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Practical farming information based on university research
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Greetings!
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April is finally here! Just think at the end of April the snow will be melted, the fields starting to dry up, some may be able to be tilled. There may be a couple of days in April, just as the snow melts that we will still have freezing night temperatures, that you will be able to try "Frost Seeding" to introduce some legumes into your fields. Click here for our website for ideas to improve your chance of success with Frost Seeding. Last month I mentioned getting on the agenda at a local service club to talk about your farm operation and someone asked "What is a service club?" A community service club can be your local Kiwanis, Elks, Rotary, Masons, Star, Grange, church group, PTA, etc. For those near Sangerville, on April 11th we are having a great "Cultivating Community" session on Healthy Soils. It's FREE!! You just have to sign up. We had a huge increase in folks interested in taking the basic pesticide license exam this past month. If you need to take the exam the study materials can be purchased online at Pesticide Applicator Training Materials and you can call the Board of Pesticide Control (207-287-2731) to have the test sent to your local UMaine Extension Office.
Note change in office hours for the Piscataquis UMaine Extension Office in Dover-Foxcroft only. Due to budget constraints we will be open Monday, Thursday and Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm, Open By-Chance Wednesday (please call before coming in), Closed Tuesday. If no one is here, please leave note or sample in our drop box by the door. Donna |
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- Swine Education Seminar for all pork producers - click here for more.
- Cultivating Community - Soil Health Program - click here for more.
- Yikes! Avian Influenza is marching east learn how to identify the symptoms and what you can do to protect your birds. click here for more.
- MSU Research on Using Sheep to Terminate Cover Crops - click here for more.
- Using social media to connect with other like minded farmers - click here for more
Items of Interest
Featured Resources
Events & Announcements
Newsletter Subscription Information
Quick Links
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| |   Swine Education Seminar - "From Piglet to Platter"
Thursday, April 9th, 2015
9:00 am to 3:30 pm
Florian Hall, Dept of Public Safety, 45 Commerce Dr., Augusta
Sponsored by the Maine Dept of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, and the Pork Checkoff.
Cost: $25 for lunch and hall rental or $20 for paid Maine Pork Producers members. Make checks payable to Maine Pork Producers and mail to Dept of ACF, Cindy Kilgore, SHS 28, Augusta, ME with your name, address, email and phone numbers.
Agenda - Choosing your sow and boar; raising the piglet - the part genetics and management plays in breeding for the "perfect" piglet - Dr. Joe Emenheiser, Univ. Vermont Extension
- Animal Welfare and how it affects product quality - Dr. Don Hoenig, VMD - American Humane
- Live Animals and carcass quality. Slaughter and carcass breakdown of good vs poor hog. Best choices of cuts; presenting your meat for display. Dr. Emenheiser and Arnold Luce - Luce's Maine Grown Meat.
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 Cultivating Communities - Healthy Soils - April 11th
East Sangerville Grange is pleased to announce its 3rd annual "Cultivating Our Community" event, which will be held on Saturday, April 11th from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm. This year's theme is healthy soil - and why it's important to everyone from home gardeners, to commercial farmers, to the well-being of our entire region. This year's event is being presented in partnership with The Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District, University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Natural Resource Conservation Service - and it's FREE! Topics include an overview of soil health fundamentals, a look at soils in Piscataquis County, and a "case study" of lessons learned at Stutzman's Farm including how to encourage healthy soil and reclaim soils that have been deeply compacted. There will also be discussion about the role healthy soil plays in maintaining healthy communities and healthy food systems.
Speakers include Alice Begin, Resource Conservationist with USDA NRCS Lauchlin Titus with Ag Matters and Dr. John Jemison, Water Quality and Soils Specialist with UMaine Extension.
A light lunch, sponsored by the PRYMCA's Healthy Community Initiative, will be provided - so we'd appreciate if you'd let us know you're coming so we can plan appropriately for the food. Just send an e-mail to Erin Callaway at eecallaway@gmail.com or call her at 343-0171.
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 Avian Influenza - Protecting Your Birds Avian Influenza (AI) is a disease in domestic poultry. Waterfowl are natural hosts for the virus and will spread the disease with no signs of illness. Chickens are very susceptible to the disease showing respirator (gasping) and digestive (extreme diarrhea) followed by rapid death. Poultry (except ducks and geese) will have a sudden onset and high rate of mortality.
AI has been confirmed in backyard flocks in the midwest and the caution is that waterfowl migrating north in the Mississippi Flyway will pass the disease to our Atlantic Flyway birds.
Please be on the alert for updates from our state and USDA veterinarians about the status of AI on the East coast.
How can you protect your birds? - Have very strict biosecurity
- Limit contact with wild birds (especially for our many backyard and pastured birds.)
- If you have mortalities in your flock, please be cautious
- wear gloves to handle affected birds
- put some of the birds into ziploc bags and chilled for testing
- talk to your vet or extension educator about any losses.
Thank you for helping to look out for each other by using excellent biosecurity practices. From Dr. Anne Lichtenwalner, UMaine Extension Veterinarian Bulletin #10, What Small Flock Owners in Maine Need to Know About Avian Influenza ("Bird Flu")
Bulletin #11, What Maine People Need to Know About Avian Influenza ("Bird Flu")
Bulletin #12, Safe Disposal of Backyard Poultry Mortalities |
| MSU organic farming study finds diverse benefits using sheep
Using domestic sheep rather than traditional farming equipment to manage fallow and terminate cover crops may enable farmers who grow organic crops to save money, reduce tillage, manage weeds and pests, and reduce the risk of soil erosion, according to Montana State University and North Dakota State University faculty members.
The preliminary results are from the first two years in a long-term United States Department of Agriculture research, education and extension project, which is showing several environmental and economic benefits for an integrated cropping and livestock system. In a typical organic farming system, tillage is used to terminate cover crops and to get rid of unwanted weeds. However, frequent mechanical tilling can disrupt soil structure and reduce organic matter, ultimately harming the success and growth of future crops and costing farmers money.
Instead of using traditional tilling machinery, the project featured a reduced-till organic system, where faculty researchers used domestic sheep to graze farmland for cover crop termination and weed control. Placing sheep at the heart of the project helped MSU scientists find out that an integrated cropping system that uses domestic sheep for targeted grazing is an economically feasible way of reducing tillage for certified organic farms.
Early project results suggested that grazing sheep saved money on tilling costs. The simulated farming operation also made money when the lambs were sold for processing after grazing cover crops. In providing alternative practices to organic and non-organic ranch and farming operations, the project also makes a case for a closer relationship between livestock and crop producers.
Click here for more information.
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 Using Social Media to Connect with Other Like Minded Farmers &/or Organizations
Many farmers have started using Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to connect with their customers and potential customers. Many have also noticed that they can also connect with other farmers who have the same interests as they do and also to ask for advise, pricing, etc. It's kind of like the local coffee shop where you never know what the topic of discussion is going to be. Here are just a few of the groups that are out there that you can "follow."
Of course if you choose to do any business with folks you "meet" on the Internet, be very careful that you get the money when the product/animal changes hands. Do not accept checks for more than the stated price with the person asking you to send them the balance. That's a classic scam.
Also, advise may be well-meaning, but may put your crop, animal or marketing capability in jeopardy, use with caution.
Enough with the warnings, here are some interesting groups/pages on Facebook:
Some of these groups/pages are very active and some not so much. You will only see a portion of the posts unless you go to their page regularly. If you find you are not interested in the group, you can easily "unfollow" them. Don't know how to "Do" Facebook and are interested in learning? Many Adult Education programs offer classes on social media. Look for them in your school's adult ed brochure. Or watch the eXtension's webinar "Be My Friend: Utilizing Social Media to Engage and Interact with Your Audience" for farmers and others. Click here to go to webinar. |
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Position Announcement - Horticulture AideUniversity of Maine Cooperative Extension The University of Maine Piscataquis County Office in Dover-Foxcroft will be inviting applications for a part-time 20 hours per week position. Occasional evening and/or weekend work required. The Horticulture Program Aide will support County Master Gardener Volunteer and Maine Harvest for Hunger activities in the county. Complete job description will be posted soon on the Employment at UMaine website. Click here for website then search for "Piscataquis."
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- A New Network for Women in Agriculture Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden has started a community for women leaders in agriculture. This newly established network is designed to support and engage women across all areas of agriculture and to foster professional partnerships between women with shared backgrounds, interests, and professional goals. She has created an e-mail address, agwomenlead@usda.gov, for you to share your suggestions, stories and other snippets on how we can build a new generation of women leaders in agriculture. By e-mailing us, you will automatically be added to the Women in Agriculture Mentoring Network. Keep sharing your stories using #womeninag and stay tuned for more information on the Women in Agriculture Mentoring Network.
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Footvax Survey - California Wool Growers Association is conducting a survey of U.S. sheep producers to determine the potential sales volume for the Footvax vaccine. For those interested in purchasing the Footvax product (if it were to become available in the U.S.) please submit an order request to info@woolgrowers.org. Please include your name, contact information, and requested dosage amount. Although the vaccine is currently not available, the information submitted will be included on a waiting list and California Wool Growers will alert those who have requested the product once it becomes available. For questions please contact Erica Sanko at erica@woolgrowers.org or (916) 444-8122.
- SARE Wholesale Packing Resource Guide for farmers interested in selling to supermarkets, produce distributors, restaurants and institutions. The guide explains packing requirements and seeks to help farmers decide if the wholesale market is right for them.
- 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.
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Featured Resources
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Webinars:
- Homegrown by Heroes - New certification label available to veteran farmers. June 3rd webinar 4 pm will talk about the certification program and food safety planning mitigating the risk. To register for the webinar click here.
Publications: The following agriculture related UMaine Extension publications are available online or can be ordered from the UMaine Extension office hearest you. You will notice that some publications are free and some have a cost recovery charge. Many publications are available for free online or may be purchased at our secure publications website.
- Why Poultry Might Be a Suitable Enterprise with Persons With Disabilities # 2215 Having a disability or chronic illness might prevent or limit an individual from being employed by another person or company in a full-time or part-time basis. However, because farming is a form of self-employment, it could be suitable as a means to generate an income or partial income for a person with disabilities. As a farmer, you are your own boss. 4 pages. � 2015 by University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Download it for free or buy a color copy $1.00.
- The Pesticide Applicator Training books can now be ordered online through the Cooperative Extension Publication Catalog. Previously these had to be ordered via telephone to our Pest Management Office and customers had to mail a check to Orono, before the materials could be shipped. Now, our customers can order online and receive their training materials in less time. To find the pesticide applicator training materials in the Publication Catalog scroll down the categories listed on the left side and you you'll see the new category Pesticide Applicator Training Materials. The category is divided into three smaller categories for Commercial, Private and Agricultural Basic. *Please note the manual price changes and shipping rates. Clients now can pay with a credit card online or they can still place an order by mailing in a check to the Pest Management Office. For information about pesticide education, visit UMaine Extension Pesticide Safety Education Program or contact the UMaine Extension Pest Management Office at (800) 287-0279 (in Maine) or 207-581-3878.
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Newsletter Subscription Information
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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.
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Events & Announcements
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- April 9, 2015 Swine Education Seminar "Piglet to Platter" 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, Florian Hall, Dept of Public Safety, 45 Commerce Dr., Augusta. $25 per person. Registration required contact Cindy.kilgore@maine.gov or 207-215-4968.
- April 11, 2015 Soil Health at Cultivating Community 10 am to 2:30 pm at the East Sangerville Grange. Please contact Erin Callaway 207-343-0171 or eecallaway@gmail.com if you are planning to come so she can get a count for lunch. The program and lunch are free.
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April 11, 2015 Poultry School Kennebec Valley Community College, Fairfield. Sponsored by UMaine Extension.
- April 14, 2015 Penquis Beekeepers Meeting 7 pm VFW Hall, Cedar St., Dexter. Jim Cleary will talk about installing package bees and how to put frames together. Package bee order payment is due at the end of the meeting.
- April 29, 2015, Direct Marketing Tips for Agriculture Producers, 6 pm to 8 pm. NOKOMIS High School, Newport. $10 registration through RSU 19 Adult Ed 368-3290 or www.rsu19.maineadulted.org
- May 2, 2015 Maine Greenhouse and Nursery Day Visit your favorite local greenhouse or nursery to help us celebrate the joys of gardening in Maine. They garden where you garden and love to share their experiences and their expertise. Get the best advice on plant varieties and gardening tips for your area. Click here to check with your favorite local greenhouse or nursery for their schedule of events and offers for the day.
- May 12, 2015 Penquis Beekeepers Meeting 7 pm VFW Hall, Cedar St., Dexter. Matt Scott will talk about swarms.
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June 21, 2015 4H Youth Beef Quality Assurance Training at the Witter Farm, UMaine Orono. 9 am to 3 pm. Farm tour available at 3 pm. Washable footwear is required, proper clothing strongly suggested, the afternoon session is outside in the barns. Speakers include Cindy Kilgore, Maine Dept of Ag, Conservation & Forestry; Donna Coffin, UMaine Extension and Dr. Matt Rolleston, DVM, Foxcroft Vet.
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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.
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Quick Links
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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/. |
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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.
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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.
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Photos unless otherwise indicated by Donna Coffin.
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