Your Monthly News & Updates |
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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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Maine Beef Producers Association News |
October 13th Meeting
Next Maine Beef Producers Association Board Meeting will be on October 13th. All are welcome to attend. If you are not a Board member and have an interest in attending, please contact Kevin Woltemath at kwoltemath@pfnmeats.com or phone 207-749-5602. Topics for discussion include: Cattlemen's College, Fall Beef Quality Assurance (BQA), Maine Ag Trades Show Meeting & Booth .
Preconditioned Fall Feeder Calf Sale Canceled - Planning for spring sale has started
Contact Pete Dusoe (ph. 207-416-5441) if you’ll have weaned calves or yearling cattle to sell this fall and interested in consigning to a MBPA Auction next spring in conjunction with NELE on May 20, 2023.
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Pasture Walk at Wolfe's Neck Center in Freeport
September 20, 2022
Topics covered: PaddockTrac demonstration, pasture reseeding, no-till drill trial, soil health and WNC research update. Featured Speaker Jason Lilley, UMaine Extension
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Bull, Heifer, and Club Calf Show & Sale at Fryeburg Fair - October 7th |
The Maine Beef Producers Association is proud to announce they are taking consignments for its annual "Bull, Heifer and Club Calf Show & Sale." The sale is held in conjunction with the Fryeburg Fair on Friday the 7th of October starting after the market steer auction in the Livestock Show Arena.
The MBPA started the sale in the late 80's as a way to offer quality Club Calves to 4-H kids for their projects in the following year. It was later expanded to include bulls to accommodate people looking for herd bull prospects. It was again expanded to include heifers born after September of the previous year for show heifer projects.
We are taking consignments until October 5th for our annual Bull, Heifer and Club Calf Sale. It is a great opportunity to showcase your operation or pick up a breeding animal or club calf for next year. Consignment fee is $50.
To consign or if you have any questions, please contact Jesse Caron jcaron@live.com or call 207-356-5069 |
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5th Maine Cattlemen’s College |
When - October 15, 2022, 9:00 AM
Where- J. Franklin Witter Teaching & Research Center – Chute Center, 160 University Farm RD. Old Town, ME 04468
Why – Join the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Beef Producers for a day of education focusing on Forage and Pasture use in Beef Cattle Farming. Get a chance to ask leading experts questions, interact with service providers, and participate in the silent auction to benefit the Maine Beef Producers Association Scholarship fund.
Who – Beef cattle producers wanting to learn more about Forage testing, interpreting forage test results, incorporating principles of forage nutrition into their program, learning the science behind pasture heath and appropriate stocking rates
Cost - $40 (student rate – 25$) limited scholarships available – Meal Included (Steak)
This year we are pleased to announce two outstanding Guest Speakers, Dr. Jeff Lehmkuhler, Associate Extension Professor & Extension Beef Cattle Specialist, and Dr. Gregg Rentfrow, Associate Extension Professor and State Meat Specialist, from the University of Kentucky.
Kentucky ranks as the 8th in the nation for beef cattle, and has the most cattle of any state in the eastern US with 1,033,000 head of beef cattle and 33,823 beef cattle producers. Dr. Lehmkuhler will give a talk focusing on forage and pasture nutrition and Dr. Rentfrow will highlight the new Beef Alternative Marketing (BAM) cuts by doing cutting demonstration on ribeye primals, and then we will grill and eat the steaks for lunch! Dr. Rentfrow is also a tremendous wealth of knowledge on grass-fed vs. grain-fed beef.
In addition, Uaine Cooperative Extension would like to introduce our newest Dairy Specialist, Dr. Glenda Pereira to beef producers by sharing her knowledge of forages. Dr. Colt W. Knight, Associate Extension Professor & State Livestock Specialist, will discuss the science behind pasture growth, management, health, and setting proper stocking rates. More speakers to TBA.
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Agriculture Infrastructure Investment Program Awardees Announced
Funding was awarded to 64 agricultural businesses in Maine. The awards ranged from $41,669 to $500,000, averaging $301,217. Awards were distributed to a mix of different scales and types of production across all sixteen counties and included several livestock slaughter and processing facilities.
Approximately $20 million in federal funds will be used to help Maine farmers and food processors improve critical infrastructure. This funding will enable farms and agricultural businesses to pursue upgrades that will mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19, increase the supply of Maine-grown food, enhance supply chain resilience, and help grow and sustain one of Maine's heritage industries.
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Why Are You Seeking Out Farm Training?” 2022 New Farmer Survey Results
According to the USDA, new and beginning farmers are people who have been farming for less than 10 years. The responses to this survey came from every county in Maine.
There were responses from every adult age bracket with the highest percentage (25%) in the 35-44 range. 71 percent of the respondents self-identified as women, 15% were veterans or in active military service, 71% self-identified as white, and 16% self-identified as having a disability.
18 where interested in beef and 28 in hay topics.
The top challenges identified included production risk and costly inputs/labor. Top opportunities included direct-to-consumer marketing and ‘capitalizing on consumer willingness to pay for specific product traits’.
Training needs and priorities included online sales, collaborative marketing, wholesale, bookkeeping, business goal setting, and financing.
UMaine Extension educators will use the survey results to design farm trainings. These trainings will be based on the interests and needs of new and beginning farmers.
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Fall Farm Tour: Beech Hill Farm & Bison Ranch
When: September 28 at 1-3pm
Where: Waterford, ME
This workshop is offered in collaboration with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension of Oxford County.
Join Doretta and Ted Colburn, owners of Beech Hill Farm & Bison Ranch in Waterford, to learn about this former dairy farm turned bison and vegetable operation. Learn about the unique needs of raising bison, how they have incorporated sustainability into their farm, and lessons they’ve learned. Frozen bison meat will be available for purchase on site.
Fee: This program is offered on a sliding scale ($0-$15 per family). Please pay what you can to help cover the cost of this program. Any payments can be brought to us on the day of the event – we accept cash or check.
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Farm Tax Reminders
Fall is a good time to review farm tax incentives and exemptions that you may not be taking advantage of for your operation.
Alex Redfield, Farm Viability and Farmland Protection Specialist, with the MDACF assembled some Maine Farm Tax Reminders for 2022 that included:
- Sales Tax on Supplies
- Sales Tax Machinery/Equipment Exemptions
- Current Use Property Tax Classification
- Homestead Exemption
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Do you have enough forage this year? |
Our YouTube video Got Livestock – Need Hay features Rick Kersbergen, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Professor, who shares information on how to assess what you have for feed, assess how much feed you will need for the next six to seven months, and strategies to consider if you don’t have enough feed.
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- Sept. 15: Ranching for Rain & Drought Resilience
- Sept. 20: Pasture Walk @ Wolfe's Neck Center
- Sept. 22: Farming for Rain & Drought Resilience
- Sept. 28: Fall Farm Tour: Beech Hill Farm & Bison Ranch 1 pm to 3 pm Waterford
- Oct. 7: Bull, Heifer, and Club Calf Sale at Fryeburg Fair Grounds
- Oct. 13: Maine Beef Producers Association Board Meeting 6:30 pm contact Kevin Woltemath kwoltemath@pfnmeats.com or phone 207-749-5602 if interested in attending.
- Oct. 15: Cattleman's College, Witter Center, Orono
- Oct. 15: Tilton's Annual Fall Cattle Auction, noon
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Beef Quality Assurance: TBA If interested contact Melissa Libby Babcock melissa.libby1@maine.edu, 207-581-2788
- Nov. 30: Pork Quality Assurance, 5:30 pm, Penobscot County Extension Office, Bangor
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Jan 10 to 12, 2023: Maine Agricultural Trades Show, Augusta
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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 $4.39/# - direct to consumer $7.80/# to $8.71/#.)
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 July 2022: $333/cwt.
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Videos:
Publications/ Websites:
Grants & Loans
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Farmer Grower SARE Grant: Northeast SARE offers grants to farmers to explore new concepts in sustainable agriculture conducted through experiments, surveys, prototypes, on-farm demonstrations or other research and education techniques. Farmer Grant projects address issues that affect farming with long-term sustainability in mind. Nov. 15 deadline. (802) 651-8335.
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Rural Rehabilitation Trust Fund: The Division manages this dedicated revenue fund for purposes of providing policy and loan-making decisions of this fund. Investments of fund dollars go to providing low interest loans to farmers for purchasing land, or feeder cattle. The fund also provides capital improvement loans to agricultural fairs. For further information about the program contact us at (207) 287-3491 or email dacf@maine.gov .
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PFAS Testing Funds: Get full eligibility requirements and program details at this Webpage.
Equipment, supplies, etc.
Agriculture Jobs
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Jobs at UMaine Extension - there are 18 full and part-time positions posted including 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.
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: 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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