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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What's New?
- MBPA Pen Sale at NELE
- MBPA Spring Feeder Cattle Sale
- Got Hayfields and Pastures Workshops
- National Beef Prices
- Quickbooks Sessions
- 30th Open Farm Day
- Media Training for Maine Farmers
- Mud Matters
- GPS Cows
- Items of Interest *Featured Resources
- Upcoming Events *Newsletter Subscription Information
- Mission and Quick Links
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The MBPA is offering the opportunity to display, market, and purchase quality breeding stock in a private treaty type format at this year's Northeast Livestock Expo (NELE) May 17-19. In addition to the annual feeder auction, this event, which is open to young bulls, heifers and cow/calf combos, will provide another sale option at NELE.
Display pens, located in a barn separate from the feeder sale barn, will be provided including bedding (sawdust) and water. Seller will be responsible for all care of the animals including providing feed/hay. All animals should be preconditioned as per the MBPA protocols. Compliance with interstate health requirements is the responsibility of the seller. Pens will be available on Thursday May 16th after 3 pm. Pricing and all negotiations with buyers is the sole responsibility of the seller. The MBPA reserves the right to screen cattle in advance, to assure high quality.
Cost to the seller is $50 per head (cow/calf count as one) and 2019 MBPA membership is required. Commitment to participate with payment in full must be received by April 15th by sending a check to the MBPA c/o Sally Caverly, 1457 River Rd, Clinton, ME 04927 and by emailing pictures and any pertinent information and contact information to: Russ Florenz at r.jflorenz@gmail.com.
The MBPA will promote the pen sale as it promotes the feeder calf sale. In addition the MBPA will feature pen sale animals on its Facebook page.
Sold animals may be loaded for transport at any time that is not in conflict with other activities at NELE. Sellers will have the option of offering their animals for sale by auction after the feeder calf auction on Saturday May 18th at no additional charge. Notice of participation in the auction must be given no less than one hour prior to the start of the feeder cattle sale.
For more information contact:
Pete Dusoe pbdusoe@roadrunner.com 207-416-5441
Kevin Woltemath kwoltemath@pfnmeats.com 207-721-0263
Russ Florenz r.jflorenz@gmail.com 207-743-9019
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***Attention consignors: as in recent years, a $25/hd. consignment fee will be assessed, but this year that will be the applicable fee only if payment of $25/hd. is made by April 15th. You must mail a check payable to MBPA to:
Sally Caverly, MBPA Treasurer
1457 River Road
Clinton, ME 04927
Please include number of head consigned X $25 on the memo line.
This fee is non-refundable. After April 15th, consignments will still be accepted up to the event, but a $50/hd. sale cost will be deducted prior to settlement.
For more information, contact: Peter Dusoe, Cell: 207-416-5441 or Home: 207-473-5441 or email: pbdusoe@roadrunner.com.
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Are you feeding your animals good quality forages? Do you want to learn what makes a good haycrop?
This 3 hour workshop is for you!
Join Rick Kersbergen and Gary Anderson, from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension covering topics including:
- Improving pasture and hayfield yield and quality
- Production basics for hay and baleage
- Understanding forage quality and using a forage analysis
This workshop will be presented in 6 different locations across Maine, (listed here with directions). $10 per farm.
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April 9, 2019 9am – 12pm York County
April 10, 2019 2pm – 5pm Cumberland County
April 11, 2019 9am – 12pm Franklin County
224 Main St, Farmington, ME 04938
April 15, 2019 12pm – 3pm Aroostook County
Can't make it to one of the workshops? Ask
Rick Kersbergen
about the archived video of the workshop.
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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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Quick Books Sessions
When
Monday April 8th 6:00-8;30 PM
Wed. April 10th 6:00-8:30 PM
Monday April 15th 6:00-8:30 PM
Wed. April 17th 6:00-8:30 PM
Where
Penobscot County Cooperative Extension
307 Maine Avenue
Bangor, ME 04401
What
SCORE and UMaine Cooperative Extension are pleased to announce a FREE four-part workshop on QuickBooks Basics for Farms.
These 2 1/2 hour, 4 evening workshops will help you better understand how to activate and use the key features found in QuickBooks so you can process customer invoices & payments, record sales and sales taxes, generate reports to help you manage your business and keep your accounting records up-to-date and accurate. If you are a first time user or just need hands on help with your questions, this is the workshop for you!
Space is limited, so please register by Wednesday, April 3rd. Please note that a PC laptop will be needed.
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30th Open Farm Day
July 28th
Thanks to many of you, 2018 was the highest participation rate in recent years. I hope we can register and promote more farms in 2019; thanks to all of you who completed registration for 2019! We have a good response to date, and I want to make sure folks receive registration information before spring arrives.
The deadline to register is May 1, 2019. This gives us time to plan and prepare the print insert—The Open Farm Day Passport, and send out posters.
A few items to note for 2019:
- Returning participants can opt to keep information the same as last year (only dates will change). –Implemented from participant feedback.
- Registrants can select the quantity of posters to receive from the Department. –Implemented from participant feedback.
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Open Farm Day participants encouraged to register.
Learn how to respond to media requests and welcome visitors to your farming operation.
UMaine Cooperative Extension will offer media training April 29, 2019 as part of their leadership development programming. 10 am to 3 pm at the KVCC Alfond Campus in Hinkley.
Learn how to respond to media requests and welcome visitors to your farming operation.
Interested participants should register online. The registration fee is $10 per participant, and is limited to 30 attendees.
Participants will receive hands on training about:
- How to Tell Your Farm’s Story
- Working with the Media
- Social Media Best Practices
- Crisis Reponses
Photo: Remsberg
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Mud Matters
April brings the spring thaw and mud to livestock areas. Many farmers consider frozen ground as "poor man's concrete" and thanks to a thick winter haircoat, cattle prefer cold, dry winter weather to the wet, rainy early spring.
There is a cost of muddy areas to cattle rate of gain. As the depth of mud increased the loss of rate of gain increases. Cattle wadding around in belly deep mug have a 35% loss of gain. Deep mud can also lead to foot root.
A dry, less saturated area for cattle can improve cattle performance and avoid health issues. It would be nice to have concrete feed pads or hoop barn structures to get cattle out of the mud. NRCS may have funds to help with high use area expenses.
In the short-term the use of geo-textile fabric and stone can offer temporary or mid-term mitigation of muddy, wet areas.
Another option is to use bedding, although more organic matter added to the pen can create more mud. Deep bedding backs can work well by building mounded areas for cattle to stay on "high ground." So lots of bedding can help, but will mean more manure hauling.
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Last year Colt Knight worked with Central Queensland University in Australia to develop a new youth STEM education program called GPS Cows.The GPS Cows program was designed to increase digital literacy and understanding of precision agriculture to rural students. Students participating in this program learn about:
- Precision Livestock Management
- How GPS works
- How GPS is used in modern livestock management and research
- Scientific Method
- How to use geospatial software, spreadsheet software, and
- How to make a scientific poster
Students are then invited to the University of Maine campus for a tour, and a chance to make a GPS tracking collar. They are encouraged to design an experiment using their cattle( or borrowed cattle if they do not have access) and the GPS collar to test a hypothesis.
In the end, participants make a Poster and compete for prizes in a poster competition. They are judged on their poster presentation, content, and delivery. Last year, prizes included a silver trophy buckle, gift certificates, and more.
Up to 20 Jr. High and High School age students participate in this years GPS Cows program / science fair. If you work with youth, or know of 4-H groups that would like to participate, please contact
Colt.Knight@umaine.edu
or
Debra.Kantor@maine.edu
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- Survey says! The majority of beef producers are in favor of the Beef Checkoff Program and have consistently supported it over time. In fact, according to a recent independent study, 80 percent say the checkoff drives demand for beef. For more than 25 years, the checkoff has commissioned a third-party research firm to conduct an annual survey of beef and dairy producers nationwide to determine their awareness of the Beef Checkoff, as well as their sentiment and concerns about the program.
- Farm Tractor Safety Course, UMaine Extension
- Knox & Lincoln Counties, April 3-24
- Kennebec County, April 8-May 13
- Cumberland County, April 29-May 25
- Oxford County, May 1-29
- Waldo County, TBA
- The Tick Lab, within Extension’s new Diagnostic and Research Laboratory, is now officially accepting tick samples for tick-borne disease testing. For $15, Maine residents can have ticks tested for the causative agents of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis (the three most commonly reported tick-borne diseases in Maine). This service is intended to provide surveillance information on ticks and tick-borne disease infection rates within Maine’s tick population. Tick identification without testing is free.
- Northeast SARE Partnership Grants fund projects that work in partnership with farmers to address issues that affect the farming community. Applications for 2019 Northeast SARE Partnership Grants are due April 23. Learn more at www.northeastsare.org/PartnershipGrant.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched two new features on farmers.gov to help customers manage their farm loans and navigate the application process for H2A visas
- Maine Grass Farmers Network has equipment (manure spreader and no-till drill) that members are able to use.
- Maine Hay Directory - is available to help farmers with hay to sell and farmers looking for hay to buy. Be cautious of hay scams.
- Agrichemical and Fertilizer Suppliers in Maine - compiled by David E. Yarborough, Extension Blueberry Specialist.
- Shared Use Farm Equipment - Maine Farmland Trust list.
- Jobs at UMaine Extension
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Website:
DIY Plans:
APPS:
- Chuck (available for download at ChuckKnowsBeef.com) provides information found on Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner through the use of your computer, mobile phone, Amazon Alexa or Google Home.
Podcast:
Video:
- Tractorstuck (Thunderstruck Parody) by the Peterson Farm Bros. It's almost that time of year when field work has to get done, but the fields haven't quite dried out enough. A nice entertaining reminder to avoid wet spots in your fields.
Publications:
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- April 9 through April 15, 2019 Got Hayfields & Pastures? workshops at 6 locations and times throughout the state. $10 per farm.
- April 8, 10, 15, 17, 2019 Quickbooks for Farmers, 6 pm to 8:30 pm Penobscot Extension Office, 307 Maine Ave., Bangor. Free with registration required. Click here to register.
- April 10 - 13, 2019 Maine Meat Cutting School, 9 am to 4 pm, Maple Lane Farm, Charleston. Fee $$275 (includes meals, handouts and knife.) Instructors Dr. Gregg Renfrow, Univ. of Kentucky Meat Specialist; Dr. Colt Knight, UMaine Extension Livestock Specialist; Dr. Robson Machado, UMaine Food Science Specialist. (Sold Out).
- April 13, 2019 Last day to wean calves for Preconditioned Feeder Calf Sale at NELE
- April 15, 2019 Last day for reduced consignment fee for Preconditioned Feeder Calf Sale
- May 4, 2019 Last day to finish vaccination protocol for Feeder Calf Sale at NEL
- May 18, 2019 NELE - Preconditioned Feeder Calf Auction and Beef Pen Sale, Maine Beef Producers Association, Windsor Fair Grounds. More details to come.
- April 18, 2019 Swine Education Seminar, 9 am to 3 pm Viles Arboretum, Augusta. Sponsored by MDACF, UMaine Extension, and Maine Pork Producers Association. $25 or $20 if member of MPPA. Includes lunch of pulled pork and corn bread. To register contact Cindy.Kilgore@maine.gov or 207-215-4968.
- April 22, 2019 Home & Small-Scale Greenhouse Program, 9:30 am to noon, Penobscot County Extension Office, Bangor. $10 to cover handout materials. FMI and to register Wendy.Robertson@maine.edu
- April 29, 2019 Media Training for Farmers, 9:30 am to 3 pm, Hinkley (Barn), $10 Learn how to respond to media requests and welcome visitors to your farming operation. It will also be useful for farms wishing to be hosts for the 30th Anniversary of Maine Open Farm Day.
- April 30, 2019 Everything Chicken for the Backyard Poultry Keeper, 3 pm to 6 pm Millinocket Library, Millinocket. Course fee $8 includes a light supper with smoked chicken. Optional course book for $20. Register online or call 207-942-7396 or in Maine 1-800-287-1485.
- May 9, 2019 Cooking for Crowds, 5 pm at the Penobscot County Extension Office, 307 Maine Ave. Bangor. Participants will receive "Cooking for Crowds," a manual specifically designed for volunteer cooks, as well as a certificate of attendance, posters and a meat thermometer. Cost is $15 per person for the class, which meets the Good Shepherd Food Bank safety training requirements. Register online For more information or to request a disability accommodation call 207.942.7396 or within Maine 1.800.287.1485.
- May 10, 2019 Pasture Pork and Beginners Guide to Keeping Pigs, 11 am to 2 pm, Penobscot County Extension Office, Bangor. Course fee $10 includes lunch. FMI go to http://extension.umaine.edu/penobscot
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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 2018 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 680 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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Piscataquis County Office
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Maine Beef Producers Association
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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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