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.
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Act Now if you are planning to attend the
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What's New?
- 3rd Annual Cattlemen's College - December 6th and 7th
- Call for Nominations for Beef Awards
- Nxlevel Farm Business Training
- Cattlemen's Beef Board
- Claim Your Place on the Internet so Your Customers Can Find Your Farm
- Farm Service Agency Youth Loans
- National Beef Prices
- Items of Interest *Featured Resources
- Upcoming Events *Newsletter Subscription Information
- Mission and Quick Links
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December 6, 2019
Pre-event Brisket Dinner & Social Mixer
30 Jones Road - Garland
December 7, 2019
Cattlemen's College
Penobscot County Extension Office
307 Maine Avenue (by the airport)
Bangor
Plenty of parking next to the building!
The Maine Cattlemen's College will provide up-to-date information to Maine beef cattle producers and allow Maine beef cattle producers an opportunity to meet leaders in the industry and fellow producers to share ideas and innovations. All proceeds to benefit Maine Beef Producers Association Scholarship Fund.
Join us for the 3rd annual Maine Cattlemen's College, sponsored by Diamond V.
Our Keynote speaker is Dr. Josh Jackson. Dr. Jackson is a multi-generation beef producers and agricultural professor at the University of Kentucky, specializing in Livestock Systems and Engineering. Also, Chef Robert Dumas, former White House Chef, will be conducting an in house demonstration on exciting ways to prepare lesser quality cuts of beef - samples will be provided. Silent Auction and door prizes!
Cost - Friday $20 Saturday $15
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Agenda
Friday - December 6th at 6:30 pm - Garland, ME (Dr. Colt Knight's Farm - 30 Jones Rd.)
Saturday - December 7th - Penobscot County Extension Office - Bangor
8:00 am - Welcome and Introductions - Dr. Colt, Knight, UMaine Extension
8:15 am - What is happening on Campus? New Rumen Microbiologist, Dr. Sue Ishaq, UMaine
8:45 am - Facility Design with the small herd in mind - Dr. Josh Jackson, Univ. of Kentucky
10:00 am Break (Refreshments Provided)
10:15 am - USDA RFID requirements update - Maine Dept of Ag, Cons. & Forestry - state vet's office
10:30 am Bull Selection and Breeding Soundness - Dr. Colt Knight, UMaine Extension
11:00 am Mark Anderson, Diamond V
11:30 am Exciting ways to prepare less cuts of beef (with samples) - Chef Rob Dumas, UMaine
Noon - Prime Rib lunch Sponsored by Diamond V
12:45 pm Producer Panel - Genetic Selection of your herd
2:15 pm Building a low-cost effective live-weight scale on farm - Dr. Josh Jackson, Univ. Kentucky
3:15 pm Closing and evaluation
For more information, contact Melissa Babcock at melissa.libby1@maine.edu or 207.581.2788.
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Call for Nominations for Beef Awards!
The Maine Beef Producers Association is asking for nominations for the following beef awards. When completing your nomination please make sure to include your contact information, contact information for the person you are nominating, what award you are nominating them for and why you think they are deserving of the award.
Maine Beef Producers Association Awards Criteria
- Seedstock Producer - A farm operation honored for their accomplishments in the breeding and marketing of purebred seedstock.
- Beef Producer - A farm or individual recognized for the production of consistently high quality beef cattle marketed as feeder cattle, fed cattle, or direct-market beef.
- Youth - A person under the age of 21 recognized for their beef production and promotion accomplishments.
- Service - An individual or organization recognized for their distinguished service to Maine beef producers.
- Hall of Fame - Awarded to an individual, a farm operation, or an organization honored for making a significant contribution to beef production in Maine.
Nomination deadline is December 12th.
Awards will be presented on January 15th at the MBPA meeting at the Maine Ag Trades Show at the Augusta Civic Center.
Also, the Maine Beef Producers Association is looking for interested beef producers who may be interested in serving as a MBPA board member. If you are interested in serving contact Dana Brown at
danabrown817@gmail.com
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Nxlevel Farm Business Training
Where? At the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Deering Building, located at 90 Blossom Lane off Route 9 in Augusta.
When? 9:00 AM -3:30 PM on December 18, January 8 & 29, February 12 & 26, and March 11. Lunch provided.
Remote participation available. While all six sessions will take place live in Augusta, you can participate in one or all of them remotely via any internet-linked computer. Recordings of each class will also be available to all participants.
Cost is $275 per farm. Up to 2 people from each farm can attend each class.
A la carte registration available too. Don't want to sign up for all six sessions? You can sign up for just the ones you want to attend as well at cost of $50 per session.
Photo: Erin Roche
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The beef R&P program operates as the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board. The program's goal is to maintain and expand domestic and foreign markets and uses for beef and beef products. The program is funded by a mandatory assessment of $1 per head collected each time cattle are sold. Imported cattle, beef, and beef products have a comparable assessment.
These assessments, about $77 million annually, fund the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which runs the industry’s research and promotion activities under AMS oversight. From 2014 through 2018, the Beef R&P Program has enhanced the demand for beef at an estimated rate of return of $11.91 for every dollar invested in the program, according to the latest economic evaluation.
The Northeastern states including Maine are represented by Jack Parent of Swanton, Vermont.
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Claim Your Place On The Internet So Your Customers Can Find Your Farm
Farm markets, ag tourism, and any other farm or business in which people will travel to and visit MUST be listed and take ownership of the listing for location-based apps and other applications, says Donna Coffin, UMaine Extension Educator.
Almost 80% of Americans have a smartphone and 90% of smartphone owners use location-based information and geosocial services.
[1]
When they type in “beef farm selling meat near me,” does your farm appear on the map?
If you want them to stop by your farm stand, farmers’ market or ag-tourism site, you need to be sure to claim your place in the map applications that are used on smart phones.
Start by typing your farm name and town into a search engine. If you see a map with a pin (location) with your farm name, you should claim your pin before someone else claims it.
There are other places for you to claim your farm’s presence on the web. People who search for your farm in Facebook will leave a listing with no contact information. Once you have a Facebook account, you claim this.
Many customers looking to purchase directly from farms go to these sites to search for area farms: Getrealmaine.com (sponsored by MDACF), MOFGA.org, MFFM.org, UFVME.us, Localharvest.org, MaineFoodAtlas.org or Shopsmallfarms.com. Many are free and only take a little bit of time to get listed.
To summarize - Mobile devices (smartphones) are a great accessory for farm business. Your customers are using them all-the-time. Research your farm on the Internet and set up alerts to know when someone mentions your farm. Take ownership of your farm’s profile on the Internet and put in your own, accurate information.
Want to learn more?
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Contact Donna Coffin for copy of presentation: Helping Customers "Find" You...digital Resource for Farmers and Direct Marketers.
[1]
Surveys conducted 2011-2012-2015 Pew Research Center.
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Farm Service Agency Youth Loans
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) makes operating loans of up to $5,000 to eligible individual youths ages 10 to 20 to finance income-producing, agriculture-related projects. The project must be modest size, educational and initiated, developed and carried out by youths participating in 4-H clubs, FFA, tribal youth organizations, or similar agricultural-affiliated groups.
The loans can finance many kinds of income-producing agricultural projects such as:
- Buy livestock, seed, equipment, and supplies;
- Buy, rent, or repair needed tools and equipment; and
- Pay operating expenses for the project
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National Beef Prices
USDA Ag Marketing Service
publishes agriculture price for a number of commodities throughout the US. Here is the latest cattle dashboard graph showing the current, last year and three year average of live cattle.
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Information
- Why Grass Finished Beef Marbling is Difficult, by Kathy Volt, On Pasture, November 2019. Marbling requires a source of glucose that can come from longer time on feed or using a high marbling terminal sire to replace the grain in traditionally finished cattle.
Grants & Loans
Equipment, supplies, etc.
Agriculture Jobs
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Website:
Videos:
Publications:
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- December 6, 2019 Farmer Labor Roundtable, 5 pm to 8 pm, Merrymeeting Hall, 33 Main St., Bowdoinham. Sponsored by the Merrymeeting Food Council.
- December 6, 2019 Pre-conference Brisket BBQ at Dr. Colt Knight's Farm, at 6:30 pm, 30 Jones Rd., Garland. $20. Register melissa.libby1@maine.edu or 207.581.2788.
- December 7, 2019 3rd Annual Cattlemen's College, Penobscot County Extension Office, 307 Maine Ave. (by the airport) Bangor ME. 8 am to 3 pm. How to build a cheap scale for small scale beef farms. $15 Register melissa.libby1@maine.edu or 207.581.2788.
- December 12, 2019 Maine Beef Producers Association meeting 6:30 pm Fairfield & ZOOM
- January 14-16, 2020: State of Maine Agricultural Trades Show, Augusta, ME.
- January 15, 2020 Beef Program at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show, Augusta, ME in the afternoon.
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Maine Beef Producers Association
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Join the Maine Beef Producers Association.
The Maine Beef Producers Association is accepting dues for the 2020 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 has a Facebook page. Like and follow to get the fastest information from Maine Beef Producers Association.
Facebook
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Newsletter Subscription Information
The Maine Beef Newsletter (MBN) is now received by over 690 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, Thursday, Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm
Open By-chance on Wednesday, Closed Tuesday
165 East Main St Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 207-564-3301 or 800-287-1491
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