2018 July PCEA-EC Minutes

Minutes: Piscataquis County Extension Association Executive Committee Meeting on 7/9/2018

Present: Members: Beth McEvoy, George McKay, Carole Boothroyd, Karen Murphy

Staff: Donna Coffin, Sheila Norman, Trisha Smith, John Albertini

  • President Beth McEvoy called the meeting to order at 3 pm.
  • Minutes of the 6/11/2018 meeting were approved.
  • Treasurer’s report was approved. Donna noted that a 2017 version of Quicken is needed for John Albertini’s newer computer and that 10 chairs have been sold for $140.
  • John Albertini, the Administrative Specialist, reported on his first five months on the job. John says he is learning new things all the time. He recently attended a support staff training conference in Augusta, where he was able to meet and confer with people from other Cooperative Extension offices. He also spent two days distributing tomato seedlings for One TomatoTM at WIC locations in Milo and Dover-Foxcroft. John helps administer the Facebook Page, so if anyone sees articles of interest, please send to him at albertini@maine.edu

Program Updates

     Highlights of 4-H Program by Sheila Norman

  • The bake sale at Tractor Supply in June raised $202
  • A potential new leader is part way through volunteer training, with the intent of starting a horse club.
  • Members of the Executive Committee are encouraged to sign up to help at the Piscataquis Valley Fair. John has a sign-up sheet.
  • If anyone has items to donate to the 4-H Silent Auction, contact Ruth Huettner at jerseycowgirl@gmail.com or Sheila.
  • Sheila will be busy July 27-Aug 5 with the Bangor State Fair. Penobscot Valley Homeschool Association, a 4-H Club, runs the Exhibit Hall.
  • Beth reports that she will set up a “painted cow” information session at the Bangor State Fair to teach bovine anatomy.

Home Horticulture Report from Trisha Smith

  • Trisha provided very appreciative testimonials from the Black Fly Festival organizers, the WIC staff and the Greenville Town Office, for the opportunity to give out tomato seedlings.
  • 34 youth have enrolled in the Passport program; 22 are 4-H age, 7 are Cloverleafs and 5 are younger than 5 years. Rebecca had 8 participants making smoothies at her first “4-H Fun With Rebecca” market SPIN club.
  • Trisha spends every Monday from 9-11 am at the school garden. She has 4 regular youth helpers and so far, has had 3 families (7 kids total) visit. The garden has already produced lettuce, radishes, chives, garlic scapes, chard, some peas and carrot thinnings and promises to produce a lot of pumpkins. Trisha plans to purchase a pop-up beach tent to provide a shady rest spot near the garden.

Piscataquis Activities from Donna Coffin

  • Donna reports 21 one to one contacts, including questions on beginner farmer training, beef marketing, forage beet silage, weed ID and control, crop seeding and fertility recommendations, AI for cattle, insect ID and control, lichen on house siding and annual meeting information.

Upcoming Programs/Meetings

  • Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District– Forestry committee meeting at 4:30 pm and regular meeting at 5:30 pm at the Piscataquis County Extension office, July 12.
  • The Piscataquis Executive Committee is invited to tour the Plant, Animal, Insect Lab 5:30-6:30 pm on July 25 and join the Penobscot County Extension Executive Committee at Roger’s Farm to tour the Master Gardener’s Demonstration Garden at 6:30 pm.
  • Backyard Poultry-getting ready for winter- is on September 17 at 9:30 am to noon and 6 to 8:30 pm at the Extension Office in Dover-Foxcroft.
  • So You Want to Farm in Maine training is October 2, 9, 16 and 23 from 1-4 pm. Live sessions are in Bangor, streaming for Aroostook, Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties are being planned.
  • Piscataquis County Annual Meeting and Dinner is November 7 at 5 pm. Theme: What’s Killing My Plants? Top identifications of 2018 and prevention. Guest Speakers: Dr. Alicyn Smart, Plant Pathologist, and Dr. Matt Wallhead, Ornamental Horticulturist. Location TBA.

Past Programs/Meetings

Update on One Tomato TM – in 2018, we added 400 folks to the list of people receiving tomato seedlings, for a total of 1, 794 over the four years of the program. Many thanks to Ellis Greenhouse in Hudson for growing the red, orange, yellow, orange paste and Amish paste cherry tomatoes. John entered 316 surveys in the computer; of these, 16% had never gardened, 21% have only gardened 1-4 years and 41% signed up for the electronic newsletter. For 29%, this was their first contact with UMaine Extension. The winner in the Facebook contest to name the traveling tomato that will appear at events this summer is: Tom T. Pott

Unfinished Business

  • The One Tomato TM program still has harvest surveys to be returned and entered into the computer.
  • The 2019 Budget to be submitted to the County Commission is in progress.
  • A new contact from Milo, Andrew Wile, requests the agenda and minutes. He will try to make the next Executive Committee meeting.
  • Gretchen Huettner accepted an invitation to join the Executive Committee. The Committee voted unanimously to have Gretchen become a member.
  • The committee selected 4 more of Richard Neal’s photos for the office.

     New Business

  • Two current members of the Executive Committee terms expire in 2018. Beth requests an updated roster of committee members and when their terms expire and who is eligible to be re-elected.
  • An expenditure for an air conditioner for Trish’s office was unanimously approved.

 

The meeting adjourned at 4:50 pm

Next meeting: August 13, 2018, at 3 pm at the Cooperative Extension office in Dover-Foxcroft.

 

Submitted by Carole Boothroyd, Secretary 7/30/2018