The Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Central Maine Chapter of the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine are hosting a Biggest Tree Contest in partnership with Maine Forest Service and Project Canopy. They are looking for residents to nominate big, native Maine trees in Piscataquis County that could potentially qualify as the biggest of a species in Piscataquis County to be classified as a Piscataquis County Champion, or possibly even a State or National Champion!

You can find a list of trees native to Maine on page 5 of the Forest Trees of Maine. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to nominate a tree. If the tree is located on another landowner's property, they request that you first ask permission from the landowner before submitting the nomination. They encourage landowners, families and civic groups to have fun with this contest and to consider getting youth involved!

For more information about the Biggest Tree Contest, and to request a nomination form and contest guidelines, please contact the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District at 564-2321 ext. 3, by emailing us at info@piscataquisswcd.org, or by stopping in at our office in the USDA Service Center, 42 Engdahl Drive, Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426.

There are some new invasive plants that have either been found in Maine or are getting close.  This packet from a recent workshop goes over identification and plants they may be confused with. New Invasive Plants

Garlic Mustard and Black Swallow-Wort are both all over Maine and can affect forestland.  Japanese Stilt Grass is into NH and definitely affects forests.  Yellow Flag Iris is a common landscaping plant in Maine that escapes into and takes over wetlands.  Kudzu and Mile-a-minute Weed are plants that were thought to be incapable of surviving our winters, but are now into Massachusetts and NH and headed this way. 

Another scary one that is already in Maine that was not included in the above packet is Hardy Kiwi (notice the picture on the bottom left of a person about to be swallowed by a tidal wave of hardy kiwi): Hardy Kiwi (Massachusetts Audubon). Hardy Kiwi is a favorite of permaculture people because the fruit is edible.

 Many of these plants are available to buy online and can be delivered to your front door, so they could be popping up anywhere.  I was surprised to see how many of these plants have already been found in Aroostook County and Downeast.

EQUINE BUSINESS NETWORK
Many equine professionals seek continued education for professional development. The Equine Business Network offers a free online short course series that connects horse business professionals with land grant universities, equine business experts, networking opportunities, and other helpful resources.

Five FREE online short courses are offered with a focus on contract/employee labor law, liability issues, working with youth and volunteers, immigration documentation, and farm safety practices. Each course consists of a webinar, interactive quiz, a decision tool, and online resources.  Webinar speakers include experts from the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at Iowa State University and an expert on worker safety from Michigan State University. Upon completion of each course participants will receive a certificate of completion.

Equine industry professionals are also encouraged to join the Equine Business Network (EBN) community through Facebook and Twitter.

Online registration is for these courses are free of charge. For registration information visit: http://myhorseuniversity.com/ebn  

• New Markets for Your Crops This graphic publication from ATTRA/ National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service introduces produce growers to some of the key ideas involved in selling fruits and vegetables to institutions such as schools and hospitals. It has a large resource list of organizations in many states and nationally that can help growers market their products to institutions. 
• New Maine Grain and Oilseed Newsletter! If you are growing or interested in growing small grains or oilseed Andrew Plant and Ellen Mallory have just started a special newsletter to keep you informed of new developments. The first newsletter is here.  
• New Biologists for Farm-Wildlife Problems As a farmer you ought to know who to contact regarding wildlife problems. There is a new contact for Wildlife Services in Maine. She is Robin Dyer, State Director/Certified Wildlife Biologist ®, USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services, 79 Leighton Road, Suite 12, Augusta, ME 04330, telephone: 207.629.5181, e-mail: Robin.A.Dyer@aphis.usda.gov. 
• Prevent the spread of Swine Flu at Fairs: Influenza A H3N2v or Variant H3N2 (swine flu) has been reported in four individuals who attended an Indiana County Fair. 
  This report is a reminder to those of us involved with county and State Fairs to be aware of the virus and encourage fair participants and attendees to take precautions to avoid contracting the virus.  Human cases of the virus are rare and are more commonly found in people who have had contact with swine.   And as with all flu viruses death can occur.
• Local Meat and Poultry Processing: The Importance of Business Commitments for Long-Term Viability by Lauren Gwin, Arion Thiboumery, and Richard Stillman Economic Research Report No. (ERR-150) 50 pp, June 2013 Consumer demand for local food, including local meat and poultry, has risen in recent years. To sell meat, farmers need access to appropriately scaled processing facilities with the skills, inspection status, and reliability to prepare these products safely, legally, and to customer specifications. This report explores this multifaceted problem and identifies fundamental causes.
• Locally Sourced Food Movement: study of brands, opportunity and trust - research report through a collaboration with Charleston/Orwig and Datassential.  
• Archived "So You Want to Farm in Maine" Webinar is available for free. The purpose of this course is to equip participants with the business knowledge and skills to start, adapt, and maintain a profitable land-based business. It is designed for people who want to start a profitable farm or expand their farm hobby to a profitable business. To sign up or for more information go to http://bit.ly/FARMME  

• Timely newsletters, and pest reports are sent out for the following crops. Apples, Wild Blueberries, Cranberries, Potatoes, Strawberries, Sweet Corn. You can either sign up to receive the electronic versions or view the latest from this website. www.umaine.edu/ipm/programs   There are also a number of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Programs that are conducted with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry that are listed on the site: Fruit & Vegetable IPM, Greenhouse & Nursery IPM, Poultry & Livestock IPM.

• Veterinarians for Livestock Farms Every livestock producer ought to have a veterinarian with whom they work. If you don't have a veterinarian, you can find one through the Maine Veterinary Medical Association. A list of large animal vets is available on UMaine Extension website. You may have a need for the Maine State Veterinarian. She is Dr. Michele Walsh. Dr. Walsh is located in Augusta. Her phone numbers are 207.287.7615 and 207.215.6727. Her e-mail address is michele.walsh@maine.gov. In addition, Dr. Anne Lichtenwalner is UMaine Extension's Veterinarian. She directs the Animal Health & Diagnostic Lab in Orono. Dr. Lictenwalner's phone number is 207.581.2789. Her e-mail address is anne.lichtenwalner@maine.edu.