New Farmers Winter Webinar Series
Join us for your lunch hour to learn about various topics geared towards people starting farms in Maine. During each session we will have experts speak on a topic and then plenty of time for an interactive Q/A at the end of each webinar.
Webinar Topics for 2024:
- January 23: Farming In The Presence of Carnivores
- January 25: Don’t Fear the Schedule F! Introduction to Filing Your Farm Tax Return
- February 6: Get Started with Commercial Dahlia Production
- February 8: Accepting Alternate Forms of Currency for Farm Products: WIC, SNAP, Maine Senior FarmShare, and More
Farming in the Presence of Carnivores
January 23, 2024
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom
WEBINAR RECORDING
Our farms are ecosystems. Many of our farmers in Maine already recognize the importance of what that means, and manage their farm accordingly. As such, your farm requires all the members of the Earth community to be present in order to be resilient and healthy. So carnivores need to be present. We are in a time of exciting transition on how we treat the land and the wild lives that depend on it. So we are constantly learning new and successful animal husbandry practices. So in this webinar I will share with you how to successfully initiate them on your farm, and where you can go for ongoing guidance and support. This is all about the farming of the future!
Speaker Bio:
Geri Vistein is a Conservation Biologist whose focus is carnivores and their vital role in maintaining the biodiversity of our planet. Her work centers on educating our Maine community about carnivores, their ecology, their complex cultures and history, and how we can coexist with them. She achieves this by presenting various programs on carnivores and us to diverse audiences all over the state of Maine, working closely with our farmers who wish to learn coexisting skills, by creating outreach projects with artists, musicians, and puppeteers, offering experiential programs for our children, giving support to educators of our children, and collaborating with diverse community and agency organizations. She is the Founder of Coyote Center for Carnivore Ecology and Coexistence whose Mission is to share with community members the science we know of our returning carnivores and the skills to live well with them. Visit her two educational websites: Coyote Lives in Maine and Farming with Carnivores Network.
Don’t Fear the Schedule F!
Don’t Fear the Schedule F! Introduction to Filing Your Farm Tax Return
January 25, 2024
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom
WEBINAR RECORDING
Farm income and expenses are reported to the IRS on a Schedule F (Form 1040), Profit or Loss From Farming. This webinar addresses the tax reporting requirements for farmers, including how to identify if you have farm income, when to file your tax return, and common tax deductions available to farmers. This webinar also includes a discussion about how the Schedule F is related to your overall tax return and common business reports.
Speaker Bios:
Michael Sciabarrasi was an Extension Specialist/Professor for Cooperative Extension at the University of New Hampshire for 36 years. During that time, he led statewide educational programs in agricultural finance, farm business planning, estate and succession planning, and risk management. He also served as an interdisciplinary leader for the NH Agricultural and Natural Resource Business Institute and taught undergraduate courses in Business Management and Agricultural Finance in the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture. Since retiring, Michael continues to support state and regional Extension programs in farm business management. Projects include the New England/Northeast efforts to establish benchmarks for diversified direct-market farms; evaluation of farm financials under the NH Farm Strong program; and, income tax education for farmers in New Hampshire and Maine.
Kelly McAdam is Program Team Leader for UNH Extension’s Food and Agriculture Program Team. She worked as an Agriculture Business Management Field Specialist for 12 years, specializing in farm taxation for the past four years. Kelly holds an Enrolled Agent license with the IRS.
Getting Started with Commercial Dahlia Production
Getting Started with Commercial Dahlia Production
February 6, 2024
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom
WEBINAR RECORDING
Come join us on your lunch hour for a discussion about how to get started with a Dahlia enterprise on your commercial farm. This webinar will feature Veggies to Table’s Erica Berman who will talk about her farm’s dahlia production, marketing, and storage. Veggies To Table is an Organic farm in Newcastle Maine that produces vegetables and cut flowers.
Speaker Bio:
After 20 years in Paris and Italy, Erica Berman swapped city living for a life steeped in sustainable values, nature, and creating less waste when she moved to Maine in 2012 with her husband, and Veggies to Table co-founder, Alain Ollier. In 2019 the launch of Veggies to Table stemmed from a deep-rooted desire to live a more meaningful life and to give back to their community. She created and ran the boutique vacation rental company Haven In (rentals in Paris, Provence and Tuscany) and HiP Paris a cultural blog on Paris, before starting Veggies to Table. In her rare free time, Erica loves to read, cook, learn languages, walk in the woods, snuggle with her cats, and travel off the beaten track. Erica has a passion for flowers, beautiful interiors, industrial furniture and reclaimed and reused everything.
Accepting Alternate Forms of Currency for Farm Products: WIC, SNAP, Maine Senior FarmShare, and More
Accepting Alternate Forms of Currency for Farm Products: WIC, SNAP, Maine Senior FarmShare, and More
February 8, 2024
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom
WEBINAR RECORDING
Join us at your lunch hour to learn about how farmers can accept alternative forms of currency for their farm products. New and experienced farmers – come learn about the process of accepting WIC, SNAP, Maine Harvest Bucks, Maine Senior FarmShare program, and more at your farm stand or farmers’ market booth. This is a great way to get low-income Mainers access to locally grown food. We will also speak about the Maine Harvest for Hunger Program and Maine Gleaning Network. We have a panel of knowledgeable speakers so bring your questions!
Topics:
- Participation in Maine Senior FarmShare Program —G Cherichello, Maine DACF Maine Senior FarmShare Program Manager
- Involvement in the Maine Harvest for Hunger Program and the Maine Gleaning Network — Lynne Holland, UMaine Extension Horticulture Professional
- Accepting Maine Harvest Bucks and SNAP benefits at their farm stand or farmers’ market booth — Jamie Pacheco, Brunswick/Topsham Land Trust
- Process of accepting WIC vouchers at a farm stand or farmers’ market booth — Ana Pedre, Maine WIC Vendor Manager, www.maine.gov/wic
UMaine Cooperative Extension is hosting this webinar with funding from USDA NIFA Grant #2021-70033-35716.
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