2025 Maine Forage Conference
Monday, October 27, 2025
9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Governor’s Ballroom, 376 Main Street, Waterville, Maine 04901
The annual Maine Forage Conference is an excellent opportunity for members of the dairy, equine, beef cattle, small ruminants, and other livestock industries to come together, learn about forages from subject matter experts and colleagues, have good food, and attend a trade show. The 2025 agenda promises the participation of featured speakers, farmer presentations, the Maine Hay Contest award ceremony, and a space for sponsor recognition, trade show, and socialization. Attendees will earn one pesticide Applicator credit.
Cost: $20 per participant; $50 per booth and two participants for the Trade Show
Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Registration closes on October 20, 2025.
Agenda
- 9:00–9:30 a.m.: Registration and reception
- 9:30–9:40 a.m.: Welcome, trade show introduction, and sponsor recognition
- 9:45–10:15 a.m.: Dr. Leandro Vieira. Louisiana State University Extension. Presentation “Bayou to Boreal: Bridging Soil Health in Louisiana and Maine”
- 10:15–10:45 a.m.: Larry Paul. Back River Farm. Presentation “Accumulators and Grapples, Do They Work for Small Squares in Maine?”
- 10:45-11:00 a.m.: Break
- 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Caragh Fitzgerald, UMaine Cooperative Extension. Presentation “Enemies New and Old. Pest Challenges in Pastures, Hay, and Corn”
- 12:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Dr. Leandro Vieira, Louisiana State University Extension. Presentation “Fertility by the Numbers: From Soil Sample to Smart Application”
- 12:30 p.m.-1:00 p.m.: Tom Hodgman. Waldoview Farm. Presentation “Observations from High-Density Short-Duration Grazing with Sheep”
- 1:00–2:00 p.m.: Lunch
- 2:00–2:30 p.m.: Kate Turcotte, Wolfe’s Neck Center. “Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship” and Ashley Marshall, Eastern Maine Development Corporation, “Workforce Development Opportunities for Maine Dairy Farmers.”
- 2:30–3:00 p.m.: Maine Hay Contest awards
- 3:00 p.m.: Adjourn
Featured Speakers
Dr. Leandro Vieira
Assistant Professor & Soil Fertility Specialist
Louisiana State University
Leandro Vieira is an Assistant Professor and Soil Fertility Specialist at Louisiana State University. Dr. Vieira is originally from Brazil and grew up on a 6th generation family ranch in the southern mountain region. He holds a B.S. in Agronomy (Federal Institute of Santa Catarina, Brazil and Oregon State University), a M.S. degree in Soils and Plant Nutrition (University of São Paulo, Brazil), and a Ph.D. in Soil and Water Sciences (University of Florida). Dr. Vieira also received postdoctoral training in Conservation Agronomy (Clemson University). His current research and extension interests are soil fertility and health on forage, field, and specialty crops.
Caragh Fitzgerald
Associate Extension Professor/Extension Educator for Agriculture
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Caragh Fitzgerald is an Extension Educator for Agriculture, working primarily in Kennebec County. Her work includes production of vegetables, integrated pest management, corn silage, and other forages, as well as season extension and soil health. In Kennebec, she teaches and manages the Master Gardener Volunteers program, and the Harvest for Hunger produce donation program. She holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Bowdoin College and an M.S. in Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences from the University of Maine.
Gold Sponsors
If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact Melissa Libby Babcock at melissa.libby1@maine.edu by October 6, 2025. If requests are received after this date, we may not have sufficient time to make necessary arrangements.
In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Services, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).