|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Piscataquis and Penobscot
Farming Newsletter
|
Practical farming information based on university research
|
|
2015 Culinary Forecast of the Top 10 Food Trends
|
|
National Restaurant Association surveyed almost 1,300 professional chefs to find what foods, drinks or themes will be appearing on restaurant menus in 2015. They found that themes around sourcing of ingredients, sustainability of production methods and nutrition topped their list of menu items. The top ten ite ms include:
- Locally sourced meat and seafood
- Locally grown produce
- Environmental sustainability
- Healthful kids' meals
- Natural ingredients / minimally processed food
- New cuts of meat
- Hyper-local sourcing
- Sustainable seafood
- Food waste reduction / management
- Farm/ estate branded items
They also polled the chefs about trends in alcoholic beverages and found that micro-distilled / artisan spirits and locally produced beer / wine / spirits made the top five alcohol and cocktail trend list.
Click here for Culinary Forecast
|
|
A Few Very Good Poultry-Related Websites
|
|
 Revised December 2014 by Richard Brzozowski, Poultry Specialist
Contact Donna Coffin (donna.coffin@maine.edu) for the list of web sites that may be very useful to you in learning more about poultry including chickens, turkeys, water fowl and game birds. These web sites are from various Cooperative Extension systems across the country. Each one presents research-based and non-biased information about poultry. Dick encourages you to visit each of the 20 sites, making notes of the type of resources available, then bookmarking those sites that you like best.
Here are a couple to get you started:
University of Maine Cooperative Extension - click here to see several poultry related fact sheets
eXtension for Small & Backyard Flocks - click here to go to the national site
|
International Year of the Soils 2015
|
|
 The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations declared 2015 the International Year of Soils to celebrate the importance of healthy soils in the production of food, fuel, fiber and medical products. Soils are also essential to the world's ecosystems by playing a role in the carbon cycle, storing and filtering water and improving resilience to floods and droughts.
At least a quarter of the world's biodiversity lives underground. Earthworms are a giant among the tiny micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi. These organisms drive the nutrient cycle and help plants by improving nutrients uptake. Better management of these unnoticed organisms can boost the soil's capability to absorb carbon and mitigate desertification, so that even more carbon can be sequestered - this offsets agriculture's own emissions of greenhouse gases.
Click here FAO article
How can farmers celebrate the Year of Soils? Start by understanding what soils you have and what nutrients they hold by getting the soils map of your farm and getting the soil nutrients soils tested.
The Natural Resource Conservation Service can provide soils maps of your farm, or you can go online and print off your own maps and the soil productivity interpretation by going to Web Soil Survey at
Click here for Web Soil Survey
When the snow melts and the ground thaws in the spring plan to take soil samples of your fields to determine what nutrients are missing and preventing your fields from producing the crop's yield potential. You can go into your local Extension Office to get soil test boxes and input forms or you can click here to go online and find the forms, prices and tests they can perform.
|
Maine Agricultural Market Survey
|
This survey is intended to assess Maine farmer's marketing needs, challenges, and opportunities. This information will be used to guide MOFGA's marketing and business efforts. If you have specific questions or concerns you would like someone to follow up on, please include best contact information at the end. Individual responses are confidential and will not be shared. Aggregated, anonymized data resulting from this survey may be used in publications, to inform Maine technical assistance provider practices, or grant writing. Red asterisks after a question indicate they are required. Please consider answering all questions; this will offer us the most information for improving MOFGA programs and services. If you have any questions, please contact Heather Omand, Organic Marketing and Business Coordinator, at homand@mofga.org
Click here for the Market Survey
|
Basics of Best Management Practices for Horsemen
|
Best management practices (BMPs) are methods and techniques designed to mitigate damage to the environment while simultaneously utilizing resources in the most efficient way possible. The term was established during the development of legislation for water quality control, but can also apply to other areas of conservation such as air quality control and soil conservation.
Horse properties can potentially be hefty contributors to pollution and damage in these areas. Consequently, BMPs can be appropriately applied to horse properties and are implemented on these lands to control and prevent pollution from entering waterways and the air. They also serve to protect the soil on the property, another important resource for an equine facility. This article provides the background of the pollution control acts that shaped the foundation for BMPs.
|
Live Free and Farm: Food and Independence in the Granite State. This new book, written by UNH Professor John Carroll in service to the people of New Hampshire, and colorfully illustrated by New Hampshire artist Linda Isaacson, can be downloaded at no charge. The book paints a picture of New Hampshire as it has been and as it can be: a more self-sufficient and independent state fed more by its own farmers, gardeners and fishers, and thus a healthier state - physically, economically and politically. Look carefully and you may see one of UMaine Extension Staff in this book.
Get the book by clicking here.
New Sweet Corn Variety Organic Farmers Hits Marketplace Organic Seed Alliance and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have announced the release of a new open-pollinated sweet corn variety. 'Who Gets Kissed?' is the first in a series of organic sweet corn releases developed through participatory plant breeding. 'Who Gets Kissed?' has yellow and white kernels, yields well, tolerates cool soils, and is resistant to common rust and corn smut. It also demonstrates superior flavor and sweetness. Click here for sweet corn article Source: ATTRA
Local Food Distribution Study After a more than fifteen-year history in the field of food hubs and local food distribution, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) concludes that new stand-alone facilities and aggregation hubs, unless farmer owned and operated, are not viable enterprises in California. In our view, a more effective strategy for local food system development is achieved not by establishing a stand-alone food hub, but rather by working collaboratively to modify existing infrastructure and fostering supply chain values among a broad set of food system stakeholders while also educating the community about local food and engaging them in the movement.
This is the take home message in CAFF's report titled "Making the Invisible Visible: Looking Back at Fifteen Years of Local Food Systems Distribution." Click here to view CAFF's report.
Maine Hunters for the Hungry
Maine hunters can support the Hunters for the Hungry Program by donating all or part of their harvest to feed families in need. The popular program provides a means for Maine hunters, as well as hunters from other states, to donate harvested game to food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and households with a medical need. For more information, to donate, or to get connected to a Hunters for the Hungry participating meat processor call toll-free, 1-888-4DEERME (1-888-433-3763). Or click here for their Facebook page.
Update Hay and Straw Directory
If you have excess or are in the position to sell hay or straw, consider using the Maine Hay and Straw Directory. It is free to use. More information is available online, or call Cooperative Extension 1.800.287.1426.
|
YouTube Video:
A Resource for Farmers and Businesses - University of Maine Cooperative Extension discusses how to get your farming questions answered and how UMaine Extension partners with agricultural businesses to help educate the people of Maine. Click here to view the resource for farmers video.
Starting a Farm Business - University of Maine Cooperative Extension talks about what you need to do before starting a farm business, and the importance of having a plan in place to reach your goals. Click here to view the starting farm video.
Publications:
Visit the UMaine Extension Cooperative Extension online Publications Catalog for seasonal information, such as:
 Selling Eggs in Maine #2218 If you are selling eggs or planning to sell eggs in Maine, you should be aware of relevant state regulations. These regulations exist to protect both the buyer and the seller. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Quality Assurance and Regulations require no license or inspection for producers of eggs with less than 3,000 laying hens. 2014 by University of Maine Cooperative Extension FREE DOWNLOAD; color printout $0.50 each
Winter Care for Your Laying Hens #2217 Keeping laying hens productive through the winter months means keeping them well fed, well watered, healthy, and comfortable. We have a checklist of management tips to assist the farmer/grower in keeping their farm flock comfortable. 3 pages. © 2014 by University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Download it for free or buy a color copy for $0.50.
Licensing and Regulations for Maple Syrup Processing in Maine # 7041 Harvesters in Maine produce about 17% of the country's maple syrup - nearly 550,000 gallons. The annual value of maple syrup production in Maine is nearly $18 million. Think you might like to get in on the action? There are some things you need to know first. 2014 by University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Download it for free or buy a color copy for $0.75.
|
|
The Piscataquis and Penobscot Counties Farming Newsletter (PPCFN), now received by over 620 readers, has been offered as an educational resource by University of Maine Cooperative Extension for over 10 years. As of January 1, 2015, the PPCFN will be transitioning to electronic-only delivery. There will still be three ways to receive the PPCFN from your local UMaine Extension:
1) Piscataquis & Penobscot Counties 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 http://bit.ly/PPfarming 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.
2) Those with no email can opt to pay an annual subscription to receive the newsletters monthly for $15/year. More details on how to subscribe will be provided later this fall.
3) A third option is to come into the Piscataquis or Penobscot County Extension Office 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 PPCFN, providing valuable agricultural information from Extension for folks in the central Maine area since 2003.
|
- December 15 - 17, 2014 New England Vegetable and Fruit Conference, Radisson Hotel, Manchester, NH. More than 25 educational sessions and over 100 exhibitors. Click here for more information.
- January 13 - 15, 2015 Maine Agricultural Trades Show, Augusta Civic Center, Augusta. Click here for more information.
- January 14th 1 pm Beef Program The Maine Beef Producers Association, Maine Dept of Agriculture, MOFGA and UMaine Extension will present a session for all beef producers: Topics include: Higher Carcass Yields by sending animals at the right time; Improving Communication Between Processors and Farmers; Selling Beef - Market Options and Regulations from live animals to cuts of meat; and Producer Spotlights - Two Beef Farms will be featured. The MBPA Annual Meeting will follow.
-
January 14th 8 am to 11 am. Private Pesticide Core Training -The University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Board of Pesticides Control will also present a three-hour training session to prepare growers for the Private Pesticide Applicator Core Exam (there is no fee for this training). After the Core exam training, both Core and Commodity exams will be administered. Pre-registration is required. Please call 207.287.2661 or email anne.bills@maine.gov to reserve a seat.
-
January 14, 2015 Marketing for Business Success: Pulling it All Together led by Deb Newman. 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, 40 Harlow St., Bangor. $10 per person with light meal provided. Sponsored by EMDC and UMaine Extension. RSVP 942-6389 or
|
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/. |
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.
|
|
|
| |
Contributors
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
donna.coffin@maine.eduGoal
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.
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Surface mail recipients can contact their county Extension office for further information when web links are included in an article.
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
