The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) anticipates publishing the Request for Applications for the 2021 Specialty Crop Block Grant the week of March 1. The application period will be fairly brief, with a possible application deadline of March 24. The application template will be very similar to the 2020 form, which can be found on the DACF website.

More information will be included when the Request for Applications is published in March. Those interested in applying should sign up to receive notifications on the DACF website.

Have you been wondering how your worker compensation compares to other farms in the state? UMaine Cooperative Extension has developed The Maine Farm Worker Compensation Survey to provide statewide information regarding common farm worker compensation practices. The survey is open to all Maine farms and will collect wage and benefits information by farm and worker type. All information is submitted anonymously and no identifying information will be recorded or shared in the final report. The data will be made publicly available as soon as it has been summarized. Please complete the survey by March 26, 2021.

Here is the direct link: https://umaine.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9SMIOOfb4NGvG5w

Maine Maple Sunday is planned to go on this year. If you are wondering how to open up for this event in a way that is safe for you and your customers, UMaine Extension and DACF are here to help. The newly updated "Maine Maple Tours: Guidance During COVID-19" fact sheet highlights the current state mandates, best practices, and alternatives to traditionsl MMS activities. See the full guidance here.

Feel free to reach out to Jason.Lilley@maine.edu or (207)781-6099 to discuss you plans.

A short course to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to start, adapt and maintain a profitable land-based business. This series is designed for people who want to start a profitable farm or expand their farm homestead or part-time farm into a profitable business. This is an approved FSA borrower training.

Cost: $50/$100/$150 per farm For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Melissa Freeman 207.353.5550 or Melissa.Freeman@maine.edu

There is a Warm Line in Maine available 24/7 to call and talk to someone (1-866-771-9276 or 1-866-771-WARM). If you want to reach out to something agriculture-specific, you can also contact Farm Aid’s helpline for crisis support. Consider posting the hotline number: 1-800-327-6243 in your workplace for all of your co-workers. 

We may be hard-working and tough as nails farmers but we can also talk about and attend to our mental health challenges, like we do our physical challenges. We are all in a larger community that cares how we are doing. You matter. Tu Importas. There is no shame in struggling in a stressful profession and in a stressful world. This excellent tip sheet in English and Spanish has more information about signs of stress and tips for coping. 

If you’d like to think about ways to support your farm team in creating a community that can share about stress and ask for help, the Farm coaching can provide resources and help in this area. 

Wolfe's Neck Center is working with select partners in the state to secure funding to offer a year-long training program for the purpose of creating “management-ready” farm employees. The program would subsidize on-the-job training and work experience of a manager so that farms do not incur those costs as part of on-boarding new management hires. The outcome will be that farms will have opportunities to hire managers who have been comprehensively trained and will require little investment in order to begin contributing to the operations they choose to work for.

Purpose of this survey: to collect data from farmers in the state of Maine about the demand, availability, cost and value of skilled labor and experienced personnel for a farm business. Take the survey here.

We hope you will take the time to participate in this 4 question survey to let us know of your interest in the strawberry research we are carrying out.

Contact for more information: Carol Delaney, carol.delaney@maine.gov

207-209-4724, phone conference ID: 939 801 638#