November 8, 2017

Notes from the Piscataquis County Extension Annual Meeting, 11/ 8/2017

  • The Piscataquis County Extension Association held their Annual Meeting on November 8, 2017 at 5:00 pm in the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church. Twenty-nine people assembled for UMaine Cooperative Extension livestock specialist Dr. Colt Knight’s demonstration of preparing and smoking whole chickens. Dr. Knight also gave information about food safety, equipment for smoking, cooking times and temperatures and how to serve the chicken after smoking.
  • Extension Professor, Donna Coffin, told a humorous story about Joseph Bodwell, the first Piscataquis County Extension Agent, and his early encounters with poultry farmers. Donna illustrated her talk with a stuffed chicken to demonstrate the trick Bodwell played on the farmers.
  • Guests enjoyed a supper of smoked chicken, accompanied by roasted potatoes and root vegetables, salad and hand pies provided by Spruce Mill Farm.
  • After supper, Dr. Beth McEvoy, President, held a brief Executive Committee meeting. She introduced the Executive Committee’s elected officers: Dr. Beth McEvoy, President; David Bridges, Vice President; Carole Boothroyd, Secretary; Dr. Karen Murphy, Treasurer and invited guests to consider joining the Executive Committee to support Extension work.
  • With the aid of a slideshow, Dr. Knight presented this past summer’s research project at UMaine Witter Farm. Dr. Knight explained that the trend towards “farm to table” smaller chicken operations favors chicken tractors on pasture rather than large stacked cages. Dr. Knight’s research used chicken tractors based on plans by John Suscovich to raise six common breeds of chickens on pasture. The study compared a conventional breed: Cornish Cross Cobb 500, with four slow growing breeds: Red Freedom Rangers, Black Freedom Rangers, Imperial Stripe, Imperial Red, and a heritage breed: Turken Neck. The outcomes being measured were water intake, forage utilization, food efficiency, carcass weight and time to reach weight. Forage utilization proved to be negligible and for the other outcomes, the Cornish Cross Cob 500 performed best.
  • Donna Coffin presented Dr. Knight with a framed wildlife photograph and assortment of fishing flies, donated by executive committee member Richard Neal, in appreciation of his visit to Piscataquis County.
  • The Annual Meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm.

 

Next Executive Committee meeting: December 11, 2017 Piscataquis Extension Conference Room 3:00-5:00 pm.

Submitted by Carole Boothroyd, Secretary