Farm Scoop – December 2019

December 5, 2019 Farm Scoop

Boots-2-Bushels: Boot Camp for Market Gardeners and Farmers

Do you want to learn how to go from seed to salary with this FREE course for military veterans interested in growing and selling their own farm produce? Participants who attend all classes and participate in the growing program will earn a Certificate of Completion and Letter of Recommendation.  Space is limited.  Preference will be given to participants who are veterans or veteran family members and who can commit to the entire 30-week program (all 10 classes plus field work during the growing season).  All classes taught by UMaine Extension and MOFGA subject matter experts.  Visit the Boots-2-Bushels page for more information.

Value-Added Producer Grant

The Value-Added Producer Grant was published in the Federal Register Wednesday, December 11th. There is a 90-day application period for this grant cycle.  For more information, visit the VAPG page.

2020 Advanced Business Planning with Richard Wiswall

Find out your farm’s profit centers – which parts of your farm make the most money and which may actually lose money. Learn about efficient farm planning and analysis, efficient farm office management, key financial statements, employee management, and financial tips for success. Set aside the day to finally work on these, and other important farm business concerns.  For more information visit MOFGA’s event page.

Agritourism and Direct Sales Survey

If you have visitors on your farm, ranch, vineyard, or fishery, you are invited to take part in a national survey about agritourism and direct sales. Whether you have a farmstand, u-pick, tastings, school field trips, events, tours, hunting, fishing, overnight stays, or open your farm to the public in any other ways, your experiences are important. This survey is confidential and should take about 10 minutes to complete. Results will be used to develop tools and resources for farmers. The survey will close January 31. Questions can be directed to Lisa Chase, lisa.chase@uvm.edu or 802-257-7967.

The survey is at: tinyurl.com/agritourismsurvey

Agritourism and Direct Sales Survey

If you have visitors on your farm, ranch, vineyard, or fishery, you are invited to take part in a national survey about agritourism and direct sales. Whether you have a farmstand, u-pick, tastings, school field trips, events, tours, hunting, fishing, overnight stays, or open your farm to the public in any other ways, your experiences are important. This survey is confidential and should take about 10 minutes to complete. Results will be used to develop tools and resources for farmers. The survey will close January 31. Questions can be directed to Lisa Chase, lisa.chase@uvm.edu or 802-257-7967.

The survey is at: tinyurl.com/agritourismsurvey

Agenda for BFRN Workshops at the 2020 Agricultural Trades Show

Wednesday, January 15, 2020, 11:00am-12:30pm

Increasing your Scale and Efficiency with Mechanization

Learn about the decision-making process when taking the plunge towards mechanization. Farmers will discuss tools and equipment that has reduced their need for labor, reduced the wear and tear on their bodies, and increased their productivity. We will also focus on techniques used to ensure return on that investment. Speakers: Jason Lilley, Lani Carlson, others TBA.

Speakers:

Sean Murphy, Murphy Family Farm

Pheonix and Meg O’Brien, Hall Brook Farm

Ellen Gibson, AgrAbility

Jason Lilley, UMaine Cooperative Extension

Wednesday, January 15, 2020, 1:00-3:00pm

Employment Law for the Farm

Agricultural labor laws can be confusing. Do you have questions about fair labor standards act, overtime, exempt work, workers compensation, and payroll tax? Hear from experts in the field on these topics and more. Get your questions answered.  Join US Department of Labor staff and attorney members of the Legal Services Food Hub as we untangle the web of labor laws concerning employees, interns, apprentices, independent contractors. Get specifics on the fair labor standards act, overtime, exempt work, workers compensation, payroll tax, and more. Get your labor questions answered!

Speakers:

John Lambert Jr., Lambert Coffin, Attorney

Steve McKinney, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division

Seanna Crasnick, Maine Department of Labor, Deputy General Counsel, Workers Compensation Board

Thursday, January 16, 2020, 9:00-10:00am

Point of Sale (POS) Options and Opportunities in the Digital Age

You can download a smartphone app and start processing credit card transactions on your in under 20 minutes. That’s just the tip of the iceberg in the value of these programs for capturing valuable sales and customer data for your farm enterprise. In this session, we’ll hear from farmers on how they use their POS apps to conduct transactions, track sales, engage their customers, and plan for growth. Cybersecurity concerns and risk management best practices will be shared.

Speakers:

Abby Sadauckas, Apple Creek Farm

Kelby Young, Olde Haven Farm

Brittany Hopkins, Wise Acres Farm

Greg Warren, Warren Associates & Insurance Solutions

John Heller, American National Insurance

Thursday, January 16, 2020, 10:00-11:00am

Farming Right:  Municipal Ordinances, Zoning, and Other Considerations

Farming is a land use that is both supported and regulated by state laws and local ordinances. Gain new insights from service providers and farmers who are working with municipal officials to improve agricultural business opportunities in their communities. Join Jesse Tannenbaum, owner/operator of Eli’s Homestead in Lewiston; Misty Parker, Economic Development Manager for the City of Lewiston; Jeff Fisher, co-owner Bumbleroot Farm in Windham; Kate Newkirk, Soil Scientist and Co-Chair of the Winslow Agricultural Commission; and DACF service providers, Mark Hedrich, Caldwell Jackson and Steph Gilbert; for a fruitful facilitated discussion about typical farm/municipality issues and useful strategies to move forward with success.

Thursday, January 16, 2020, 11:00-12:00pm

Implementing Conservation on Your Farm: Working with NRCS & FSA

Join Abby Sadauckas & Jake Galle of Apple Creek Farm and USDA service providers to learn how you can implement conservation practices on your farm with financial and technical assistance from USDA. Abby and Jake will share how they have addressed resource concerns, improved infrastructure and made their farm vision possible by accessing financial assistance from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and participating in Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs. Following their presentation, Susan Arrants, NRCS Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, and Robbie McCurry, FSA Agricultural Program Specialist, will join Abby and Jake on a panel to answer questions about how to get conservation practices in place on your farm.

Thursday, January 16, 2020, 1:00-2:00pm

A Beginning Farmer Focus Group on Climate Adaptation Resources

This participatory focus group will provide opportunity to share experiences, identify resource needs, and provide feedback on draft educational materials related to climate adaptation on Maine farms. This focus group is part of a USDA-AFRI funded research project being conducted by University of Vermont and University of Maine. Speakers: Ruthie Clements, Rachel Schattman, Adam Daigneault, Eric Gallandt, Sonja Birthisel. Please pre-register by emailing sonja.birthisel@maine.edu; the first ten farmer registrants are eligible to receive $50 stipends for their participation.

USDA Conservation Reserve Program

U.S. Department of Agriculture is opening signup for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) on December 9, 2019. The deadline for agricultural producers to sign up for general CRP is February 28, 2020, while signup for continuous CRP is ongoing.

Farmers and ranchers who enroll in CRP receive a yearly rental payment for voluntarily establishing long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees (known as “covers”) to control soil erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife habitat on marginally productive agricultural lands. For more information visit the news release.

MOFGA’s Maine Farm Resilience Program

MOFGA’s Maine Farm Resilience Program provides individualized support to advanced-beginning farmers (5-9 years experience) grappling with critical questions of scaling up, accessing and adapting to new markets, managing risk, innovation and diversification, and re- strategizing business plans to achieve long-term farm viability.  For more information visit MOFGA’s Maine Farm Resilience Program page.

Baskets to Pallets Wholesale Training for Farmers – 2020 Agricultural Trades Show

These presentations will help farmers understand the opportunities and requirements to successfully participate in wholesale markets through:

  • Determining costs of production,
  • Grading and packing for institutional markets,
  • Understanding consumer trends,
  • Creating a brand, sell sheets, and more.

For more information visit the Baskets to Pallets Wholesale Training for Farmers flyer and agenda.

USDA Offers Targeted Farm Loan Funding for Underserved Groups and Beginning Farmers

FSA offers specially targeted farm ownership and farm operating loans to underserved applicants as well as beginning farmers and ranchers.  For more information visit the USDA’s news release.

Market Facilitation Program

Are you a farmer or rancher whose commodities have been directly impacted by unjustified foreign retaliatory tariffs, resulting in the loss of traditional export markets? The Market Facilitation Program was created for producers just like you.  For more information visit the Market Facilitation Program page.

Explanation of Required Records for the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension has put together a fact sheet on the explanation of required records for the food safety modernization act produce safety rule.  This new fact sheet can be found in the  Food Safety category under Food & Health

Maine Tastemakers Initiative

Interested in Growing Your Business?  CEI has developed a collection of resources designed to help accelerate the growth of 3-5 businesses in our next round of the Tastemakers initiative.  Visit CEI’s newsletter for more information.

Climate Perspectives & Resource Needs Among Small-Medium Scale and Beginning Farmers

Researchers at the University of Maine are teaming up with colleagues at University of Vermont to develop climate resilience tools and resources specifically addressing the needs of small-medium scale and beginning farms in New England.

The project began this spring with a series of in-depth interviews. Team members sat down with farmers and agricultural advisers from across both states, and asked about their climate change views: did they believe agriculture in our region was being affected by climate change already? What were opportunities and challenges they were experiencing or expected to see in the future? What kinds of tools and resources would be helpful in adapting to changes?

Resource needs identified by farmers included:

  • Climate impact predictions for the Northeast region
  • Assistance with financial planning and grants
  • Training in climate change adaptation and mitigation practices
  • Information on drought resistant seed varieties
  • Information on agroforestry
  • Helpful data loggers, apps, and decision-support tools

The next phase in the project will include focus groups conducted this winter to gain feedback on draft outreach materials being created through this project. You can find out more about this and similar efforts on the Maine Climate and Agriculture Website: https://umaine.edu/climate-ag/.

If you would like to participate in an upcoming focus groups for this project or have any questions or comments, we’d love to hear from you! Contact Sonja Birthisel at  sonja.birthisel@maine.edu.