National Pollinator Week: New Buzz About the Birds and the Bees

ORONO, ME—The first annual National Pollinator Week, June 24-30, will promote awareness of the importance of bees, birds, bats, butterflies, beetles, and other pollinators.

The pollinator garden—an evolving project—will be open at the University of Maine’s Rogers Farm demonstration gardens on the Bennoch Road in Stillwater. On Tuesday, June 26 at 6 p.m., UMaine Cooperative Extension will hold a workshop featuring a panel of university experts to discuss garden bugs, weeds and diseases. A list of plants used in the pollinator garden will be available, along with fact sheets on pollinators and pollination. (Call 942-7396 or 1-800-287-1485 for more information.)

Pollinator Week was proclaimed by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and a unanimous vote by the U.S. Senate. As the nationwide campaign to protect pollinators kicks off, the news has been filled with reports of widespread honeybee deaths. The campaign is intended to raise public awareness of the importance of bees and other pollinators in ensuring the health and safety of our food and ecosystems. Major crops that depend on bee pollination include California almonds, Florida citrus and Maine blueberries. UMaine Extension Blueberry Specialist Dave Yarborough emphasizes that “bees are essential for pollinating blueberries.”

Pollinator conservation advocates in the U.S. Senate are working to pass the Pollinator Habitat Protection Act, which would assure that language promoting pollinator conservation is included in the Farm Bill, and a pollinator research bill, as well. The House Natural Resources Committee plans an oversight hearing to understand the role of pollinators in public lands.

The Pollinator Partnership at http://www.pollinator.org/ has news, fact sheets and other resources about pollinators.

For more than 90 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land-grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county.

UMaine Gives 4‑H Teens a Taste of College

ORONO, ME—University of Maine Cooperative Extension brought 41 Maine 4‑H members aged 11-15 to campus for a UMaine experience for the weekend of May 19-20. Through a collaborative effort of faculty, staff and graduate students, participants attended activities to learn about UMaine and its many possible courses of study. For parents, there were sessions on admissions and college readiness, scholarship candidacy and all aspects of financial aid.

Teens attending the event, which was called “EDGE: Engagement, Direction and Goals in Education,” said they got “a really great view of what college would be like.” One participant “learned about programs in animal science that I could come here to study,” and many hoped they could return next year.

Students were able to choose from hands-on activities like creating digital photo stories, designing Web pages, programming robotics, tracking seals using Geographic Information Systems software, preparing healthy snacks and visiting calves and other members of the animal science program at Witter Farm. To experience some of the recreational opportunities on campus, youth enjoyed the climbing walls at the Maine Bound Outdoor Education Center, swam at Memorial Gymnasium and did a GPS scavenger hunt. They also completed a community service project as a part of the national “Operation: Military Kids” program, putting together “Hero Packs”: backpacks filled with games, school supplies, writing paper and other items for “suddenly military” youth whose National Guard parents have been deployed.

4‑H had many partners in this effort including the Pine Tree State 4‑H Foundation, Dead River Company, Bangor Savings Bank and Eaton Peabody; the adult sessions were offered by the Office of Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and the Maine Community Foundation, among others.

4-H “EDGE” weekend was designed to help youth make decisions about their future college careers: the teens “engaged” with areas of study at the university and the faculty who teach them, found “direction” toward future college experiences, and set “goals” for future success in “education.”

Contact: Christy Fitzpatrick, 207-532-6548, cfitz@umext.maine.edu

For more than 90 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land-grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county.

4-H Foundation Announces 2007 Scholarship Recipients

ORONO, ME – At the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation’s recent Annual Meeting, eight 4-H members were each awarded a one thousand dollar scholarship to help finance their educational goals. As expressed by Dr. Fred Schlutt, Executive Director of the foundation, “Post secondary education scholarships are an important offering of the 4-H Foundation. They reward the hard work of our graduating 4-H members and also display the dedication of 4-H to higher levels of learning.”

Kassandre Moulton of Athens was the recipient of the Gladys Conant / Farm Credit of Maine Scholarship. Kassandre is an honors student at Madison High and she has been involved in band, track and basketball. Kassandre has been involved in 4-H since she was ten years old. Kassandre helped form a 4-H teen club in Somerset county; organize and present livestock demonstrations at the Skowhegan fair and she has volunteered countless hours of her time at the Somerset county 4-H Office. She has held the offices of treasurer, secretary and president in her 4-H club. She is accepted at the University of Maine and plans to study in the field of agribusiness and resource management.

Seth Bell of Waterford received of the Parker Lovejoy Scholarship. Seth has been involved in 4-H for 10 years. His major project area has been working steers and he and his teams have competed at Big E in West Springfield, Mass five times. He is accepted at New Hampshire Community Technical College in Berlin where he intends to study mobile equipment technology.

This year, the principle of the Claude Clement Scholarship endowment grew to a point where the foundation was able to use it to provide two scholarships. Ashley Zibura from Windsor and Andrew Hardy from Farmington were the recipients of this scholarship.

Ashley is a high honors (2nd in a class of 174) student at Erskine Academy. She has been active in destination imagination, national honor society, the math team and peer tutoring; she was also Erskine academy’s delegate to Dirigo Girls State. Ashley has been in 4-H for seven years, mainly concentrating on equine projects. She served as president of the Whip N Spurs 4-H club for 4 years and was a founding member and senior leader of the Clery Lake Pony Club. She is accepted at Brandeis University and plans to study in the field of biology or veterinary medicine.

Andrew is a national honor society student at Mt. Blue High School where he served as class president for 2 years. He is captain of the varsity lacrosse team and plays in the concert and jazz bands as well as being a member of the wrestling and cross county teams. Andrew has been in 4-H for 14 years mainly concentrating in dairy. As a three year captain of the Eastern States Dairy Judging Team, Andrew lead his team to overall victory twice. He also was captain of the winning Eastern States fitting team. He has been a Maine delegate to National 4-H Conference, Citizenship Washington Focus, and the National 4-H Congress Design Team. Andrew is accepted at the University of New Hampshire where he plans to study in the field of Dairy Management.

Rebekah Wakefield from Burlington received the Azure Dillon Memorial Scholarship. Rebekah is an honors student and has been in 4-H for 7 years. She won numerous county awards for her 4-H work including the Kiwanis Agricultural award, Donald L. Dorr Memorial Award and the Merton E. Libby award. Rebekah has also been selected to represent Maine at the National 4-H Conference in Washington DC. Rebekah has an outstanding volunteer record doing over 200 hours at Eastern Maine Medical Center and many hours at the Burlington Town Office. She also provided key leadership in a project to build a 4-H show barn in her town. Rebekah is accepted at the University of Maine and North Carolina State University. She intends to study in the field of animal sciences.

Nicole Michaud from Presque Isle was the recipient of the Verna Witter Scholarship. She attends Presque Isle High School and has been active in cheerleading for 3 years. Nicole has been involved in 4-H for 9 years, mainly concentrating in equestrian projects. She has been a member of the Maine 4-H Equestrian Team at Eastern States Exposition and won several grand champion and reserve champion ribbons at different 4-H horse shows. She also shows a passion for volunteer work, spending many hours at the Central Aroostook Humane Society and sharing her 4-H skills with younger members. She is accepted at the University of Maine, Presque Isle and plans to study in the fields of art and/or biology.

Kendra Leigh West from Berwick was the recipient of the Evelyn Trotsky Scholarship. Kendra is a Cum Laude and National Honor Society student at Noble High School. She has been a 4-H member for 7 years, concentrating in Llamas. Kendra has been president of the Llama brigade 4-H club for 4 years. She has competed at Eastern States, winning youth reserve grand champion, and at the Acton and Fryeburg Fairs winning showmanship and reserve grand champion. Another great love for Kendra is music and theatre. She is a member of the Bill Center Teen Acting Troup; All Eastern Choir; Bell Center Adult Jazz Choir; One Act Drama Club and others. She is accepted at the University of Rochester where she plans to study in the field of theatre management.

Brittany Humphrey of New Gloucester received the Doris Roberts, H. Lawrence, and George Lawrence Humphrey 4-H Scholarship. She is a national honor society student at Gray New Gloucester High School and also is an outstanding varsity athlete in soccer, basketball and softball. Brittany has been in 4-H for 14 years, mainly concentrating in sheep projects. She has been treasurer, vice president and president in her 4-H club. She shows at Cumberland, Fryeburg and Topsham fairs winning many awards ranging from 1st place for racing pigs to champion Southdown Ewe. She has been to Eastern States three times winning 1st place fitting and showmanship all 3 years and champion Southdown Ewe twice. Brittany is accepted at University of Maine, Husson College, University of Maine Farmington, and St. Joseph’s College. She plans to study in the field of liberal arts.

The Maine 4-H program grew out of early 20th-century boys and girls clubs, which were folded into the University of Maine Cooperative Extension work in 1913. Since that date, 4-H has continued to set the standard in youth development, helping Maine’s young people acquire the knowledge, life skills, leadership abilities, and attitudes necessary for lifetime success. Young people can become involved in 4‑H through school enrichment programs, 4‑H camps, and county UMaine Extension offices.

4-H is University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s youth development program. The Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization that provides financial and organizational support to 4-H clubs throughout Maine.



Contact: Mary Dinsmore, Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation, P (207) 581-3327, F (207) 581-1387, mdinsmore@umext.maine.edu

Newry Farm Will Host UMaine Cooperative Extension Goat Enterprise Tour June 24

FAIRFIELD, ME—The fourth tour in University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s series of Goat Enterprise Farm Tours will take place on Saturday, June 24 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Garden Path Farm, 957 Bear River Road in Newry. This tour will focus on how goats fit into a diversified farm operation. A training on performing a FAMACHA test to detect parasite infestation in goats and sheep is being held at this farm on the same day. While the goat tour is free, there is a $20 per farm fee and required preregistration for the FAMACHA training.

UMaine Extension’s series of goat enterprise tours are taking place through September at farms around the state. Designed for anyone who wants to learn more about raising goats for meat, milk or fiber, these tours aim to teach sound goat husbandry and help support the growing Maine market for local cheese and meat. All tours are free and open to the public. No registration is required, but people should arrive at the designated tour start times.

The remaining tours will take place at farms in Starks, Dresden and Saco. Visit www.umext.maine.edu or call UMaine Extension’s Cumberland County office at 1-800-287-1471 for details.

Goats have been a traditional farm animal around the world for centuries. Considered browsers rather than grazers as they prefer leaves over grass, goats are known for their productivity and resourcefulness in grazing brush land. Raising goats is becoming increasingly popular in Maine, and it’s not hard to understand why. According to the American Dairy Goat Association, the fat and protein in goat milk is more easily digested than that in cow milk, and goat milk is often tolerated by people allergic to cow milk. Goat milk is also naturally homogenized. Goat meat, called chevon, is low in fat and calories compared to beef, and is one of the most commonly eaten meats worldwide.

For more information about raising goats, contact UMaine Extension Educator Richard Brzozowski, at 1-800-287-1471 or rbrz@umext.maine.edu. To be placed on UMaine Extension’s statewide goat mailing list, contact Melisa Potts at 1-800-287-7170 or mpotts@umext.maine.edu.


Additional Information: Entire Goat Tour Schedule
10:00 AM to noon, Saturday, July 21, 2007
Sunny Ridge Farm, George & Rose Martikke, Starks, Maine
(207) 696-3889
E-mail: sunnyridge@gwi.net
Featured topics: raising dairy goats and meat goats

2:00 to 5:00 PM, Sunday, August 26, 2007
Dragonfly Cove Farm, Marge Kilkelly & Joe Murray
5 McCobb Road, Dresden, Maine 04342
(207) 737-8737
E-mail: info@dragonflycovefarm.com
www.dragonflycovefarm.com
Featured topic: goat meat dishes for sampling

3:00 to 5:00 PM, Sunday, September 9, 2007
Joel & Anne Tripp
Liberty Farm
238 Flag Pond Road
Saco, ME 04072
207-282-0967
207-205-4592
E-mail: libertyfarm@gwi.net
Feature topic: small scale dairying, new processing plant

UMaine Offers Workshop on Problem-Solving in the Garden

STILLWATER, Maine—University of Maine Cooperative Extension will host a panel of university and other local experts to help you identify bugs, weeds and diseases you may encounter in your garden. The rain-or-shine meeting begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 26 at the University of Maine’s Rogers Farm, 914 Bennoch Road, Stillwater. Visitors are encouraged to come earlier and tour the UMaine Extension Master Gardener demonstration gardens. Contact UMaine Extension’s Penobscot County office at 942-7396 or 1-800-287-1485 for more information.

Panelists include Pest Management Specialist Jim Dill, Plant Pathologist Bruce Watt, Horticulture Specialist Lois Stack, Research Entomologist Phil Stack and Assistant Professor of Horticulture Stephanie Burnett. In addition, Entomology Research Associate Alejandro Arevalo will discuss the appearance of the European red ant in Maine.

This is the first of this summer’s public nights at the garden. The second, “Moon, Tune, Croon,” will feature music and readings to celebrate the July full moon, and is planned for July 24. On August 21, “Something Old, Something New” will feature discussion on new and unusual plants along with some old favorites. All events also begin at 6 p.m. and will be held rain or shine.

For more than 90 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land-grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county.

Bradford Farm Will Host UMaine Cooperative Extension Goat Enterprise Tour June 16

FAIRFIELD, ME—The third farm tour in University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s series of Goat Enterprise Farm Tours will take place on Saturday, June 16 from 10 a.m. till noon at Leanne Waters’ Cedar Run Farm, on the Hudson Road in Bradford. Waters raises full-blood and percentage Boer goats, and the topic of this tour will be goat facilities and crossbreeding for meat production.

UMaine Extension’s series of goat enterprise tours are taking place through September at farms around the state. Designed for anyone who wants to learn more about raising goats for meat, milk or fiber, these tours aim to teach sound goat husbandry and help support the growing Maine market for local cheese and meat. All tours are free and open to the public. No registration is required, but people should arrive at the designated tour start times.

The remaining tours will take place at farms in Newry, Starks, Dresden and Saco. Visit www.umext.maine.edu or call UMaine Extension’s Cumberland County office at 1-800-287-1471 for details.

Goats have been a traditional farm animal around the world for centuries. Considered browsers rather than grazers as they prefer leaves over grass, goats are known for their productivity and resourcefulness in grazing brush land. Raising goats is becoming increasingly popular in Maine, and it’s not hard to understand why. According to the American Dairy Goat Association, the fat and protein in goat milk is more easily digested than that in cow milk, and goat milk is often tolerated by people allergic to cow milk. Goat milk is also naturally homogenized. Goat meat, called chevon, is low in fat and calories compared to beef, and is one of the most commonly eaten meats worldwide.

For more information about raising goats, contact UMaine Extension Educator Richard Brzozowski, at 1-800-287-1471 or rbrz@umext.maine.edu. To be placed on UMaine Extension’s statewide goat mailing list, contact Melisa Potts at 1-800-287-7170 or mpotts@umext.maine.edu.


For more than 90 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land-grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county.


Additional Information: Entire Goat Tour Schedule
1:00 to 4:00 PM, Sunday, June 24, 2007
Garden Path Farm, Heather Vale
957 Bear River Road
Newry, ME 04261
207-824-4120
E-mail: grdnpath@megalink,net
Featured topics: How goats fit into a diversified farm and FAMACHA training

10:00 AM to noon, Saturday, July 21, 2007
Sunny Ridge Farm, George & Rose Martikke, Starks, Maine
(207) 696-3889
E-mail: sunnyridge@gwi.net
Featured topics: raising dairy goats and meat goats

2:00 to 5:00 PM, Sunday, August 26, 2007
Dragonfly Cove Farm, Marge Kilkelly & Joe Murray
5 McCobb Road, Dresden, Maine 04342
(207) 737-8737
E-mail: info@dragonflycovefarm.com
www.dragonflycovefarm.com
Featured topic: goat meat dishes for sampling

3:00 to 5:00 PM, Sunday, September 9, 2007
Joel & Anne Tripp
Liberty Farm
238 Flag Pond Road
Saco, ME 04072
207-282-0967
207-205-4592
E-mail: libertyfarm@gwi.net
Feature topic: small scale dairying, new processing plant