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News and events for Maine Beef Producers from University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, Maine Beef Producers Association and other agricultural organizations in Maine.
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 Results of the Spring Pre-conditioned Feeder Calf Sale at NELEThe Maine Beef Producers Association (MBPA) sponsored a preconditioned feeder calf sale at Northeast Livestock Expo in Windsor, ME on Saturday, May 21st. Here are the unofficial sales figures. | No. Cattle | Wt Range | Av. Wt. | Price/lb. Range ($) | Av. Price/lb ($) | | Steers (36) |
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507-597
| 575 | 0.95 | 0.95 | | 10 | 606-677 | 639 | .90-1.54 | 1.13 | | 15 | 721-799 | 763 | .80-1.6 | 1.12 | | 4 | 807-870 | 841 | .85-1.51 | 1.03 | | 2 | 938-975 | 957 | 1.20-1.25 | 1.23 | | Heifers (52) |
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| | 4 | 484-498 | 491 | .60-.85 | 0.73 | | 7 | 514-591 | 556 | .60-1.41 | 0.89 | | 5 | 633-689 | 664 | .75-1.05 | 0.87 | | 9 | 706-797 | 740 | .75-1.31 | 0.96 | | 10 | 802-896 | 854 | .75-1.85 | 1.36 | | 15 | 901-966 | 936 | .90-1.80 | 1.30 | | 2 | 1025-1051 | 1038 | 1.05-1.10 | 1.08 |
Sale Averages: Weight: Steers - 722# Heifers - 779# Price: Steers - $1.09/# Heifers - $1.10/# Grass Fed: $1.11/# (58 head) Natural: $1.10/# (88 head) High/Low: $1.84/# - $0.60/#
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Beef Grading Demonstration
Levi Geyer with the USDA Agriculture Marketing Service gave an excellent presentation on learning to evaluate cattle based on USDA standards. Feeder cattle are evaluated on four factors including frame, muscle thickness, flesh and soundness. Frame size is related to the weight at which, under normal feeding and management practices, an animal will produce a carcass that will grade choice. Large frame animals require a longer time on feed to reach a given grade and will weigh more than a small-framed animal would weigh at the same grade. Levi suggested that small frame animals would be a better option for grass fed and finished cattle since they would take a shorter period of time to grade choice. Thicker muscled animals will have more lean meat. The Feeder Cattle Standards (pdf) recognize three frame size grades and four muscle thickness grades. In addition to these combination, an inferior grade exists for unthrifty animals. He did comment that producers need to accurately determine the amount of flesh or fat cover that their animals have so they will not be discounted by buyers. Over fleshed (or fat) feeder cattle may lose weight in a new environment while poorly fleshed animals can gain quickly. Producers can use the body condition score (pdf) to determine their animals condition.
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Funding to Replace PTO Shields and Slow Moving Vehicle Signs!!
Some recent tragedies in Maine should be food for thought next time you hook up a damaged cover or reach over a moving shaft. Many farms use PTO equipment with damaged PTO shaft covers or even no cover at all.
Replacement PTO shields are available. Working with NYCAMH (New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health) , I have received some funding to off-set the cost of farmers replacing broken or missing PTO shields. These universal type shields are easy to install and can save your life or those of your loved ones!
Additionally, I have some funds to help replace worn or damaged Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) signs that should be on every tractor and implement on the farm that goes down the road.
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was a free meeting by Dr. Jim Miller, veterinarian with the Louisiana State University vet school last week.
One of the points he made to delay resistance buildup was to not deworm animals and then turn them out onto a clean pasture. Instead put animals out on a clean pasture and then after 2 to 3 weeks deworm them to have a refugia of susceptible worms to dilute the resistant worms.
Another important point was to only treat animals that have visible affects of a parasite infestation or that fecal samples indicate a high parasite load. 20 % to 30% of the animals harbor most of the worms.
He suggests using a drench instead of the pour-on formulation, being sure to get the dose over the back of the tongue. It does help to withhold feed for 12 to 24 hours before administering the dewormer to slow the rumen action.
To get a copy of his slide program contact Gary Anderson at garya@maine.edu
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Items of Interest
- Two UMaine Extension Positions - Livestock Educator position has been re-advertised. Salary range is $58,000 - $70,000 commensurate with education and experience for this full time position housed in Orono. Also, a Maine Food and Agriculture Center Coordinator/Professional with salary range from $13,000 to $15,500 for this part time (20 hour/week) position to be housed in Orono.
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USDA Launches Resource for Farmers, Ranchers - See www.FarmAnswers.org for a new USDA resource to help farmers and ranchers get easy to access, reliable information for technical assistance in getting their business started. Here find online courses, videos, presentations, apps, and other materials. FarmAnswers is supported by a grant from USDA-NIFA through its Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) and was developed by the Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota. Items on the site can be filtered to the specific information the user wants and help them find educational programs in their localities. Toolboxes are available on topics such as business planning, marketing products locally, and accessing land. FarmAnswers is a key partner of the USDA-wide effort to make it easier for people to find USDA programs and services for new farmers through a streamlined web site and discovery tool at usda.gov/newfarmers. The NewFarmers website also includes information specifically for women in agriculture,youth, and veterans.
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Small Tape Worm - Echinococcus granulosus canadensis (EG) is a parasite of ruminants that also infects dogs (the dog is the "definitive" host, and does not have ill effects from the parasite, but passes the eggs in its feces). Ruminants and people can get infected with this parasite- see attachment for more details. People whose dogs live with ruminants are at risk of carrying this disease, so we recommend worming those dogs with a tapeworm-type wormer at least twice yearly.
- Farm Lease Opportunity with Falmouth Land Trust (FLT) for agricultural activities at Hurricane Valley Farm (HVF) in the Town of Falmouth, Maine, a 62acre farm property for the production of food, fiber, or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare.
- Beef at the Strolling of the Heifers Parade.The beef checkoff's Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI) partnered with the Vermont Beef Industry Council, through a grant from the South Dakota Beef Industry Council, to ensure that beef was prominently represented at one of the most well-known outdoor summer festivals in the New England region. The 2016 Strolling of the Heifers parade and expo took place in Brattleboro, Vermont, the first weekend in June.
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Testing Forage Quality - YouTube video from UMaine Extension discusses the nutritional importance of forage quality and recommended sampling techniques.
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- Fall Beef Educational Event - The Maine Beef Producers Association would like to hear your ideas for topics for the fall 2016 beef educational event. Please send Kevin Woltemath topics you would like to hear about.
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Featured Resources Videos:
Make a Cattle Mineral Feeder - (YouTube) Dr. Matt Poore from North Carolina State University .
BQA Facility Design - Building a Bud Box - (YouTube) from National BQA.
Publications: Livestock's Contribution to Climate Change: Facts and Fiction. (pdf) A white paper, defining the role animal agriculture and other sectors of society play in their respective contribution of greenhouse gases. Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Dept. of Animal Science, University of California, Davis. Lightning Safety When Working Outdoors (pdf)- Lightning strikes can severely injur or kill workers whose jobs involve working outdoors. This factsheet provides lightning safety recommendations from OSHA and NOAA for those working outdoors.
Visit the UMaine Extension Cooperative Extension online Publications Catalog for agriculture information, such as:
Learn how to bring neglected hay fields back into production or simply maintain the fields with desirable grasses and open space. 2 pages. © 2004 by University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Download it for free or buy a color copy for $0.50.
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Upcoming Events |
Maine Beef Producers Association
Join the Maine Beef Producers Association
The Maine Beef Producers Association is accepting dues for the 2016 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 http://www.mainebeefproducersassociation.com/forms.html
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Newsletter Subscription Information
The Maine Beef Newsletter (MBN) is now received by over 650 readers, has been offered as an educational resource by University of Maine Cooperative Extension since 2011. As of January 1, 2015, the MBN transitioned to electronic-only delivery. There will still be four ways to receive the MBN from UMaine Extension:
1) Maine Beef 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. If you are interested in subscribing send a $15 check made out to UMaine Extension to Piscataquis County Cooperative Extension, 165 East Main St., Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426.
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.
4) Maine Beef Producers Association members who do not have an email on file will receive a printed copy of the newsletter as a benefit of their membership.
We appreciate our readers referring others to the newsletter, and sharing it with your family and friends.
Thank you for your continued support of the MBN, providing valuable agricultural information from Extension for beef producers and those interested in the beef industry in Maine since 2011.
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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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Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product, or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.
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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
Rick Kersbergen, Extension Educator
Goal
The goal of the Central Maine 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.
Photos by Donna Coffin unless otherwise noted.
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Open Monday - Friday
8 am to 4:30 pm
307 Maine Ave.
Bangor, ME 04401
207.942.7396 or 800.287.1485 (in Maine)
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Open Mon, Thurs, Fri
8 am to 4:30 pm,
Open Appointment on Wed, Closed Tuesday
165 East Main St.
Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426 207.564.3301 or 800.287.1491 (in Maine)
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Open Monday - Friday
8 am to 4:30 pm
992 Waterville Road
Waldo, ME 04915-3117
207.342.5971 or 800.287.1426 (in Maine)
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