Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) fruit flies have been found in raspberry and highbush blueberry plantings in Maine.  You can read about spotted wing drosophila findings here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) opened enrollment for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program on June 17 and has started issuing payments to producers who purchased coverage. Producers can enroll through Sept. 20, 2019.   For more information please see the press release.

A new online tool can help farmers and ranchers find information on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) farm loans that may best fit their operations. USDA has launched the new Farm Loan Discovery Tool as the newest feature on farmers.gov, the Department’s self-service website for farmers.  For more information, please visit the FSA website.

This Webinar gives basic information on setting up a homestead to raise milk and meat. There are multiple ideas and comparisons for fences, shelters and other equipment as well as ideas for growth. There’s insight on variations of care and equipment. A common sense approach to supplying your family with proteins on your own land. […]

The Hire-a-Vet Campaign kick-off event is at the Augusta Civic Center on August 29th.  Please visit Maine Career Center for more information on this event.

To better understand the impacts of climate change on blueberry farms, we asked UMaine Cooperative Extension’s David Yarborough* to reflect on his 40 years of experience advising Maine growers. David has noticed changes in weather patterns during his career, including “both an earlier spring and a later fall” leading to a longer growing season, “more […]

Copies of the 2019-2020 New England Vegetable Management Guide are now available at Highmoor Farm. The guide is designed for commercial growers, and contains the latest information on management control options for the major small fruit pests as well as scouting information. This guide has been significantly revised and updated. We recommend all earlier editions of the […]

July 25, 2019 Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., MOFGA’s Common Kitchen at the Common Ground Education Center, Unity. Fee: $75; $60 for MOFGA members. Join an elite crew of poultry processing professionals for a workshop about how to process poultry. Registration Information on the Poultry Processing Workshop.

July 23, 2019 Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. UNH Extension Coös County Office, 629A Main Street, Lancaster, NH There is no cost for the workshop. This two-part workshop will reflect upon what has been done so far, what’s working (or not working) and what changes can still be implemented this season to increase sales. […]

July 20, 2019 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Shaw Road Farm, 283 Shaw Road, Garland There will be a presentation on reducing stress in cattle by Colt Knight, UMaine Extension livestock specialist.  Also, A live demonstration of Shaw Road Farm’s practices of separating three beef animals from a herd of approximately 50. The Cooksons, will discuss how […]