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News and events for the Maine Beef Producers from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, Maine Beef Producers Association and other agricultural organizations in Maine.
Note: underlined words are linked to webpages with more information.
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Do you have calves to consign to the spring sale? |
Consignors for the MBPA spring pre-conditioned feeder calf sale, tentatively set for Saturday, May 20th during the Northeast Livestock Expo in Windsor please contact Jesse Caron at 207-356-5069 or jcaron@live.com.
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March 31, 2023 Deadline
The program provides guaranteed loan financing (up to 75%) and grant funding (up to 40%) to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.
What could they be used for?
- High efficiency heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC).
- Insulation.
- Lighting.
- Cooling or refrigeration units.
- Doors and windows.
- Electric, solar or gravity pumps for sprinkler pivots.
- Switching from a diesel to electric irrigation motor.
- Replacement of energy-inefficient equipment.
Agricultural producers may also use guaranteed loan funds to install energy efficient equipment and systems for agricultural production or processing.
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The New England Galloway Group is hosting the 32nd Annual National Belted Galloway Sale once again. The 2023 sale will be held at 2 P.M. on April 22nd in Fryeburg Maine, right on the Fairgrounds! This year's sale will have many live lots and plenty of genetic opportunities such as semen and embryos.
Feel free to reach out to Ashton Caron with any questions at (207) 249-3739 or via email at beltie71@gmail.com.
Transportation and Online Bidding will be available, don't miss out!
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The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) plan for supporting veterinary antimicrobial stewardship will be fully implemented in 2023 when all remaining over-the-counter (OTC) antibiotics are switched to prescription-only status. The medically important antibiotics (used by humans and animals) becoming prescription only include injectable tylosin, injectable and intramammary penicillin, injectable and oral tetracycline, sulfadimethoxine and sulfamethazine, and cephapirin and cephapirin benzathine intramammary tubes. In addition, lincomycin and gentamicin swine antibiotics’ OTC status is switching to prescription only.
Vaccines, dewormers, injectable and oral nutritional supplements, ionophores, pro/prebiotics and topical non-antibiotic treatments will not require veterinary prescription.
Farmers who have a Veterinary Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR) may purchase antibiotics directly from their veterinarian or from a distributor with the vet’s prescription. A VCPR exists when vet:
- has been engaged by the client
- assumed responsibility for making medical judgements regarding the health of the patient
- has sufficient knowledge of the patient to initiate a preliminary diagnosis of patient and has personal knowledge of the keeping and care of the patient
- is readily available for follow-up evaluation and continuing care and treatment
If you don’t have a farm veterinarian the Maine Veterinary Medical Association has a “Find a Vet” tab that can help you find one.
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Weighing your cattle can benefit you in several ways and increase efficiency throughout your herd. However, a scale is often absent on smaller farms. Industry experts share that it is often thought that this one piece of equipment can help save and make money, grow better cattle, and gain efficiency in your herd.
An absent scale on the farm will leave beef producers estimating cattle weight gain (or loss), pharmaceutical dosages, feed requirements, and average daily gain. It can also increase the risk of penalties when selling groups of cattle.
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2023 MAINE BEEF PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION CALVES For KIDS
The Maine Beef Producers Association is once again accepting applications for the Calves For Kids program.
The deadline is April 1st, 2023.
Youth applying will be asked to come for an interview before the Calves For Kids committee at a later date. This program, started in 2007, has given 2 youth in the State of Maine a heifer calf.
The program gives a youth an opportunity to have a registered beef heifer to show and start a herd. The youth's obligation is to breed the heifer to a registered bull and give back to the program the first heifer calf. If they do not get a heifer calf born after a few years they are obligated to pay the MBPA $1000.
photo: Edwin Remsberg
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2023 MAINE BEEF PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIP
Applications due April 1st, 2023
A maximum of two $500 scholarships will be awarded each year by the MBPA.
REQUIREMENTS:
-Applicant must be a family member of or have been employed by a member of the Maine Beef Producers Association.
-Student must be a Maine resident.
-Student must provide a transcript of a 2.75 or higher cumulative GPA at the time of application.
-Must submit application and required information.
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Maine Brand Study
The University of Maine's Graduate School of Business, in partnership with MaineBiz and the Catherine Cutler Institute, is conducting research on whether the Maine brand confers a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
The survey, which is completely anonymous, will take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. It features multiple-choice questions, open-ended prompts, and an opportunity to submit your favorite Maine photos. We plan to share the results in the fall of 2023.
Please click on the following link to learn more about the study and to participate in the survey.
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Novel Shallow Well Questionaire
Dr. Rachel Schattman at UMaine and collaborators at USGS are getting ready to submit a grant to support installing a new shallow well at Highmoor Farm. It's part of thier effort to test this new well design in several locations around Maine, so see how they perform under various soil and environmental conditions.
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The MBPA website has information about the association, the board of directors, and forms for awards, activities, and sales. Members have the opportunity to have their farm listed with a photo, description of their farm, and a link to their own farm website. You can add this information when you join or send the information and digital photo to Russ Florenz at info@mainebeefproducersassociation.com
The Maine Beef Producers Association has a Facebook page. Like and follow to get the fastest information from Maine Beef Producers Association. Facebook
Join the Maine Beef Producers Association.
The Maine Beef Producers Association is accepting dues for the 2022 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 and online payment go to http://www.mainebeefproducersassociation.com
You can join the association online and pay by credit card on a secure site or by mailing the information to Sally Caverly by either printing off the form from the website, or completing the pdf version of the form and mailing to her at 1457 River Rd., Clinton, ME. |
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National Beef Prices
National Monthly Grass Feb Beef Report - includes wholesale and retail (direct to consumer) prices of cuts of meat as well as small and very small producer carcass prices (wholesale $4.31/# - direct to consumer $7.72/# to $8.94/#.)
Vermont Monthly Local Beef Report - includes carcass prices as well as retail prices (direct to consumer) per cut for locally raised beef. Dressed beef carcass value for February 2023: $334/cwt.
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Strengthening Local Processing Act (SLPA) S.354/H.R. 945 will take steps to address processing infrastructure needs at the local, regional, state, and federal levels. It will expand technical assistance to small livestock processors, and increase potential options for regional and interstate trade for these livestock processors. Let your members of Congress know what you think of this bill.
Publications/ Websites:
Grants & Loans
Equipment, supplies, etc.
Agriculture Jobs
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Jobs at UMaine Extension - there are 28 full, part-time, and temporary positions posted including Aroostook Systainable Ag and Horticulture Position and a post-doc PFAS Research and Outreach.
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Maine Farm Labor Link Network: Looking for farm workers or looking for farm work, this site helps connect farmers with people looking for work on farms. MDACF
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Newsletter Subscription Information
The Maine Beef Newsletter (MBN) is now received by over 730 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
The 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.
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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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/.
Need Pesticide Credits
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Contributors
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
Colt Knight, Extension Specialist
Goal
The goal of the Maine Beef Newsletter is to provide timely information on the production and marketing of beef grown in central Maine.
In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 101 Boudreau Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System). 11/22
Photos: Donna Coffin unless indicated otherwise.
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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
Piscataquis County Office - website
Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm - Closed Tuesday
165 East Main St Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 207-564-3301 or 800-287-1491
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