Rural Living Month, formerly known as Rural Living Day, is an annual event in April hosted by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Waldo County Extension Association. During the four-week event, a variety of workshops will be offered by Extension staff and community experts on topics ranging from gardening with youth to cheesemaking, invasive forest pests, and livestock management. This year the event will consist of four virtual workshops on the first four Saturdays in April. There is a $10 fee per workshop. Scholarships are available, please call the Waldo County Cooperative Extension office at 207.342.5971.
Proceeds from this year’s event will support the WCEA post-secondary education scholarship for Waldo County residents. For more information on the WCEA scholarship visit extension.umaine.edu/waldo/wcea-scholarship.
April 2nd at 9:00am: Homestead Livestock Choices– Join Kirsten Lie-Nielsen, an author and farmer living in rural Maine, to learn which livestock species is the best fit for your homestead. Kirsten will help you determine what livestock can serve you and your land best on the homestead. This workshop will delve into the different livestock options for the modern homestead, their pros and cons, and how they can help manage your land.
April 9th at 9:00am: Youth In the Garden– This interactive workshop will consist of a panel of school garden coordinators, outdoor educators, FoodCorps members, and students who will share their experiences and tips for gardening and working in the outdoors with children and teens.
April 16th at 9:00am: Invasive Forest Insects in Maine– Join Thomas Schmeelk, a Maine Forest Service Entomologist, to learn how to protect your land against current and emerging threats to Maine forests. Thomas will cover the life histories and distribution of invasive insects.
April 23rd at 9:00am: Queso Presto! Join Eric Rector, a local cheesemaker from Monroe Cheese Studio, to learn how to turn a liquid into a solid! Cheesemaking takes a lot of time: usually, a day of work just to get the initial stage of fresh cheese and then years of aging. In this workshop, Eric will summarize 10,000 years of cheese making and show you how to make a quick and tasty cheese in an effort to describe milk’s leap toward immortality.
The University of Maine is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. To request more information or a reasonable accommodation, call Sadee Mehuren at 207.342.5971 or 800-287-1426 in Maine.