2020 January PCEA-EC Minutes

Minutes: Piscataquis County Extension Association Executive Committee meeting 1/13/2020, 3-5 pm

Present: Members: Beth McEvoy, Karen Murphy, Carole Boothroyd, Gretchen Huettner, Ben Cookson, George McKay

Staff: Donna Coffin, Sheila Norman, Emily Mott, Trisha Smith, Lisa Phelps via Tandberg

Call to Order– President Beth McEvoy called the meeting to order at 3 pm. Karen selected as a timekeeper.

Business

  • Minutes of 1/13/2020 meeting were approved. Motion to approve: George. Second: Karen. Vote: unanimous yes.
  • The Treasurer’s Report was approved, with no corrections. Motion to approve: Gretchen Second: George. Vote: unanimous yes.

Program Updates

 4-H Program Update- Sheila Norman and Emily Mott

  • Susannah recently attended the National 4-H Agri-Science Summit in D.C
  • Sheila and Emily will represent 4-H at the Youth Services Summit, January 14 at the Commons at Central Hall. It is for county youth service providers to serve youth, families, and schools more effectively by learning about available resources and collaborating with others to identify gaps and to address priorities.
  • The Piscataquis County Public Speaking Tournament is on March 14, 10 am to 12 pm at the Congregational Church in Dover-Foxcroft. For those who can’t attend on that date, they are welcome to join the Penobscot County Public Speaking Tournament on Feb. 29
  • The Sew Much Fun SPIN Club, led by Barbara Lockwood and Sally Downing, meets at the Extension Office on Feb. 18, 19 and 21.
  • The Choose Health: Food, Fun, and Fitness SPIN Club will be meeting at the Guilford Library, Thursdays from March 5-April 9, 3-4:30. Kids will play active games and prepare and sample healthy snacks.
  • Trisha and Emily are working on an Earth Day Nature Trail kickoff event, to generate volunteers and youth to work on restoring the nature trail at SeDoMoCha.

Home Horticulture Report – Trisha Smith 

  • Three Master Gardner Volunteers are working on the Garden in a Box project with PRFC. 20 container gardens are planned. Two MGV retired last year. A MGV is leading the Piscataquis 4-H Passport kids. They will be touring Widdershins Grassfed Beef and Raw Milk Dairy on Jan. 18.
  • Potential projects for MGV and other Extension volunteers: demonstration garden at PRFC- design/build moveable garden beds, plan wheelchair accessibility, planting and maintaining the beds.
  • Nature Trail Restoration Project Earth Day kickoff- opportunities for Observing Signs of the Seasons, sharing knowledge and skills among generations, managing non-native invasive species, supporting school programs, building and maintaining trails, increasing accessibility. Looking for people with solid tree identification skills to help with the tree census; Ben suggests UMaine or Unity College students. Emily hopes to start a SPIN Club around the trail.
  • Second graders at SeDoMoCha will be eating pumpkin and grinding corn this winter. Planting in April.
  • Trisha provided a list of Maine seed sellers.

 

Piscataquis Activities-Dec-Jan – Donna Coffin

  • Donna reports 8 one to one contacts, including questions on poultry, recycling, Ag Trade Show.
  • Growing in a Greenhouse for Home Gardeners and Small Scale Farmers and Hay and Pasture Program will be offered in March at the Extension Office.
  • Keeping Small Ruminants Healthy is postponed until fall, but there is a discussion about running a spring workshop on fecal parasites at the Extension office.
  • Donna presented an Extension Program review for the Dover-Foxcroft Kiwanis on Dec 10.
  • Plant Clinic will occur on the 4th Friday of each month in various venues, such as libraries.
  • An Automated External Defibrillator is coming to the office courtesy of Orono.
  • Donna attended a Hemp Regulations meeting by MDAC in Augusta.

Unfinished Business

  • The County Budget will include an additional $3000 from the county (we had asked for $5691). Given the new information, the Executive Committee needs to decide among the options that Donna presented. The committee opted to table a decision until the February meeting.

Options for office hours 2020

  1. No change
    1. open 24 hours per week on Monday, Thursday and Friday
  2. Open 28 hours per week all year
    1. open 4 hours on either Tuesday or Wednesday
  3. Open 24 hours per week for 6 months and 32 hours per week for 6 months
    1. Open 8 hours on one day for 6 months (April to September) on either Tuesday or Wednesday
    2. Open 4 hours for two days for 6 months (January to March and October to December) on Tuesday and Wednesday
  4. Open 32 hours per week year-round
    1. Use carryover funds to cover the extra cost
  5. Other?
  • Program Supply Allocation was discussed:

2020 Program Expense Supplies Sub Categories

4-H Fair & school $ 100, 4-H Passport $500, One Tomato $200, Annual Meeting $200, Misc. $100, $1,000 available, $1,100 School Garden supplies from Orono garden account Funded with program fees

 

Donna provided a list of 2020 Piscataquis County Program Plans by month.

2020 Piscataquis County Program Plans

Month – Activities Who? Staff Who? Executive Committee, MGV, other
January

·      Maine Agricultural Trades Show – 4-H Public Speaking on Wednesday afternoon – Piscataquis youth participating.

·      Passport club touring Widdershin Farm

  

 

 

Trisha
February

·      Sew Much Fun – SPIN club

·      28th Plant Clinic – Office

  

Sheila / Emily

Donna
March

·      14th 4-H Public Speaking – March 14th

·      Hay & Pasture Workshop?  Ext. Office

·      12th Growing in a Greenhouse for home and small-scale farm -Ext Office 1 to 3 pm

·      Plant Clinic – Guilford Library

·      Guilford Library – Choose Health for Food, Fun, and Fitness

  

Sheila /Emily

Rick Kersbergen?

Matt Wallhead

 

Trisha

Sheila / Emily
April

·      18th Livestock – small ruminant –parasite screening – slides and microscopes available from Orono – What to look for and what can be tested. Bring fecal samples. At Little Organics Learning Center, DF

·      Plant Clinic at PRFC

·      Super Saturday, Adult Ed – Micro-greens, etc. 11th

·      Earth Week Activities

·      School Garden – Spring clean up and set up irrigation – Pea and Carrot planting

  

Donna / Colt Knight & Anne Lichtenwalner

 

Trisha

Trisha

Trisha / Emily

Trisha

 Beth McEvoy, Karen Murphy, Ben Cookson
May

·      9th Soil Display at SWCD Plant Sale – DF

·      Pork cooking – Birabuta Pork

 

·      Temple Grandin talk animal handling

·      22nd Plant Clinic Sangerville Library

·      School Garden

  

Donna

Donna, Chef Rob? Colt Knight

Donna

Donna

Trisha

  

 

Ben Cookson

 

Ben Cookson
June

·      One Tomato – Black Fly Festival June 1st Milo, Greenville, + other sites

·      School Garden

·      Pasture Walk & Cattle Handling – Shaw Road Farm

·      Plant Clinic PRFC

·      Garden in a Box

  

Donna

 

Trisha

Colt, Donna

Trisha

Trisha

  

 

 

 

Ben Cookson

 

Month – Activities Who? Staff Who? Executive Committee, MGV, other
July

·      Passport Program

·      Plant Clinic Monson?

·      Garden in a Box

 

  

Trisha

Trisha

Trisha

 
August

·      Passport Program

·      27th to 30th Piscataquis Valley Fair

·      28th Plant Clinic at the Fair

·      Garden in a Box

  

Trisha

Sheila

Donna

Trisha
September

·      Winter Care of Poultry? – 10 am

·      One Tomato Harvest Survey

·      Newsletter Impact Surveys

·      25th Plant Clinic Greenville Town Office

 Colt Knight & Donna

Donna

Donna

Donna
October

·      4-H Block Party

·      Is Farming for ME?

·      Plant Clinic PRFC

  

Sheila / Emily

Donna

Trisha
November

·      Extension Presents: Annual Meeting? – Chef Rob? Utilizing fall foods at Food Center?

  

Donna & Chef Rob?
December

·      4th Plant Clinic Milo Town Office

 

  

Donna

 

New Business

  • Renovations are occurring in the reception area to accommodate people with limited mobility. When completed, an Open House was suggested.
  • Gretchen is offering a workshop in early July on 4-5 different types of fencing and Bookkeeping for Farmers workshop in Nov.
  • Dean Carter will be visiting with County Commissioners. She also reports that per a meeting with UMaine Senior Associate Counsel, Nina LaVoie, County Extension Association members are volunteers of the University of Maine, which includes liability coverage.
  • Ben described a new venture at the American Legion Building in Dover-Foxcroft – Little Organics Early Learning Center for 18 months to 5 years old kids. The daycare facility will use a standards-based curriculum and source food from local organic farmers. Ben hopes a MGV or 4-H group will help plant the front of the building.

 

The meeting adjourned at 5:00 pm.

Next meeting: February 10, 2020, at Piscataquis County Extension Office, Dover-Foxcroft 3-5 pm.

Submitted by Carole Boothroyd, Secretary 2/3/2020