{"id":9257,"date":"2018-01-08T13:02:22","date_gmt":"2018-01-08T18:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/agriculture\/?p=9257"},"modified":"2018-03-05T10:03:36","modified_gmt":"2018-03-05T15:03:36","slug":"farm-scoop-january-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/agriculture\/2018\/01\/08\/farm-scoop-january-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Farm Scoop \u2013 January 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAVE THE DATE! \u2013\u00a02018 Maine Grain Conference<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Thursday, March 8th<\/sup><\/p>\n

Spectacular Events, Bangor, ME<\/p>\n

Mark your calendars for the 2018 Grain Conference! Topics for this year include expanding crop options, seed production, disease management, and more. Guest speakers include:<\/p>\n

David Mol<\/strong>\u00a0is a pedigreed seed producer and leading grain producer in PEI. He grows wheat, fall rye, barley, flax, and soybeans on approximately 1300 acres, and also manages about 70 acres of organic barley, soybeans, and field peas. David regularly hosts research trials on him farm, is the president of the PEI Federation of Agriculture, former president of the Canadian Seed Growers, and a member of Atlantic Grains Council.\u00a0\u00a0He will give an overview of his operation and talk about the grain and seed industry on PEI, adapted varieties, storage and processing considerations, and together with his organic production co-operator, Fred Dahler, their organic production practices.\u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/peifa.ca\/member_profile\/david-mol\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Heather Darby<\/strong>\u00a0is Agronomy Specialist with University of Vermont Extension.\u00a0\u00a0She runs a diverse research and outreach program including forages, grains, pulses, oilseeds, hops, hemp, and even milkweed. Heather will speak on alternative crops, organic grain disease management, and supplying livestock feed markets.\u00a0http:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/extension\/cropsoil\/uvm-extension-crops-and-soils-team<\/a><\/p>\n

Save Thursday, March 8th<\/sup><\/strong>\u00a0on your calendar.\u00a0\u00a0Full agenda details and registration information coming soon!<\/p>\n

In the meantime, enjoy UMaine Today\u2019s feature\u00a0article and video on Maine\u2019s grain economy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Perdue Announces USDA\u2019s Farm Bill and Legislative Principles for 2018<\/strong><\/h3>\n

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Farm Bill and Legislative Principles for 2018 during a town hall at Reinford Farms in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince my first day as the Secretary of Agriculture, I\u2019ve traveled to 30 states, listening to the people of American agriculture about what is working and what is not. The conversations we had and the people we came across helped us craft USDA\u2019s Farm Bill and Legislative Principles for 2018,\u201d said Secretary Perdue. \u201cThese principles will be used as a road map \u2013 they are our way of letting Congress know what we\u2019ve heard from the hard-working men and women of American agriculture. While we understand it\u2019s the legislature\u2019s job to write the Farm Bill, USDA will be right there providing whatever counsel Congress may request or require.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Androscoggin-Sagadahoc County Farm Service Agency Announces County Committee Election Results<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Androscoggin-Sagadahoc County U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Marcia L Hall announced that County Committee elections are over and the ballots have been counted.<\/p>\n

Adam C. Trundy of Minot was elected to represent local administrative area (LAA) #2.<\/p>\n

“County Committee members are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA,\u201d said Hall. “They help deliver programs at the county level and work to serve the needs of local producers. All recently elected County Committee members will take office in January 2018, and will be joining the existing committee.\u201d Every FSA office is required to have a County Committee, and they are made up of local farmers who are elected by local farmers.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit the FSA website at www.fsa.usda.gov\/elections<\/u> <\/a>or contact the Androscoggin-Sagadahoc County FSA office at 207.753.9400.<\/p>\n

\n

New Extension Publication<\/strong><\/h3>\n

#1060\u00a0Orienting New Farm Employees: A Checklist for Maine Agricultural Employers\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Finding and keeping good employees is a common concern among many Maine farm owners. Effective training, relationship development, and communication strategies are all important components of getting off on the right foot with new employees and fostering their interest in staying for multiple seasons. This checklist is designed to assist farmers in orienting one or more employees once they’ve been hired.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

National Young Farmer’s Coalition Guidebook<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The NYFC’s newest publication, is available here,\u00a0Farm Service Agency Loans: The Ins and Outs of Growing a Farm with Federal Loans<\/a>.<\/i><\/div>\n

The guidebook is written specifically\u00a0to help beginning farmers and ranchers navigate the credit options offered by the Farm Service Agency, and was made possible by a cooperative agreement with FSA. Find more information on NYFC’s\u00a0website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Androscoggin – Sagadahoc County Farm Service Agency Is Accepting Emergency Conservation Program Applications<\/strong><\/h3>\n

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Executive Director (CED) Marcia L Hall today announced that Androscoggin County and Sagadahoc County are approved to accept applications for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to address damages from the severe storm on October 29, 2017. ECP signup began on January 2, 2018, and ends on March 2, 2018.<\/p>\n

According to Hall, approved ECP practices under this authorization include: EC1 Removing Debris from Farmland, EC2 Grading, Shaping, Releveling, or Similar Measures, EC3 Restoring Permanent Fences and EC4 Restoring Conservation Structures and Other Installations.<\/p>\n

ECP is administered by FSA to assist producers with the cost of recovery activities required to restore the agricultural land to pre-disaster conditions. Producers who sustained damage from this disaster event are encouraged to submit their request for assistance prior to beginning reconstructive work. Submitting a request after completing qualified reconstructive work may result in forfeiture of program eligibility.<\/p>\n

FSA county committees will complete an evaluation of submitted requests and obligate available funds based on an on-site inspection of the damaged land, taking into consideration the type and extent of the eligible damage. Completion of the on-site inspection does not guarantee that cost-share funding will be allocated.<\/p>\n

The use of obligated funds is limited to return the land to the relative pre-disaster condition. Conservation concerns that were present on the land prior to the disaster are not eligible for ECP assistance. Approved ECP applicants may receive up to 75 percent of the cost of completing the approved restoration activity.<\/p>\n

For more information on ECP, please contact the Androscoggin-Sagadahoc County FSA office at 207.753.9400.<\/p>\n

\n

Perdue Announces Farm Service Agency State Committee Appointees<\/strong><\/h3>\n

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced a slate of Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Committee Appointees. State committees are selected by the Secretary, serve at the pleasure of the Secretary, and are responsible for carrying out FSA\u2019s farm programs within delegated authorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe State Committees will help to ensure USDA is providing our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and agricultural producers with the best customer service,\u201d Secretary Perdue said. \u201cThey serve as a liaison between USDA and the producers in each state across the nation by keeping them informed and hearing their appeals and complaints. The committees are made up mostly of active farmers and ranchers, representing their peers and ensuring USDA\u2019s programs are supporting the American harvest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each state committee has five members, one chairperson and four members. The individuals appointed to serve on this committee in Maine include:<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Committee Chair Sue McCrum \u2013 Belfast<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Gregg Garrison \u2013 Blaine<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Heath Miller \u2013 Newburgh<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Nancy Ricker \u2013 Turner<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>David Tuttle \u2013 North Berwick<\/p>\n

State committees are appointed for a one year term which began on January 1, 2018. Each state committee has five members, one chairperson and four members. Committee lists can be found online<\/a>. States that are not listed here or that have incomplete lists will be announced at a later date.<\/p>\n

\n

USDA to Measure Agricultural Land Values<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is encouraging agricultural operations to respond to the New England Agricultural Land Values Survey.<\/p>\n

Agricultural land values are one of the major indicators of the financial health of the agricultural sector. The value of land and buildings accounts for the vast majority of all farm assets. Accurate land values are necessary for Federal and State deliberations on farm programs, for lending agencies (e.g. determining collateral assets), and for individual producers to determine their net worth.<\/p>\n

This survey collects agricultural farmland values, cropland and pasture values on a per-acre basis (excluding buildings), and year-to-year percentage changes in land values. This data will be summarized in conjunction with June Area survey results to maximize precision of aggregate data.<\/p>\n

NASS will publish the results in the August 2, 2018 Land Values publication. The publication will be available on the USDA-NASS website at https:\/\/www.nass.usda.gov\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SAVE THE DATE! \u2013\u00a02018 Maine Grain Conference Thursday, March 8th Spectacular Events, Bangor, ME Mark your calendars for the 2018 Grain Conference! Topics for this year include expanding crop options, seed production, disease management, and more. Guest speakers include: David Mol\u00a0is a pedigreed seed producer and leading grain producer in PEI. He grows wheat, fall […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[371,13],"tags":[109,111,332],"class_list":["post-9257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-farm-scoop","category-news","tag-farming","tag-farmscoop","tag-usda"],"yoast_head":"\nFarm Scoop \u2013 January 2018 - Cooperative Extension: Agriculture - University of Maine Cooperative Extension<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/agriculture\/2018\/01\/08\/farm-scoop-january-2018\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Farm Scoop \u2013 January 2018 - Cooperative Extension: Agriculture - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SAVE THE DATE! \u2013\u00a02018 Maine Grain Conference Thursday, March 8th Spectacular Events, Bangor, ME Mark your calendars for the 2018 Grain Conference! 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