University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Putting knowledge to work with the people of Maine

Maine Beef Newsletter
Volume 1 Number 5
July 2013
News and events of interest to beef producers in Maine from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Maine, Department of Agriculture, Maine Beef Producers and other agriculture organizations in Maine.  
Free online sources of information:
Maine Beef Production Information by UMaine Extension
Beef Cattle Comments by Mike Baker, Cornell University
Drovers - Cattle Network - America's Beef Business Source 
Beef Calf
Spring Preconditioned Feeder Calf Sale 
Results
Sponsored by the Maine Beef Producers  

The Maine Beef Producers Association (MBPA) is sponsoring a preconditioned feeder calf sale at the Northeast Livestock Expo on Saturday, May 18th  at the Windsor Fair Grounds.

Cow Calf producers preconditioned their calves for this sale to  reduce the incidence of respiratory disease, enteritis and pinkeye by increasing the immunity of the calf in preparation of the stress of weaning and shipping. Dehornings and castrations were healed unless noted.  

chart of sale results Some cow calf producers consigned animals to the sale with signed affidavits attesting that their animals were raised under the MBPA Natural Meats program protocol of never having received hormones, antibiotics, or feeds or feed supplements containing animal-by-products. And/or their animals were 100% grass (forage) fed, no grains, grain-by-products, grain crops, grain crop silages, or other prohibited feeds under the USDA grass fed guidelines have been fed.  

 

Steers 
# of Animals Weight Range Av. Wt. Price/lb Range Av. Price/lb 
2 407 - 445 426 $1.05 - $1.22 $1.14 
4 530 - 570 562 $1.40 - $1.50 $1.43 
6  601 - 663  630 $1.43 - $1.50 $1.45 
7  702 - 774  749 $1.36 - $1.53  $1.47
5  842 - 896  862 $1.36 - $1.49  $1.41

 

 Heifers
9 414 - 490 455 $1.15 - $1.42 $1.30 
12 501 - 587  536 $1.15 - $1.38  $1.29
5  606 - 686  637 $1.21 - $1.40  $1.36
10  702 - 786  745 $1.15 - $1.40  $1.27
9  808 - 891  856 $1.19 - $1.36  $1.25
5  904 - 992  938 $1.24 - $1.36  $1.28

   

 Heifers (Bred)

 3 976 - 1,041  1,006 $0.92 $0.92
 

 A total of 77 animals sold from eight farms.   

   

 
calf with two kids
Calves 4 Kids 
The Maine Beef Producers' Calves 4 Kids program is still going strong.  Tyler Stevenson (Thorndike), a 2008 recipient of an angus calf from Pineland, gave his 1st heifer calf back to the program at the spring feeder calf sale held at NELE in May.  The recipient of this calf was Matthew Carroll of Lyman.  Matthew lives on his family's farm with his parents and a brother and sister.  He has had previous experience with raising and showing dairy cattle and raising Market lambs.  This will be his first owned beef cow.  He exhibits his animals at Ossipee Valley Fair, Acton Fair, and Fryeburg Fair.  Two more youth were interviewed at NELE and should be receiving calves at the fall feeder calf sale.  Anyone interested in the program can contact Jenn Grant at Findviewfarm@juno.com or go to the Maine Beef Producers website and get an application there.  Applications will be due on April 1st 2014.
by Jenn Grant, Findview Farm

bedstraw in flower

Pasture Management: Weed Control and Old Field Restoration 

Time: Tue, Jul 23, 6:30pm - 8pm
Place: Knox-Lincoln Extension, 377 Manktown Rd, Waldoboro

Presenter: Rick Kersbergen, Waldo County Extension Educator

Is your pasture or hayfield overrun with buttercup and/or smooth bedstraw? Do you have old fields that you would like to bring back? Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District is hosting a  workshop with Rick Kersbergen, Waldo County Extension Educator in Sustainable Dairy and Forage Systems. Rick will address the problems of how to get weeds under control and manage your fields to keep them under control. Both chemical and non-chemical methods of control will be discussed. Bring your questions! NRCS grazing sticks will be available.

Richard Kersbergen, an Extension Professor and a cooperating research scientist with the New England Plant Soil and Water lab, is a national expert and leader in the Organic Dairy industry. He has served as the state contact for the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program of the USDA and has just finished as chair of the Northeast Pasture Consortium. Over the years, Rick has worked as an extension agent, farm manager for the UMaine Experiment Station and also worked to support hundreds of Cooperative Extension volunteer Master Gardeners and responded to thousands of home horticulture client calls.

Program is free, but please register at 596-2040 or hildy@knox-lincoln.org. Let us know if you need any special accommodations to attend.

 

is a program of Maine Farmland Trust , is a linking service that helps connect people who are seeking farmland "Seekers", with farmland "Owners" (or their representatives) who are looking to sell, lease or work out non-traditional tenure arrangements, based on their respective interests, needs and goals.    Maine FarmLink works with each party to fully understand their interests and needs.  Our personal contact and customized support, combined with the assistance of our program partners, has helped FarmLink to become an effective program.  To date, Maine FarmLink has made over 80 links, making it one of the most successful programs of its kind in the nation.
 
cattle on pasture
The Department of Animal Science at Oklahoma State University maintains a website devoted to breeds of livestock. It is an educational and informational resource for livestock from across the world. While it does have information on all the common breeds of livestock the site strives to preserve information about minor or relatively unknown breeds of livestock.
Their cattle page includes 270 breeds of dairy, beef and draught cattle from Agricander to Yanbian. It does include contact information for breed associations.
Items of Interest
  • Maine Hay Directory is maintained by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension to link those who have forages with those who need forages for their animals. In the coming months those who have forage to sell will be listing what they have available (hay, haylage, silage, pasture, hay stumpage), the form (large bales, small bales, etc.), where they are located, if delivery is available, etc. The listings are free, we only ask that you update your listing.) Viewing the listing is free too and it is listed by county. A note that some unscrupulous buyers will send unsuspecting farmers a check for too much for their purchase (some are from eBay, Craig's List, etc.) and ask the farmer to wire the surplus back. Be sure to check the Attorney General's Caution to Farmers for Over Payment. If you are contacted by one of these scam artists be sure to contact the AG's Consumer Protection Division at (800) 436-2131.
  • How to Test Forage Quality is a new YouTube Video produced by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and features Rick Kersbergen, Extension Professor from Waldo County.  
  • Body Condition Scoring Beef Cows is available from Virginia Cooperative Extension. Revised May 2009.    
 The Maine Beef Producers Association is in the process of updating and redesigning their website. A committee has been established to work with a web designer to make this site an asset to the members of MBPA, potential members and people interested in finding out about beef production in Maine. The committee welcomes your suggestions and recommendations to make this site as helpful as possible. Please send your suggestions to:
Bob Dusoe, rjdusoe@uninets.net
Dan Costain, dancostain@gmail.com
Phil Newcombe, pnewcombe@kvcc.me.edu
Jenn Grant, findviewfarm@juno.com
Donna Coffin, donna.coffin@maine.edu
or Jacob Guimond, jacob.guimond@maine.gov
To receive Maine Beef News: All Maine beef producers are welcome to subscribe to the Maine Beef News for free. To keep costs down we are asking folks to sign up for the electronic version at http://bit.ly/PPfarming
If you prefer surface mailed Maine Beef News, please call Melissa Libby at (207)581-2788 or send your mailing information to UMaine Extension Livestock Office, 134 Hitchner Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04479-5735. Currently we are only able to offer free mailed copy for free to Maine residents.
Please note that we do not sell or share your contact information.  
MBPA logo and top of brochure
Join the Maine Beef Producers Association 
The Maine Beef Producers Association is accepting dues for the 2013 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 
 
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  
  • Controlling Smooth Bedstraw in Hayfields and Pastures # 2278 The perennial smooth bedstraw is a competitive, invasive species that can significantly reduce the yields of hayfields. This publication documents the findings of recent research trials in Maine that evaluated mechanical and chemical control methods, and discusses key management strategies. 6 pages, 2008. Download it for free or buy a printout $0.50.
  • Water Systems for Livestock # 7129 A consistent supply of high-quality water is vital for livestock. This 4-page fact sheet includes information on quick-move systems, pasture pumps, ram pumps, sling pumps, and solar pumps. 2002, 2010.  Download it for free, or buy a printout.  $0.75. From UMaine Extension.  
  • Farmer Skill & Knowledge Checklist for Beef Production # 1201  This checklist can help you determine what you know and what you need to know about beef production. Covers breeding and reproduction, calving, cattle health and nutrition, management practices, facilities, fencing and pasturing, and financial concerns. 5 pages, 2009. Download it for free, or buy a color printout. $0.75. From UMaine Extension.  
  • Selecting Forage Crops for Your Farm # 2272. Forage crops represent a long-term investment of time and money. This 6-page bulletin can help you plan for a new forage seeding. Includes information on climate and weather, soil pH ranges, harvest management, carbohydrate reserves, leaf area after harvest, tillering and grazing systems. Download it for free: or buy a printout. $1.00. FromUMaine Extension.  

Calendar

  • July 9th, 2013 UMaine Organic Feed Grain Field Day and BBQ (details forthcoming) evening (time to be determined); held in conjunction with Organic Valley, UMaine Aroostook Research Farm (59 Houlton Rd.) Presque Isle, Maine
  • July 21, 2013 Open Farm Day - www.getrealmaine.com - A great way to introduce your farm to customers in your area. Sign up through the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.  
  • July 23, 2013 Beginning Farmer Resource Network Pasture Management Workshop, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, UMaine Extension Office Knox-Lincoln Counties, 377 Manktown Rd., Waldoboro. Program is free, but please register at 596-2040 or hildy@knox-lincoln.org. Let us know if you need any special accommodations to attend.
  • August 21 & 22, 2013 Maine Farm Days, Misty Meadows Farm, Clinton. FMI  http://www.kcswcd.org/ 
  • November 16 & 17, 2013 Maine Harvest Festival, Bangor Civic Center, Bangor 
  • December 7, 2013 Maine Beef Conference, Hilton Garden Inn, Bangor 

 

Contact Info
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
207-564-3301 or in Maine 1-800-287-1491
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