Photo by Marjorie Peronto, UMaine Cooperative Extension

Apple Tree Pruning and Grafting Class

Saturday, April 14, 2012
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Highmoor Farm in Monmouth, Maine
Pre-registration is not required.

Learn to prune fruit trees with Renae Moran, University of Maine tree fruit specialist. A one-hour lecture will be followed by a demonstration in the orchard and a chance to prune apple, peach, pear and plum trees. There is no charge for the class, but please bring your own pruning tools and lunch. After lunch, there will be a grafting demonstration.

Please check this website prior to event date for cancellation due to stormy weather.

Directions

Traveling North on I-95: Take Exit 75 off the Maine Turnpike in Auburn (left turn off the exit ramp). Go through Lewiston and travel east about 16 miles on Route 202. Highmoor is on your right.

Traveling South on I-95: Take Exit 109b off I-95 in Augusta and travel west on Route 202 approximately 16 miles. Highmoor is on your left.

If you are a person with a disability and will need any accommodations to participate in this program, please call the Highmoor Farm at (207) 933-2100 to discuss your needs, TDD 1-800-287-8957 (in Maine). Please contact us at least one week prior to this event to assure fullest possible attention to your needs.

For more information, contact Renae Moran at (207) 933-2100, Ext. 105, or email rmoran@maine.edu.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Pre-registration is required, $15 includes lunch. Please register by February 10.

Come hear what’s going on with food and organic feed-grade markets and how to produce quality grains. A panel of grain buyers will discuss what they’re looking for. Farmer and co-owner of Farmer Ground Flour, Thor Oechsner, will talk about growing, handling, and processing food and feed grains. Elizabeth Dyck, Organic Growers’ Research and Information-Sharing Network, will share her insights from working with farmers in New York and Pennsylvania to supply grains to local markets. Jake Dyer, of UMaine and Qualey Farms, will tell how he’s reduced feed costs for the UMaine dairy herd by growing his own barley. Alice Percy, Treble Ridge Farm, will talk about small scale production of feed and food grains. Also, fitting organic grains into forage and crop rotations, UMaine research wheat research results, and more.

Agenda

9:00–10:00: Food and feed grade markets in Maine
A panel of grain buyers will talk about current demand, which grains, how much, and specifications required. Will include Aurora Mills and Farm, Somerset Grist Mill, Crown of Maine, and Maine Organic Milling.

10:00–11:30: Growing, handling, and marketing food and feed grains
Thor Oeschner, farmer, Oechsner Farms, Newfield, NY. Thor grows 750 certified organic acres of grains. He used to grow mostly feed grains but now focuses on food grains including wheat, rye, spelt, emmer, and polenta corn. He is a part owner of Farmer Ground Flour and Wide Awake Bakery.

11:30–12:30 Establishing a grain economy
Dr. Elizabeth Dyck, Organic Growers’ Research & Information‐Sharing Network (OGRIN), Bainbridge, NY. Elizabeth works with farmers, millers, bakers, and consumers to reintroduce wheat and other food grains onto farms in NY and PA.

12:30–1:30 Lunch

1:30–3:00 Farmer experiences in Maine
Alice Percy, Treble Ridge Farm, Whitefield. Alice and Rufus grow certified organic feed grains for their hogs and food grains sold as flour and cereal at farmers market. Jake Dyer, UMaine J. F. Witter Center. Jake has reduced feed costs for the center’s dairy herd by growing and processing barley on the farm. Jake also has experience growing organic soybeans on his family’s farm.

3:00–3:30 Where do organic grains fit into forage or crop rotations?
Rick Kersbergen, UMaine Extension

3:30–4:00 Wheat Research Results and general Q and A
Dr. Ellen Mallory, UMaine Extension

Register online or register by phone by calling Meghan Dill at (207) 581-3878.

Other questions, contact Ellen Mallory at ellen.mallory@maine.edu or (207) 581‐2942.

Saturday, April 7, 2012
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Highmoor Farm, 52 US Route 202, Monmouth, Maine
No cost for the workshop. Pre-registration is not required.

This one-day workshop is for people who are new to growing apples and who are interested in growing apples for sale. The workshop will focus on getting started in commercial apple production, presented by Renae Moran and Glen Koehler, University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Participants may receive 2 Pesticide Applicator recertification credits for attending the workshop.

AGENDA

Directions

Traveling North on I-95: Take Exit 75 off the Maine Turnpike in Auburn (left turn off the exit ramp). Go through Lewiston and travel east about 17.9 miles on Route 202. Highmoor will be on your right.

Traveling South on I-95: Take Exit 109B off I-95 in Augusta and travel west on Route 202 approximately 15.7 miles. Highmoor will be on your left.

For more information, contact Renae Moran at (207) 933-2100 or email rmoran@maine.edu.

If you are a person with a disability and will need any accommodations to participate in this program, please call Pam St. Peter at (207) 933-2100 to discuss your needs, TDD 1-800-287-8957 (in Maine). Please contact us at least one week prior to this event to assure fullest possible attention to your needs.

Blade Shearing School

Blade shearing is the shearing of sheep with hand shears (no electricity). This hands-on, 2-day school will equip participants with skills and knowledge to shear sheep and in the proper use and care of hand shears. Shears are provided for the school and will be available for purchase.

Sheep Shearing School, Beginner Level
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Fee: $35/person
Windham, Maine (Cumberland County)
Participation limited to 22 individuals.

Sheep Shearing School, Beginner Level
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Fee: $35/person
Littleton, Maine (Aroostook County)
Participation limited to 22 individuals.

The conventional sheep shearing schools are taught by a team of experienced, Maine-based sheep shearers. Participants will learn how to catch, handle, and maneuver sheep for shearing, shear efficiently with electric shears, shear on a table as a option, and the proper trimming of hooves, handling of wool, and caring of equipment.

These three shearing schools are sponsored by the Maine Sheep Breeders Association and University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

For more information, contact UMaine Extension at 1-800-287-1471 (207-781-6099) or e-mail colleen.hoyt@maine.edu.

This meeting will provide pest and horticultural management updates for large and small scale orchardists. Participants may receive 3 Pesticide Applicator recertification credits for attending the program. The cost is $15.00 per person to cover lunch. Everyone is welcome to attend. Please let us know in advance if you plan to attend, so that we will have an accurate count for lunch. Contact Pam St. Peter at (207) 933-2100 or pamela.stpeter@maine.edu.

AGENDA

Sponsors:

• University of Maine Cooperative Extension
• USDA Risk Management Agency
• University of Maine Crop Insurance Education Program
• Crop Protections Services, Lewiston, Maine
• Northeast Agricultural Sales, Inc., Leeds, Maine

Any person with a disability who needs accommodations for this program should contact Pam St. Peter at (207) 933-2100 ext. 100 to discuss their needs at least seven days in advance, or at 1-800-287-8957 (voice and TDD).

February 21 and 28, 2012

Presenters: Susan Schoenian, University of Maryland and Richard Brzozowski, University of Maine

Two one-hour webinars (parts 1 and 2) will teach beginner and experienced sheep and goat producers the cause of footrot in sheep and goats, the conditions that promote the disease, how to prevent foot diseases with effective biosecurity, how to treat footrot, how to effectively trim hooves, and the specific protocol to eliminate the disease from farms. The webinars will also explain genetic markers that could identify sheep that are naturally resistant to the disease.

Registration required. Both webinars are free.

• Register now for Small Ruminant Foot Health Webinar – Part 1
• Register now for Small Ruminant Foot Health Webinar – Part 2

The webinars are a part of the Sheep Foot Health Research & Education Project funded by Northeast SARE.

February 9, 2012

Presenters: Dr. Jacquie Jacob, University of Kentucky and Richard Brzozowski, University of Maine

This free one-hour webinar will cover common problems with egg or meat birds, and how to set and implement culling standards for your poultry operation. For beginner as well as experienced small scale and mid-size egg producers in New England. In addition, participants of a SARE-funded professional development project in Applied Poultry Science are encouraged to participate. Part of a series of several webinars planned for poultry producers this winter (2011-2012).

Registration required. Register now.

With support from the university board of trustees, Extension specialists and a Maine Business School professor surveyed about 200 farmers through 15 focus groups held in 2011 to see how they viewed the future of farming through 2025.

“We skewed invitations to younger farmers, but sessions were open to all farmers,” says John Jemison, an Extension water quality and soil specialist and expert on community gardening in New England. “We met with all commodities, and held sessions with mixed farmer groups.  In total, we met with 199 farmers and crop advisors.”

Farmers were asked what they are optimistic and pessimistic about, what changes are they are making on their farm because of changing weather and energy prices, what the state should do to grow Maine agriculture, and what their visions are for agriculture in 2025.

Farmers cited the growing “buy local” movement as a significant source of optimism. Efforts to expand local food purchases and consumption are key to maintaining the growth of agriculture into the future, the researchers reported.  ”Another positive mentioned included availability of affordable land and water, and the potential to be able to feed ourselves,” Jemison says.

Respondents also cited the openness and helpful nature of other farmers in Maine as a source of optimism.

Many farmers believe large and small farms will continue to expand, diversify, take advantage of economies of scale, and explore new technology to reduce farm energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing sales by supplying locally grown food to hospitals, schools, universities and nursing homes, for example, will generate stable income and produce healthy food to improve the diet and health of Maine people, they said. Farmers also noted a need to capture more of the SNAP public assistance funds coming into the state.

Obstacles challenging Maine agriculture include limited opportunities with established farmers’ markets, loss or lack of infrastructure, and difficult regulations that make it hard for farmers to invest in their farms’ infrastructure, respondents said.

“For Maine to become the center or breadbasket for a regional food system, alternative arrangements are needed for middle size farms that are too large for intensive production and too small to enjoy benefits of economies of scale,” Jemison and co-researcher Stephanie Welcomer of the Maine Business School say in a report on the survey. “Improved access to capital could come from a new farmer fund to help young farmers buy land. Given the physically demanding nature of farming, alternative or group insurance plans for farmers are needed to take advantage of large numbers of farmers who can’t afford typical insurance programs.”

Researchers did the study to gauge how Maine farmers understand their competitive dynamics now and for the future, and what they need to make their farms sustainable.

“We hope that the results will be useful for several groups, including the farmers, policymakers and food consumers of Maine,” Welcomer says. The study provided valuable insight that could ultimately help increase support for Maine’s food producers and lead to increasing availability of fresh, local and healthy Maine food, she says.

Contact: John Jemison, (207) 581-3241; Stephanie Welcomer, (207) 581-1931