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Putting knowledge to work with the people of Maine
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Piscataquis & Penobscot
Farming Newsletter
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Volume 10 Number 1
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January 2012
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| Goal
The goal of the Piscataquis & Penobscot Farming Newsletter is to provide timely information on the production and marketing of crops and livestock grown in central Maine. Upcoming events and programs of interest will also be included. |
Mission
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. |
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 Weather |
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Quick Links
Find Piscataquis County on Facebook
Find Penobscot County on Facebook
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Underlined
Please note that underlined words and phrases link to webpages with more information. If you are unable to access these pages contact your local Extension Office for assistance.
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Marketing and Promotion Basics for Farmers and Value Added Agriculture Producers
Winter time is a great time to do your farm planning on paper to be ready for next year. Developing a Farm Marketing Plan - Your Marketing Strategy: P4-Place How will you distribute your product? What is the best way to reach your target market? Place defines where and how your product will be available to your customers. This will depend a lot on your position. If your position is "gourmet", you would need to consider outlets where gourmet products are sold and where gourmet prices are paid. A convenience store would not be a good choice. Think about where your target market is most likely to connect with your product. Will this be through direct sales, i.e. a farm stand on or off your farm, a CSA, at farmers' markets, etc.? Or will you be better off reaching your customers through wholesale outlets? Or perhaps both? Will you sell on the web? Through printed catalogs? Take some time to research the available sales outlets most appropriate for your product. P5-People Once you know who you are, what you are selling and whom you are selling to, you need to determine your overall marketing strategy - how you plan to sell your product to your target market. A simple way of defining your marketing strategy is to break down your plan into the 6 P's: Product, Price, Position, Place, People and Promotion. We have already looked at Produce, Price, Position, and Place in previous articles, so let's move to the next "P". P5- People. Business is all about relationships, and relationships are about trust and communication. Cultivate your business relationships. Be mindful of how you represent your business and how you serve your customers. There is a lot of bad business out there. Think for a moment about all the complaints of all types you have heard in the past week. Think about how many of them had to do with lousy service. Don't let your business fall into that category. If something is ever wrong, set it right immediately and be gracious about it. Constantly ask for feedback. Make excellent customer service your #1 priority.
Source: McPhail, G, Farm Marketing & Image Building, Piscataquis Farming Newsletter, July to August 2006. |
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Environmental Quality Incentive Program
Agricultural producers will have more opportunities this year to be approved for funding for three conservation initiatives, announced Juan Hernandez, State Conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), three ranking dates have been set for the On-Farm Energy, Organic, and Seasonal High Tunnel initiatives for Fiscal Year 2012; in the past there was one ranking period per year. All three initiatives offer technical and financial assistance.
"Moving to multiple ranking dates for each initiative is going to make it easier for more producers to apply and help them get started with implementing the practices they need to benefit the natural resources on their operations," said Hernandez. "We hope producers will visit their local USDA Service Center for more details on how NRCS can help them conserve Maine's natural resources."
NRCS accepts applications for financial assistance on a continuous basis throughout the year; however, there will be three ranking periods for the three initiatives, all ending on February 3, March 30 and June 1, 2012. At the end of a ranking period, NRCS will rank all submitted proposals for funding consideration, notify all applicants of the results of the rankings, and begin developing contracts with selected applicants.
or contact your nearest USDA Service Center, listed online at
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New eOrganic Webinars in January on Organic Farming and Research
Join eOrganic in January for an exciting lineup of webinars and live conference broadcasts on organic farming and research topics. All webinars are free and open to the public, and advance registration is required.
Upcoming Webinars. Click on the links below to find out more information and register!
January archived sessions. Find all our webinar archived recordings at http://www.extension.org/pages/25242
- Why Eat Organic: Live broadcast from the Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism and Organic Conference.
- Carolina Organic Commodities and Livestock Conference: Selected live broadcasts
- Ecological Farm Design for Pest Management in Organic Vegetable Production: Successes and Challenges on Two Farms
- Selected live broadcasts from the Organic Seed Grower's Conference, Port Townsend Washington.
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 2012 webinar series - sheep/goat nutrition A series of webinars will be held on consecutive Thursday nights in January and February 2012. The webinars will focus on the feeding and nutrition of sheep and goats. You can participate at your own computer or at a library near you. January 12 - Digestive physiology January 19 - Nutrients January 26 - Feedstuffs February 2 - Nutritional management February 9 - Rational balancing February 16 - Nutritional disorders Each webinar will begin at 7:30 p.m. EST and last for approximately one hour. An hour of questions and answers will follow. Topics may overlap more than one webinar. University of Maryland Extension Specialists and Educators will be the instructors for the webinars. Anyone with an internet connection may participate in the webinars. High speed access is recommended. The first 100 people who log onto https://connect.moo.umd.edu/sschoen/ will be able to participate. All webinars will be recorded and available for later viewing at http://www.sheepandgoat.com/recordings.html
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Items of Interest
- "Local Bread Wheat in Denmark" Video Series. Four new videos showcase the innovative farmers, millers, bakers, and researchers who have helped build Denmark's local bread wheat system. The videos were filmed during a tour led by the Northern New England Bread Wheat Project. Topics include: organic production methods, milling techniques, marketing strategies, heritage varieties, and current research. Available on the Northern New England Local Bread Wheat Project website - www.extension.umaine.edu/localwheat.For more information, contact:
- Rural Tax Education Tax issues are important for agricultural operations because income and self-employment taxes are a major cost and also because more and more USDA programs are being linked to a producer's federal income tax return. A special website http://ruraltax.org/ provides farmers and ranchers, other agricultural producers and Extension educators with a source for agriculturally related income and self-employment tax information that is both current and easy to understand.
- Farmers Tax Guide - Publication 225 This publication explains how the federal tax laws apply to farming. Use this publication as a guide to figure your taxes and complete your farm tax return. If you need more information on a subject, get the specific IRS tax publication covering that subject. All IRS tax publications and forms are available online or call 1-800-829-3676, or write to: Internal Revenue Service , 1201 N. Mitsubishi Motorway, Bloomington, IL 61705-6613.
- Revised Land Leasing Forms Ag Lease 101 helps both land owners and land operators learn about alternative lease arrangements and includes sample written lease agreements for several alternatives. Ag Lease 101 was created by and is maintained by the North Central Farm Management Extension Committee. See their web site for more information and sample lease forms. http://aglease101.org/
- New England Vegetable & Fruit Conference Proceedings If you missed attending the conference last month, you can download the proceedings from the web site link http://www.newenglandvfc.org/
- Extend Your Growing Season & Grow Your Markets. Maine Rural Partners has a unique opportunity for Maine farmers interested in growing food year round and opening up new winter markets for local, healthy food. They will be providing technical assistance, business plan training and marketing support for a select number of Maine farmers who complete their on-line survey. Opportunities are limited! Apply on-line NOW at http://svy.mk/winterfarming. For information call 581-4523 or email claudia@mainerural.org
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Featured UMaine Extension Publications / Store
The following agriculture related Extension publications are available or can be ordered at the Extension Office nearest you. You will notice that some publications are free and some have a cost recovery charge. Many other publications are available for free online or may be purchased at our secure publications web site.
- Guide to First Time Horse Ownership, Equine Facts Series. Item #1004 - Publisher: UMaine Extension. Provides fundamental information on selecting, buying, and housing a horse as well as budgeting for expenses. 4 pages, 2001, 2011. Download it for free, or buy a printout. $0.75.
- New England Greenhouse Floriculture Guide: A Management Guide for Insects, Diseases, Weeds, and Growth Regulators, Item #1052. Publisher: NE Floriculture
2011-2012 edition, edited by Lois Berg Stack. In-depth reference manual on pest management and other production management strategies for floricultural crops, with crop-specific recommendations. Designed for commercial greenhouse growers, each section is edited by faculty from the New England state universities. Features extensive tables of chemical and other specifications; includes appendix on first aid for pesticide poisoning. Sections on general pesticide information; IPM and insect biology; disease management; plant growth regulators; and weeds, algae, and liverworts. 250 pages, 2010. $30.00 - Building Soils for Better Crops. Item #1171. Publisher: Sustainable Ag. Network Fred Magdoff and Harold van Es. Learn the secret of maintaining a diverse ecosystem below ground to foster healthy crops above. Ecological soil management, as detailed by the soil experts who wrote the book, can raise fertility-and yields- while reducing environmental impacts. Topics explored include increasing soil organic matter, appropriate tillage, animal manures, making and using composts, integrating cover crops into rotations, reducing erosion, and avoiding soil compaction. Also includes practical information such as interpreting soil test results. 240 pages. 3rd edition, 2009. $19.95
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 You Can ...
Even though times are tough, You Can sustain your family. The Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension have put together a series of workshops that will give you the skills to get started in self-sufficiency.
To register for a You Can program contact PVAEC, 48 Morton Ave., Suite M, Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 or call 564-6525 or register online at http://bit.ly/pyoucan. Sessions are held throughout Piscataquis County and nearby towns. Costs range from $5 to $10 with partial scholarships available. Go online to find the times and places for the following sessions. Feb. 7 - Slice It, Salt It, Stomp It March 1 - Backyard Maple Syrup March 1 - Small Scale Livestock Care March 5 - Beginning Beekeeping March 13 - Raise Cash as a Crop March 14 - Simplify Your Life - Getting Back to the Good Ole' Days March 20 - Spring Cleaning |
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Upcoming Events
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January 20-22, 2012, 30th Annual Organic Farming and Gardening Conference, Saratoga Hilton and City Center, Saratoga, NY. United Nations has declared 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives. Building on this momentum, NOFA-NY has chosen The Cooperative Economy for the theme of their 2012 Winter Conference. For more information go to www.nofanyconference.org For any questions on registration or to register over the phone contact Katie Nagle-Caraluzzo, Membership and Registration Coordinator at (585) 271-1979 ext. 512 or register@nofany.org. Scholarships are available. -
January 25, 2012 Reaching Your Audience in the Electronic Age Donna Coffin, UMaine Extension at the Maine Highlands Farmers meeting at the Piscataquis County Extension Office, Dover-Foxcroft. All farmers are welcome to attend this free meeting. Regular business meeting to follow. You can help with 2012 plans by completing an online survey at http://conta.cc/sZ8uiv. For more information about the Maine Highlands Farmers go to their website at www.MaineHighlandsFarmers.com. - February 17, 2012 Maine Grain Conference - Commercial Production for Food and Feed,
Bangor Banquet and Conference Center (at Bangor Motor Inn). Come hear what's going on with food and organic feed-grade markets and how to produce quality grains. A panel of grain buyers will discuss what their looking for. Farmer and co-owner of Farmer Ground Flour, Thor Oechsner, will talk about growing, handling, and processing food-grade grains. Elizabeth Dyck, Organic Growers' Research and Information Sharing Network, will share her insights from working with farmers in New York and Pennsylvania to supply grains to local markets. Jake Dyer, of UMaine and Qualey Farms, will tell how he's reduce feed costs for the UMaine dairy herd by growing his own barley. Alice Percy, Treble Ridge Farm, will talk about small scale production of feed and food grains. Also, fitting organic grains into forage and crop rotations, UMaine wheat research results, and more. FMI contact Ellen.Mallory@maine.edu - March 2, 2012 Third annual Northern New England Nursery Conference, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm at the Common Man Restaurant, Concord, New Hampshire.
Some highlights of this program:
1-Terry Skillin (Skillin's Greenhouses, Falmouth ME) will address "How We've Come to Think Like Customers"
2-Dr. Shane Brandt (Univ. of New Hampshire geospatial technology specialist) will speak about "Putting Your Business on the Digital Map: Roadside Marketing in the Digital Age"
3-Dr. Cathy Neal (Univ. of New Hampshire nursery specialist) will discuss "Alternative Tree Production Systems for New England Nurseries"
4-Ann Hazelrigg (Univ of Vermont plant diagnostician) will present "Strategies for Diagnosing Plant Problems to Help Your Clients and Customers"
5-And much more ... hear Dr. Leonard Perry (Univ of Vermont horticulturist) discuss his cold climate field trials of new perennials ... discuss your top sellers, favorite plants and new cultivars, in a lively and very interactive conversation over lunch ... and learn why risk management plans are important.
You can register for this program ($30 per person) at this website:
https://www.events.unh.edu/RegistrationForm.pm?event_id=9693 -
March 9, 2012 Maine Vegetable & Fruit School - Bangor Motor Inn Conference Center, 701 Hogan Rd., Bangor. Sponsored by the UMaine Extension, Maine Crop Insurance Education Program, Maine Vegetable & Small Fruit Growers Association. 2 hours pesticide recertification credit and 5 hours certified crop advisers credits available. Pre-registration is required and cost is $35 per person and includes lunch. Make checks payable to KLCEA and mail to Highmoor Farm, Att. Pam St.Peter, P.O. Box 179, Monmouth, ME 04259. For more information contact Mark Hutchinson mhutch@maine.edu or call 207-832-0343. - March 20, 27, April 3,10,17, 2012 So You Want to Farm in Maine 6:30 pm to 9 pm at the Penobscot County Extension Office in Bangor and electronically linked to Aroostook Extension Office in Presque Isle. This is a farm business course for those already farming who would like to brush-up their business skills, or those thinking about becoming farmers.
Topics will include selecting and evaluating a farm enterprise, writing a business plan, recordkeeping, market research and much more. Cost is $50.00 per farm with a limited number of partial scholarships available. Sponsored by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Risk Management Agency. For more information contact Donna Coffin at 1-800-287-1491 or Andrew Plant 1-800-287-1469 (in Maine). To pre-register contact Theresa Tilton at 207-942-7396 or 1-800-287-1485 or email Theresa.Tilton@maine.edu or go online at http://www.extension.umaine.edu/penobscot. - March 23, 2012 Swine Health Seminar - 9 am to 2 pm, Room 319, Deering Building, Dept. of Agriculture, Augusta. Sponsored by the Maine Department of Agriculture, UMaine Extension and the Maine Pork Producers Association. Drs. McEvoy, Alexander and Lichtenwalner will speak along with Cindy Kilgore (Dept of Ag) and Sam Sides (Sides Family Farm.) Registration is $20 and includes lunch. Checks made out to Maine Pork Producers Association and mailed to Cindy Kilgore, Dept. of Ag, 28 SHS, Augusta, ME 04333-0028. For more information contact cindy.kilgore@maine.gov or call 215-4968.
- March 17, 2012 Grass Farmers Network and Beef Conference, Waterville
Beginning Women's Farmers Classes Classes are offered for free, and include lunch.There is a mentor for the class who will keep in touch with you and will visit your farm once within the year.
For more information contact: Gail Chase, Community Development Manager, Kennebec Valley Council of Governments, 207 453-4258 ext. 218, Director, Maine WAgN -Women's Agricultural Network, 207 453-4258 ext. 218, wagnmaine@gmail.com
January 22, 2012: Financial Planning #1
February 12, 2012: Financial Planning #2
February 26, 2012: Business Planning Basics
March 11, 2012: Marketing
March 25, 2012: Leadership, communication and power: time management
April 15, 2012: Land and infrastructure planning
May 20, 2012: Grazing planning (on-farm session, with farm tour)
June 10, 2012: Soil fertility (on-farm, with farm tour)
Three Shearing Schools are sponsored by The Maine Sheep Breeders Association and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. For more information, contact UMaine Extension at 1-800-287-1471 (207-781-6099) or email colleen.hoyt@maine.edu
March 30-31, 2012 Blade Shearing School* with expert blade shearer, Kevin Ford. Fee $100/person. Participation limited to 8 individuals. Site in Maine to be determined
Blade shearing is the shearing of sheep with hand shears (no electricity). This hands-on, 2-day school will equip participants with skills and knowledge to shear sheep and in the proper use and care of hand shears. Shears are provided for the school and will be available for purchase.
April 21, 2012 Sheep Shearing School, Beginner Level, Windham, Maine (Cumberland County) Fee: $35/person
April 28, 2012 Sheep Shearing School, Beginner Level, Littleton, Maine (Aroostook County) Fee: $35/person
The conventional sheep shearing schools are taught by a team of experienced, Maine-based sheep shearers. The team is comprised of Jeff Burchstead, David Averill, Brandon Woolley, Joan Rolfe and Richard Brzozowski. Participants will learn how to catch, handle and maneuver sheep for shearing, shear efficiently with electric shears, shear on a table as a option, and the proper trimming of hooves, handling of wool and caring of equipment.
Need Pesticide credits? Check out the Maine Board of Pesticide credit calendar, many approved pesticide applicator recertification programs are listed. You can view the calendar on their web site at: Pesticide Recertification Credit Calendar
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Contact Info
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
207-564-3301 or in Maine 1-800-287-1491
In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University System shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, including transgender status or gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, or veteran's status in employment, education, and all other areas of the University System. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.
A member of the University of Maine System
Information in this newsletter is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned in this newsletter. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.
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SURFACE MAIL RECIPIENTS CAN CONTACT THEIR COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION WHEN WEB LINKS ARE INCLUDED IN AN ARTICLE.
Piscataquis County Office 207-564-3301 or 800-287-1491
165 East Main Street Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426
Penobscot County Office 207-942-7396 or 800-287-1485
307 Maine Avenue Bangor, ME 04401 |
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