Your monthly news & updates
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What's New?
SARE Farmer Grower Grant Deadline - Nov. 26
Ergonomics on the Farm and Value-Added product Production
Maine Agriculture Needs Sessions - Calling All Farmers
2nd Annual Cattlemen's Conference
Improve On-farm Communication with UMaine Extension
Items of Interest
Featured Resources
Upcoming Events
Newsletter Subscription Information
Mission and Quick Links
Local Weather Anytime - Need Pesticide Credits?
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SARE Farmer Grower Grant Deadline - Nov. 26
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Northeast SARE offers grants to farmers
to conduct research addressing issues that affect farming and the food system in the Northeast. Competitive proposals offer innovation through techniques that test a new idea or apply a known idea in a new way. Reviewers look to fund projects that are well-designed and promise the greatest benefits to the farming community.
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In a recent podcast, Chris Callahan and Ag Engineer from UVM Extension where he helps farms and food businesses put technology and research-based knowledge to use. Talked about a really simple thing that can make a big difference to anyone… on the farm, at the office, or at home.
It is called ergonomics and it is the science of designing and arranging things we use so that the we interact with them most efficiently and safely.
There are some general principles of ergonomics that we can all apply regardless of the task.
- Maintain a Neutral Posture – be comfortable, put things within easy reach to prevent strain on the neck, back and joints.
- Set Yourself Up – be organized, have all your supplies handy, think about what might happen, and be mindful of trip hazards (throw-rugs, cords, thresholds, etc.)
- Lift Easily – lift only what you can comfortably and ask for help lifting heavy objects.
- Use Your “Power Zone” – lift and carry with the core of your body. Think about cradling a baby or carrying firewood.. Keep it close to your body and don’t extend your arms.
- Use Handholds – use a bucket or a bag to carry things, a good example is a firewood sling.
- Push, Don’t Pull – things are easier to push than pull, try to find ways to move things by pushing them.
- Task Rotation – switch between tasks when one of them is repetitive, take frequent breaks to change position, stretch and think about something else.
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We need your knowledge and ideas to shape the future of agriculture in Maine! Attend an upcoming work session to share your thoughts about what you need to strengthen your farm business and grow Maine agriculture.
When & Where
At the following Cooperative Extension offices:
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Skowhegan, Nov. 27, 10am-12pm, 7 County Dr.
· Ellsworth, Nov. 30, 9:30-11:30am, 63 Boggy Brook Rd.
· Lisbon Falls, Dec. 6, 9:30-11:30am, 24 Main St.
· Falmouth, Dec. 11, 3-5pm, 75 Clearwater Dr.
· Presque Isle, Jan. 8, 10am-12pm (snow date Jan. 15, 10am-12pm), 57 Houlton Rd.
· Waldoboro, Jan. 10, 10am-12pm (snow date Jan. 30, 10am-12pm), 377 Manktown Rd.
o Locally-sourced refreshments provided.
o RSVPs are appreciated!
· Maine Agricultural Trades Show, Jan. 16, 5-6pm and Jan. 17, 10-11:30am, 76 Community Dr., Augusta
Remote Option:
· Webinar, Nov. 27, 7-8pm
– must RSVP for link to join.
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Friday, November 30
Pre-Conference BQA Demonstration and Mixer, Maple Lane Farm, Charleston, ME & Jones Rd., Garland
Saturday, December 1, 2018
The Wells Conference Center
The University of Maine
Orono, Maine
- Refreshments Available
- Plated Lunch Provided
- Silent Auction
Cost:
- Members, $25; Non-members, $35
- Pre-Conference Mixer/Barbeque (Smoked Brisket), $20
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. Who should attend: Beef cattle producers and farmers interested in keeping beef animals.
Be sure to sign up early to get a parking pass and map to parking lot to use for the Saturday program.
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On-farm communication is critical for farm viability, and is one of the most common sources of conflict and frustration for farmers, family members, employees, and customers.
Your participation in
Improving Communication
will give you tools to adapt to different communication styles, structure dialogue between generations, identify obstacles to shifting management roles, and improve internal and external communication.
WHEN:
Dec. 5, 10 a.m.–1 p.m., at Kennebec Valley Community College, 92 Western Ave., Fairfield, Jan. 8, 10 a.m.–1 p.m., at University of Maine Cooperative Extension Hancock County office, 63 Boggy Brook Road, Ellsworth; and Feb. 5, 9 a.m.–noon,
online only
COST:
$15/person or $25/couple, and includes workbook and refreshments for Fairfield and Ellsworth trainings; $10/person for online session. Register
online
.
For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Angela Martin, 207.581.3739;
[email protected]
. More information also is
online.
sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture Northeast Extension Risk Management Education.
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- The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry announced that Maine has signed a new Cooperative Interstate Shipment (CIS) program agreement with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) which will allow selected Maine slaughterhouses and processors to wholesale their products in every state and in the District of Columbia. Plant applications will be accepted beginning December 1, 2018.
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) are continuing to provide free consults to Maine farmers through January 2019 on production and financial record-keeping. Consults will be done by phone, email and video chat unless in-person assistance is needed. Consults are free, confidential, and require only a participant’s time. For more information, to set up a consultation or request a reasonable accommodation, contact Calvert Schaefer at 443.340.4324, [email protected].
- 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.
- Maine Farm Labor Link Network - MDACF to link potential employers with job seekers.
- Jobs at UMaine Extension: a number positions throughout the state.
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Webinar:
Feeding a Small and Backyard Poultry Flock
by eXtension.org. Dec. 4 at 3 pm. There are a lot of people trying new ways of feeding including feeding whole grains, soaking/fermenting feed or grains, mixing your own feed, probiotics, prebiotics, essential oils, etc. The pros and cons of these different feeding programs will be discussed by Dr. Jacquie Jacob from the University of Kentucky.
Video:
Cut Flowers -
Rutgers Ultra Niche Crop Series - Includes video virtual field trip, cut flower producer panel and resources to print out.
Feasibility Studies - What Are They?
This video from Penn State University will explain what a feasibility study is, how it differs from a business plan, and explain the process for completing one.
Website:
Will I Have Enough Forage?
This UMaine Extension website helps you figure out how much forage you need until spring turn out, how much you have and suggestions on what to do to get you through the winter.
Publications:
Visit UMaine Extension online Publications Catalog for agricultural publications such as:
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- November 27, 2018 Northeast SARE Farmer Grant Deadline. Farmer Grants are for commercial producers who have an innovative idea they want to test using a field trial, on-farm demonstration, marketing initiative, or other technique. A technical advisor--often an extension agent, crop consultant, or other service professional--must also be involved. Projects should seek results other farmers can use, and all projects must have the potential to add to our knowledge about effective sustainable practices.
- November 30, 2018 Cattlemen's College -Pre-session on Beef Quality Assurance Training, 2 pm to 4 pm Maple Lane Farm, Charleston. Sponsored by UMaine Extension & Maine Beef Producers Association. Low stress stockman ship demonstration. Followed by a Brisket Barbecue/ social mixer for beef producers and speakers to interact. Members $25, Non-members $35. Pre-registration online.
- December 1, 2018 Cattlemen's College 9 am to 2:30 pm Wells Conference Center, University of Maine, Orono. Keynote speaker - Dr. Dean Fish, Low Stress Cattle Handling. For more information, contact Melissa Babcock at [email protected] or 207.581.2788.
- December 3, 2018 Farmland Access and Transfer Conference, Host Maine Farmland Trust. 8:45 am to 3:30 pm Augusta Civic Center. $20.
- December 4, 2018 Pricing Your Products and Services, 6 pm to 8 pm. with Dr. Jim McConnon. This is a free class. Hancock County Extension Office, Ellsworth.
- December 4, 2018 Deadline for USDA's 2019 Farm to School Grant Program, which helps farmers and healthy food advocates increase the availability of local foods in schools by supporting trainings, research, equipment, operations support and development of partnerships.
- December 5, 2018 Soil and Agronomy Workshop from 8 am to 4 pm at the University of Maine Presque Isle Campus Center, 181 Main Street, Presque Isle. The fee to register online is $20US; (at the door - $25US/$30Canadian); Pre-register online
- December 6, 2018 Pricing Your Products and Services, 6 pm to 8 pm. with Dr. Jim McConnon. This is a free class. Washington County Extension Office, Machias.
- December 6, 2018 Kitchen Licensing Workshop. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., MOFGA's Common Ground Education Center, Unity, Maine. Fee: $50; $35 for MOFGA members. Designed for farmers and others interested in home-food processing for resale. Dr. Beth Calder, UMaine Extension & Lindsay Werner, MDACF are speakers.
- December 8, 2018 Beef Cattle Nutrition, 4 pm to 6 pm, Oxford County Extension Office, 9 Olsen Rd, South Paris, Fee $5. Online signup.
- December 12, 2018 NxLevel Tilling the Soil of Opportunity Course, Kennebec Valley Community College - Farm Center in Hinkley. $275 + fee.
- December 12, 2018 Hide Tanning Workshop, 9 am to 2:30 pm Common Ground Education Center, Unity, $75; $50 for MOFGA members (includes lunch)
- January 8, 2019 Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training, Penobscot County Extension Office, 307 Maine Ave., Bangor, 9 am to 6 pm. $20. Grant funded - limited to Maine residents only. Register online or by contacting [email protected] or call 207-942-7396.
- January 15 to 17, 2019 Maine Agricultural Trades Show, Augusta.
- January 28-30, 2019 - Flowering in the North, flower growers' conference, University of Southern Maine, Abromson Center, 88 Bedford St., Portland. Share knowledge about zone 5 growing, wholesaling, retailing and designing with farm-fresh flowers. Cosponsored by MOFGA, UMaine Cooperative Extension, Snell Family Farm, Broadturn Farm and the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. Information. Email [email protected] to be notified when registration opens.
- March 21, 2019 Dairy Seminar
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Newsletter Subscription Information
The Central Maine Farming Newsletter (CMFN), now received by over 900 readers, has been offered as an educational resource by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension for over 15 years. On January 1, 2015 the CMFN transitioned to electronic-only delivery. There is still three ways to receive the CMFN from your local UMaine Extension:
- Central Maine Farming Newsletter remains available online for free! You can sign up to receive the newsletter through your email or view the archived issues anytime at at this website 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.
- Those with no email can opt to pay an annual subscription to receive the newsletters monthly for $15/year by contacting your County office.
- A third option is to come into the Piscataquis or Penobscot County Extension Offices and pick up a free printed copy of the newsletter.
We appreciate our readers referring others to the newsletter, and sharing it with their family and friends. Thank you for your continued support of the CMFN, providing valuable agricultural information from Extension for folks in the central Maine area since 2003.
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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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Edited by
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
Goal
The goal of the Central Maine Farming Newsletter is to provide timely information on the production and marketing of crops and livestock 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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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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