The Maine Grass Farmers Network (MGFN) Annual Grazing Conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 15 at Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield.

The cost is $75 per person, $25 for each additional person from the same farm or household, with discounts for students and MGFN members. This conference is designed for livestock producers who want to learn how to best use pasture and forage crops to feed their livestock profitably.

This year's conference features Forrest Pritchard, a professional farmer, writer and public speaker. His farm, Smith Meadows, is one of the first "grass finished" farms in the country, and has sold products at farmers markets in Washington, D.C., for 15 years. His book "Gaining Ground, A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food and Saving the Family Farm" was named a Top Read by Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post and NPR's "The Splendid Table." Pritchard's keynote presentation is "The Economics of Grass-Based Livestock."

Additional presenters will include University of Vermont livestock specialist Joe Emenheiser and Crystal Springs Farm manager Seth Kroek. The conference will also feature the MGFN annual business meeting, a grass-fed beef cook-off and a trade show.

For more information and to register, visit the MGFN website at http://umaine.edu/livestock/mgfn/. For any questions or to request a disability accommodation, contact Rick Kersbergen, 207.342.5971; richard.kersbergen@maine.edu.

The MGFN Conference is co-sponsored by University of Maine Cooperative Extension; The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association; The Natural Resources Conservation Service; The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; and the Maine Beef Producers Association.

• Is Endophyte a concern for Maine Beef Producers? Recently a few beef producers have contacted UMaine Extension concerned that Endophyte infected fescue or ryegrass may be adversely affecting their pregnant cattle. In other states Endophyte (fungus) infected pastures can cause abortions and/or poor weight gains in cattle that graze these grasses. Donna Coffin, Extension Educator is putting together a research project to try to assess if our fescue or ryegrass pastures are infected, how wide spread the infected grasses are in Maine and how much of a concern it should be for beef producers. She is looking for beef producers who have had unexplained abortions occur in their cattle placed on pasture during the summer. If you are interested please contact her at (207) 564-3301 or donna.coffin@maine.edu  
• Get Real Get Maine is the website managed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Farmers can list the agriculture products that they sell on this website - including live animals! It is free to get a listing. When requests come into UMaine Extension offices asking where folks can buy local meat or breeding stock, one place they are referred to is the Getrealmaine.com site. You can go to it and click on the <Producer Login> then <start your application> is located part way down the page.  If you already have a listing be sure to update your information with the <Current Member> login. This is a portal that schools and institutions use to find sources of local meats.