Consuming red meat in amounts above what is typically recommended does not affect short-term cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as blood pressure and blood cholesterol, according to a new review of clinical trials from Purdue University.

Bill Cavanaugh from Mad River Food Hub, Waitsfield, VT joined the Beef Education session at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show through Skype.
Mad River Food Hub opened in 2011 to facilitate the journey from farm to plate. Bill talked about he meat side of the facility. While they don't own the meat they work with the farmer, slaughter facilities, and retail establishments to get the value added meat products onto the consumers plate.
Once the animal is slaughtered MRFH will go to the slaughter facility and pick up the cooled carcass in a refrigerated truck. They have two routes that enable them to back haul finished product to cut down on costs. MRFH has cooler space to hang the carcass until the farmer/entrepreneur comes in to break down the carcass into retail cuts or value added products.
MRFH has done all the HACCUP Protocols and assists the farmer/entrepreneur to assure a wholesome product. They have four USDA & State inspected processing rooms that farmers have access to equipment and expertise. All products are labeled and stored on pallets to enable easy movement in the storage area.
The farmer/entrepreneur sells their own product and if needed MRFH can distribute through their two routes. Or the farmer/entrepreneur has 24/7 access to the storage area if they choose to deliver themselves. MRFH will assist in making connections with potential retail outlets int he area.
Bill invited anyone interested in their facility to come on over for a tour. His contact information is bill@madriverfoodhub.com or phone 315.247.4303.

• Why doesn't the MDACF use photos of your breed of cattle in it's publications? No one has submitted photos of your breed of cattle. 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.
• MDACF updated their large animal veterinarian list and released it at the Ag Trades Show. Click here for a pdf. 
• MDACF also released the link to their farmer education and resources website. You can click on resources for your county for contact information for agriculture agencies and click on your county profile to see the 2012 Ag census 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.
• 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.
• The Maine Sustainable Agriculture Society coordinated the completion of the Red Meat Supply Chain Matrix (pdf) for the red meat industry in Maine and New England.
  Since the supply chain matrix is an optimization model that identifies potential geographic and economic relationships between buyers and sellers within the red meat supply chain, they encourage all stakeholders in the red meat industry to learn about this work and what strategies producers, processors, trade groups, etc. can implement to improve this sector
• 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.
• Testing Forage Quality - YouTube video from UMaine Extension discusses the nutritional importance of forage quality and recommended sampling techniques. 
• Hay and Straw Directory - Many farmers throughout the state of Maine experienced reduced hay yields. If you have excess or are in the position to sell hay or straw, consider using the Maine Hay and Straw Directory. If you are looking for hay to buy check this site.  It is free to use.  More information is available online, or call Cooperative Extension 1.800.287.1426. If you have an incorrect listing please call the above number to get it corrected.  

Television Series:
Growing Home, is the first program to tell the stories of U.S. veterans who have transitioned to a life of agriculture and outdoor related careers. The program will air Sundays at 11am on NBC affiliate WLBZ2 in Bangor and WCSH6 in Portland.

Podcast:
University of Nebraska-Lincoln BeefWatch is a Podcast that you can subscribe to through Itunes. The January 17th program is a 10 minute talk on Matching Milk Production and Cow Size to Resources. They have over 80 programs to download that can be listened to at a later time.

Webinars:
January 26th at 2PM OR Thursday, January 31st at 10AM for a demo of Cabbige's new Quickbooks integration, new reporting features, and upgrades to our digital record-keeping features.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will host a webinar for potential grant applicants on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and a teleconference for potential FSMIP grant applicants on Thursday, February 16, 2017, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.  For more information about their grants visit: www.ams.usda.gov/AMSgrants . 


Visit the UMaine Extension Cooperative Extension online Publications Catalog