Farm Scoop – January 2017
SNAP for Direct Marketing Farmers and Farmers Markets — FREE Webinars
USDA has continued funding through May 2017 to assist direct marketing farmers and farmers markets join the SNAP program by providing free equipment to qualified farmers and farmers markets. The National Association of Farmers Market Nutrition Programs (NAFMNP) has created MarketLink, an online solution to an expedited application process, nationally negotiated rates for SNAP, debit and credit; as well as state-of-the-art equipment, an iPHone 6, EMV card reader and blue-tooth connected printer.
Joining the SNAP program involves a multiple application process that enrolls you as a SNAP retailer, determines your eligibility for free equipment and then provides the service to accept SNAP, debit and credit.
The Farmers Market Federation of NY will be holding webinars to help direct marketing farmers and market managers understand the MarketLink program and will schedule phone appointments with attendees to complete the application process. The presentations should take approximately 60 minutes for the presentation and question and answers.
The webinar is free to join and will help you understand the process and the value of adding SNAP to your farm or market. Register now to reserve your space on the date that best fits your schedule.
To register, Click here for the registration information, then click on the link for your choice of dates and complete the registration information. Once submitted you will receive a link to the webinar. Save that link! This is how you will access the live webinar.
For more information, contact the Farmers Market Federation of NY at 315.400.1447 or email deggert@nyfarmersmarket.com.
State of Maine Standard Operating Procedure on Non-Negative Tuberculosis Screen Tests
Tuberculosis transmission from cattle to humans was once common in the United States, but human infections have been greatly reduced by decades of disease control in cattle herds and by routine pasteurization of cow’s milk. In recent history, most human infection in the US are caused M. bovis are due to the consumption of unpasteurized infected dairy products.
Maine allows the sale of both pasteurized and unpasteurized, raw, milk products. This means that there is an elevated risk of M. bovis being spread to the public if it was ever reintroduced into our dairy herds. Due to this risk it is necessary to create a scientifically based standard operating procedure (SOP) for animals that are found to be suspect animals on screening TB tests.
Attached is the standard operating procedures (SOP) we use regarding Raw Milk Producers and Tuberculosis testing. There is also an associated letter that we will be giving to the raw milk producers when they have a non-negative TB test. This SOP is not a new policy it merely puts the previous precedent into writing. Though, this is the first time we will be formally informing the producers of the risks.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions on these documents or TB testing in general at 207.592.6698 or Justin G. Bergeron, BVMS, MPH, Assistant State Veterinarian, NPIP Coordinator, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry Augusta, Maine.
2017 Poultry Processing Workshop
Thursday, May 25 and Thursday, July 6, 2017
MOFGA’s Common Kitchen at the Common Ground Education Center, Unity
Fee: $75. $60 for MOFGA members
Information: Email Diane Schivera or contact the MOFGA office at 207. 568.4142
Join Diane Schivera, MOFGA’s Livestock Specialist and an elite crew of poultry processing professionals for a workshop about how to process poultry. In this workshop you will be guided through a safe and humane process for turning live birds into oven ready roasters. We’ll discuss poultry management, equipment, and food safety concerns. Please bring your favorite kitchen knife, an apron and a willingness to learn. Each participant will take home an organic bird.
Interested in a partial or full scholarship? For the May 25 workshop, please fill out a scholarship application form by March 1st. For the July 6 workshop, please fill out a scholarship application by May 1. Register online.
Working with Your Meat Processor
Farmers who want to sell meat directly to restaurants, grocery stores, or consumers need a reliable and skilled partner: the meat processor is an essential team member and an asset to the business. This publication suggests some key ways to work effectively with a meat processor and lists resources for further information. See Working with Your Meat Processor (PDF).
Cornell Small Farms Program
Learn to take care of business, grow veggies and oyster mushrooms, extend your season with high tunnels, improve your marketing efforts, enhance your grazing practices, and start a beekeeping enterprise with our suite of online courses.
Sign up by January 26 and save $25 on tuition!
The Cornell Small Farms Program offers over twenty courses to help farmers improve their technical and business skills. Students connect with other farmers, work on farm plans, and gain practical tips without leaving their home. Course content can be accessed anywhere with a high-speed internet connection.
Most courses are six weeks long. Each week features an evening webinar and follow-up readings, videos, and activities. Students and their instructors connect through online forums and live chat. If you aren’t able to attend the webinars in real-time, they are always recorded for later viewing.
Eggs from small flocks more likely to contain Salmonella enteritidis
Eggs from small flocks of chickens are more likely to be contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis than eggs sold in grocery stores, which typically come from larger flocks that are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
That conclusion — which flies in the face of conventional wisdom that eggs from backyard poultry and small local enterprises are safer to eat than “commercially produced” eggs — was drawn from a first-of-its-kind, six-month study done last year in Pennsylvania. Researchers collected and tested more than 6,000 eggs from more than 200 selling points across the state.
Read the entire article from Penn State University.
2017 Census of Agriculture
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is preparing the mail list for the 2017 Census of Agriculture. The Census of Agriculture is the leading source of facts and figures about American agriculture. Conducted every five years, the Census provides a detailed picture of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. It is the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the United States.
Please help to make the 2017 Census of Agriculture as accurate as possible. A major challenge is having a list of farmers that is as complete as possible, especially with so many new farmers. If you have never received a Census of Agriculture or survey questionnaire from NASS then we may not have you on our farm list. Please take a couple minutes and provide NASS your contact information.
Even if you do not think of yourself as a farmer or rancher, your operation is a farm if it meets the Census of Agriculture definition — an operation that sold or normally would have sold $1,000 or more of agricultural products in a year. If you own or rent agricultural land, grow vegetables, grow horticultural or floricultural products, have fruit or nut trees, cattle, horses, poultry, hogs, bees, aquaculture products, or consider yourself a farmer or rancher, we need to hear from you.
All individual information provided to NASS is confidential and only used for statistical purposes. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection provisions of Title V, Subtitle A, Public Law 107-347 and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed in identifiable form to anyone other than employees or agents. By law, every employee and agent has taken an oath and is subject to a jail term, a fine, or both if he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you or your operation.
If you have previously received a Census of Agriculture or survey questionnaire from NASS then you will be receiving you 2017 Census of Agriculture questionnaire in late December 2017 or January 2018. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Maine Farmers’ Market Convention
The 9th annual Maine Farmers’ Market Convention will take place Sunday, January 29th at the Alfond Campus of Kennebec Valley Community College. Market vendors, managers, and volunteers from across the state will convene for the conference, the theme of which is “Taking the Lead.” Participants will choose from a dozen sessions throughout the day, focusing on how to cultivate collaborative markets and how to strategize for growth. The convention is hosted by the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets (MFFM), and is the primary opportunity for people interested in Maine’s markets to come together for inspiration, guidance, and networking opportunities.
Registration to the convention closes January 26th (cost is $65-75). Scholarships are available to participants from Washington and Aroostook counties. For more information or to register, call 207. 487.7114 or email assistant@mffm.org. Online registration is also available.
High Tunnels in Urban Agriculture
This new ATTRA publication by NCAT Specialist Chris Lent identifies the unique benefits of high tunnels to urban farmers. It addresses a number of issues — basics of siting and constructing a high tunnel, for example, as well as some of the policy and zoning challenges urban growers face when planning to erect a tunnel
It also discusses high tunnel management, including soil fertility, irrigation, and disease and pest control. Finally, it includes resources on intensive crop production and other uses for high tunnels.
The publication can be downloaded for free.
ATTRA is developed and managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology in cooperation with USDA Rural Business Cooperative. ATTRA’s website features sustainable agriculture publications, webinars, videos, databases, and its popular “Ask an Ag Expert” telephone and email hotline.
Maine Farms and Food Business Survey
My name is Robson Machado, and I’m an Extension Professor at UMaine Cooperative Extension. I’m reaching out to food business and farms in ME to assess what are their biggest concerns about food safety, especially regarding the upcoming changes caused by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
My final goal is to understand this clientele’s needs regarding FSMA, so UMaine Cooperative Extension is better prepared to serve this audience regarding their training needs and other food safety related concerns.
Your participation is crucial. Based on your answers, the food safety educators at UMaine will have a better idea of how frequently training regarding FSMA should be offered.
The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete, and your decision to participate is voluntary and all information collected will be anonymous. You can stop at any time. You do not have to answer any questions you do not want to answer.
At the end of the survey, you will be asked to participate in a drawing for a $75 gift card.
Read more information about the survey or participate.
2017 Labor Management Series
Come join the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension for an interactive, four-session, workshop to better understand labor management issues: employment law, employee training, goal-setting, employee recruitment and job description writing. Customize your training by attending all four sessions or choose only those that are applicable to you and your farm! We welcome farmers of all knowledge levels to help enhance the educational experience for all! Information and registration can be found at the UNH Extension Labor Management Series (PDF).
Farmer Assistance Needed
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is preparing to conduct the 2017 Census of Agriculture. The Census of Agriculture is the leading source of facts and figures about American agriculture. Conducted every five years, the Census provides a detailed picture of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. It is the only source of uniform, comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the United States.
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry is asking for your help to make the 2017 Census of Agriculture as accurate as possible. The USDA faces the major challenge of maintaining a current mailing list of farmers. If you have never received a Census of Agriculture or a survey questionnaire from NASS, please take a couple minutes and provide NASS your contact information.
Even if you do not think of yourself as a farmer or rancher, please note that your operation is a farm if it meets the Census of Agriculture definition — an operation that sold or normally would have sold $1,000 or more of agricultural products in a year. If you own or rent agricultural land, grow vegetables, grow horticultural or floricultural products, have fruit or nut trees, cattle, horses, poultry, hogs, bees, aquaculture products, or consider yourself a farmer or rancher, NASS needs to hear from you!
All individual information provided to NASS is confidential and only used for statistical purposes. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection provisions of Title V, Subtitle A, Public Law 107-347 and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will be kept confidential and will not be disclosed in identifiable form to anyone other than employees or agents. By law, every employee and agent has taken an oath and is subject to a jail term, a fine, or both if he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you or your operation.
If you have previously received a Census of Agriculture or survey questionnaire from NASS then you will be receiving you 2017 Census of Agriculture questionnaire in late December 2017 or January 2018. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Maine Risk Management and Crop Insurance Education Program Booth and Events at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show
The University of Maine’s Crop Insurance Education Program will have a booth at the 2017 Maine Agricultural Trades Show. We’ll be conducting a 10-question risk management survey for farmers. As a thank you for completing the survey participants will be entered into a drawing for items donated by Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Blue Seal, Farm Credit East and more! We will also be presenting about crop insurance at various meetings throughout the Trades Show and are sponsoring the following events:
Preparing Your Farm for the Future after a Drought
Wednesday, January 11, noon to 1:00 p.m. at the Demonstration Area
Take action to protect your farm from drought and other weather-related losses in 2017 and beyond. Join us for a discussion of risk management program options, crop diversification and soil health strategies for minimizing risk, the outlook for Maine’s climate future, and tools for staying informed. Panelists include UMaine Cooperative Extension’s Crop Insurance Education Program Manager Erin Roche, Sustainable Forage and Dairy Specialist Rick Kersbergen, the Farm Service Agency’s Don Todd, and Maine State Climatologist Sean Birkel.
Introduction to Farm Accounting using QuickBooks Pro
Thursday, January 12, 9:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. in the Augusta Room
A workshop covering the basics of using QuickBooks from recording farm business transactions to generating reports for measuring financial performance. This workshop is for first-time users and those with less than a year experience with QuickBooks. Class is limited to 15. Participants will be entered in a drawing to win a QuickBooks Pro subscription. Speakers: Becky Adams and June Vaillancourt, QuickBooks Pro Advisers, Austin Associates.
Ask the Experts — QuickBooks Question and Answer
Thursday, January 12, 11:00 a.m. to noon and again at 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Augusta Room
QuickBooks Advisers will be on-hand to field questions and provide limited one-on-one assistance. This session is open to all QuickBooks experience levels. Participants are welcome to bring their own laptops. Class size is limited to 15. Speakers: Becky Adams and June Vaillancourt, QuickBooks Pro Advisers, Austin Associates.