University of Maine Cooperative Extension Offering Free Tree Tour

BANGOR, ME — UMaine Extension will be offering a tree tour of the Eastern Maine Native Plant Arboretum in Bangor and the University of Maine Campus in Orono on Friday, October 5 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (rain date is Friday, October 12).

UMaine Extension Educator Marjorie Peronto will lead the tour, which will teach participants about 24 species of native trees and shrubs that are being evaluated for their use and performance in urban landscapes. Peronto will also show participants how to identify native trees and nonnative invasive species, and discuss the use of native woody plants in the landscape.

Participants will meet in front of UMaine Extension’s Penobscot County office in Bangor at 307 Maine Avenue. This event is free and open to the public, but preregistration is requested: call UMaine Extension’s Cumberland County office at 800-287-1471 (in Maine) or 207-780-4205 before Monday, October 1.

This tour has been organized by the Maine Tree Club, an educational outreach program established by UMaine Extension, the Maine Forest Service and the Pine Tree State Arboretum. The club is designed to teach people of all ages how to identify the trees of Maine, how to care for trees on their property and in their community, and why trees are important to Maine, our ecosystem and our economy.



For more than 90 years, the 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.

Maine Grass Farmers Network to Hold Grazing Conference

FAIRFIELD, ME—The Maine Grass Farmers Network (MGFN), a cooperative effort of University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association (MOFGA), will hold their fourth annual grazing conference on Saturday, September 29 at Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield.

Registration begins at 9:15 and the conference ends at 4:15. Registration is $25—$20 for each additional farm member who attends—and includes lunch prepared with local products. For information or brochures, call University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Waldo County office at 800-287-1426 or 207-342-5971.

“This year’s program includes local and national experts, and will benefit all producers of livestock who use Maine’s pasture and forage resources to earn farm income,” explained Gabe Clark, owner and operator of Cold Spring Ranch in New Portland and a member of the MGFN steering committee.

Featured this year is Darrell Emmick, a grazing specialist from New York who just received his PhD studying grazing behaviors of livestock on pasture. Emmick, who works for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is well known for his practical expertise and will share information about using foraging animal behavior to maximize forage resources and animal productivity. In the morning, Darrell will speak on “Behavior-Based Grazing Management—More than Just the Luck of the Bite.” In a special session in the afternoon, Darrell will discuss equine pasture management.

Also on the conference schedule are producers from Maine, including Marge Kilkelley of Dragonfly Cove Farm in Dresden discussing the burgeoning goat meat market, and Hanne Tierney of Cornerstone Farm in Palmyra discussing pastured pigs. Vermonter Jim Kleptz will talk about how he raises Angus cattle on 600 acres, while owning 10 acres! Jim has consciously minimized his equipment and mastered the art of low-cost wintering without destroying sod. His operation supports three families.

University of Vermont Livestock Specialist Sam Comstock will discuss the economics of pasture-based livestock farming operations. Sam is a regular contributor to Country Folks magazine and has developed decision-making tools to evaluate the profitability of grazing-based operations.

Contact: Dee Potter, 207-834-3905, dpotter@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.

Marketing Seminar Can Equip Sheep and Goat Producers to Succeed

Monmouth, ME—University of Maine Cooperative Extension will partner with the Maine Sheep Breeders Association and the Boer Goat Breeders of Maine to offer a Sheep and Goat Marketing Seminar on Saturday, October 20 at UMaine’s Highmoor Farm in Monmouth, part of the Maine Agricultural & Forest Experiment Station. The event will feature Robert and Betty Herr of Narvon, Pennsylvania, who are sheep and meat-goat producers and longtime experienced buyers at the New Holland Livestock Auction, where thousands of sheep and goats are sold each week. The Herrs have also served as livestock judges and written numerous articles on producing and marketing goats and sheep.

“Marketing is the key to a successful sheep or goat enterprise,” observed UMaine Extension Educator Richard Brzozowski. “There’s a lot to learn about ethnic markets, consumer preferences, the changing holy-day calendar, market trends, animal value, carcass knowledge, and more. This seminar is designed to equip producers with the skills ands knowledge they need for success.”

The fee to participate in the seminar is $25 per person and includes a reference manual, refreshments and a delicious lunch, featuring goat meat prepared by Marge Kilkelly of Dragonfly Cove Farm in Dresden. There are discounted fees for members of the sponsoring associations.

For registration information and the schedule, please call UMaine Extension’s Cumberland County office at 800-287-1471 or visit www.extension.umaine.edu. The deadline for registration is October 15, and individuals should register as soon as possible, as space limits the number of participants. This seminar is designed for adults but may be suitable for youth over 12 years of age.




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 Training Will Help Dexter-Area Residents Clean Up Lakes

DEXTER, ME—University of Maine Cooperative Extension, in partnership with the Penobscot County Soil and Water Conservation District, is offering its Watershed Stewards program to residents in the Dexter area who want to keep pollution out of their lake. The training begins September 20, and will be held on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 9:00 at the Dexter Community Center. For more information or to register, please call Laura Wilson at 581-2971 (800-870-7270 in Maine) or e-mail at lwilson@umext.maine.edu. Registration deadline is September 17.

UMaine Extension’s Watershed Stewards program provides 20 hours of training designed to help local citizens recognize threats to their lakes, and gives them the tools needed to reduce or eliminate those threats. In turn, stewards complete at least 20 hours of service to their watershed, which can include projects such as cataloguing pollution sources and working with state agencies to reduce the impacts of these sources. There is no cost to participate, and all stewards receive a comprehensive resource notebook at no charge.

Extension Assistant Scientist Laura Wilson noted that “the majority of topics we’ll be covering are relevant to any local lake or pond—so if you’re on Sebec, Schoodic or one of the other area lakes, you are welcome to join us!” There are many sources of pollution in this area—commercial sites, logging roads, private roads and residential properties—that threaten the health of this particular watershed. “It is up to us, Maine's citizens, to recognize these sources of pollution and correct these problems,” stressed Wilson.

Contact: Laura Wilson, 207-581-2971, lwilson@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.