- Farmers Tax Guide IRS 225 for preparing 2016 tax returns.
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Testing Forage Quality - YouTube video from UMaine Extension discusses the nutritional importance of forage quality and recommended sampling techniques.
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Featured Resources
Online Course:
Beef Basics a free online beef cattle management course was launched by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in January 2016 in response to increased interest in web-based educational resources, and a need for targeted programming for beginning farmers. The eight-week, eight-module online course provides video lectures, quizzes, and additional links to resources useful for clientele beginning a beef operation in the Southeast USA. Six months after release, an early assessment of course effectiveness indicated increased knowledge in various subject-matter areas impacting beef cattle operations from forages to consumer perceptions of the industry. Three enrollment cycles had 279 enrollments with 27% completion rate.
Beef Production and Management Home Study Course Interested in running a beef operation? Beef Production & Management Home Study Course from Penn State University is for beef cow/calf producers interested in improving their production practices and ultimately profitability of their operation. Registration deadline is January 18th with the course starting on Feb. 1st. You can take it by Internet/email ($50) or have the CD of course materials surfaced mailed to you with course materials for ($85). Worksheets ask questions about your individual operation. You will receive personalized comments and suggestions for ways to improve your operation.
Webinars:
Veterinary Feed Directive Survival Webinars by Global Vet Link with separate webinars for veterinarians, feed distributors, swine, beef, dairy, poultry and aquaculture. The beef session was recorded Aug.18, 2016.
APPS:
Feed Cost Calculator - from South Dakota State University, this app helps producers compare feedstuffs based on relative cost per pound of protein and energy delivered. Free for Apple and Android.
All About Beef - with beef production education, the "steaks are high," and this app funded by the Beef Checkoff Program gives students in grades 3 to 5 a chance to learn more about livestock nutrition and environmental facts, and cook up some kid-friendly recipes. The app is free for Apple and Android devices.
Visit the UMaine Extension Cooperative Extension online
Publications Catalog
for agriculture information, such as:
- Beef Housing and Equipment Handbook #1001 Information on cow-calf, cattle handling, and cattle feeding facilities; feed storage, processing and handling; water and waterers; manure management; farmstead planning, building construction, materials, ventilation and insulation; fences; gates and utilities. 133 pages with index, 1986. From Mid West Plan Service $20.00
- Humane Livestock Handling #1034 Written by Temple Grandin, North America's most influential advocate of humane livestock treatment, this book reviews the natural behavior and temperament of cattle. The book includes construction plans, diagrams and detailed designs for putting Grandin's ideas into practice. Featuring plans for everything from gate latches to chutes, corrals, and sorting pens for full-scale facilities, there are designs that can be used in both large and small operations. 2008. 228 pages. From Storey Publishing. $24.95.
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Upcoming Events
- January 10 - 12, 2017 Maine Agricultural Trades Show, Augusta
- January 11, 2017, 1 pm to 3 pm Beef Education Program at the Agricultural Trades Show- New UMaine Extension Livestock Specialist introduction, New Dept of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry veterinarian talk on Pathogic lesions in beef carcasses, talk on Food Hubs and Virtual Farm Tour of Mini Acres by Ed Carter.
- January 11, 2017 3 pm Annual Meeting of the Maine Beef Producers Association at the Agricultural Trades Show. Director meeting to follow.
- February 8, 2017 Maine Beef Producers Association meeting, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm,Marquardt Building, Augusta.
- March 8, 2017 Maine Beef Producers Association meeting, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm,Marquardt Building, Augusta.
- March 18, 2017 Grazing Conference, Waterville
- April 12, 2017 Maine Beef Producers Association meeting, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm,Marquardt Building, Augusta.
- April, 2017 (3rd week) Meat Cutting School in Central Maine - If interested contact Melissa Libby at melissa.libby1@maine.edu
- April 28 - 29, 2017 New England Meat Conference, Manchester, NH
- May 10, 2017 Maine Beef Producers Association meeting, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm,Marquardt Building, Augusta.
- May 19 - 21, 2017 Northeast Livestock Expo, Windsor.
- Buying Local Meat, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
- March 7 NOKOMIS HS, Newport
- March 14 Bucksport Adult Ed
- March 28 NPT Region III, Lincoln
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Maine Beef Producers Association
Join the Maine Beef Producers Association
The Maine Beef Producers Association is accepting dues for the 2017 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 go to
http://www.mainebeefproducersassociation.com/forms.html
The Maine Beef Producers Association just started a new Facebook page. Like and follow to get the fastest information from Maine Beef Producers Association.
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Newsletter Subscription Information
The Maine Beef Newsletter (MBN) is now received by over 700 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
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.
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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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Quick Links
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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/.
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Contributors
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
Rick Kersbergen, Extension Educator
Goal
The goal of the Maine Beef Newsletter is to provide timely information on the production and marketing of beef grown in Maine.
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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 by Donna Coffin unless otherwise noted.
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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 (in Maine)
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Open Mon, Thurs, Fri
8 am to 4:30 pm,
Open Appointment on Wed
, Closed Tuesday
165 East Main St.
Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 207.564.3301 or 800.287.1491 (in Maine)
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Open Monday - Friday
8 am to 4:30 pm
992 Waterville Road
Waldo, ME 04915-3117
207.342.5971 or 800.287.1426 (in Maine)
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