The U.S. Agricultural Census estimates more than 6,400 Northeast farms include some poultry production, and a 2009 survey of agricultural service providers in New England revealed 36 of 41-48 percent saw a growing interest in poultry enterprises in their areas. But when asked, the same providers said, overwhelmingly that they didn’t have the knowledge, or the confidence, to address poultry-related questions, and that they were not serving poultry producers effectively. Project leader Richard Brzozowski, from the Uni- versity of Maine Cooperative Extension, Cumber- land County, responded to this knowledge gap by applying for SARE funds to offer training in topics like egg production, bird anatomy, nutrition, egg and meat production cycles, pest management, market- ing, enterprise planning, and economics. The target was to train 20 service providers in six New England states in applied poultry science so that they could deliver education and assistance to at least 200 small-scale poultry producers whose enter- prises, in the aggregate, were worth $550,000 annu- ally. By the end of the project, 19 farm educators worked with 1,117 producers whose aggregate value was then estimated as more than $1M. This work included one-on-one technical assistance, farm visits, workshops, webinars, day-long schools, and surveys. As a result, farm service providers could report that 146 farmers started up a new poultry enterprise. At the core of the project’s success was a cohort of agricultural service providers equipped to serve farmers wanting to start, adapt, or expand a poultry enterprise. The project team, which included the New England region’s only remaining extension poultry specialist, Dr Michael Darre, provided comprehensive training to farm advisors, extension educators, USDA, state agencies and nonprofits. An advisory board is comprised of 6 poultry producers from around New England and also had a positive impact on the success of the project. The education included annual in-depth workshops, tours of facilities, and a library of reference materials. Selected participants also attended the International Poultry Expo in Atlanta in 2010, 2011 and 2012. This training included a range of egg and meat production topics, and also encompassed management topics like food safety, federal and state regulations, business planning, marketing and economics. Leaders were then encouraged to become lay teachers, honing their skills in specialized areas sharing this knowledge with each other and with farmers. For example, eleven participants put together fact sheets or similar guidance publications, six created model spreadsheets for decision making and tracking, three created record keeping templates, and six wrote articles for the Ag Media. Ten participants assembled slide shows, five got involved in research, six offered workshops and six worked with producer groups. These durable resources, along with the new net- work of poultry-proficient service providers will have a lasting influence on the region’s growing small - scale poultry industry. And some of these newly- trained providers are as- suming regional leader- ship roles in poultry science education - one participant was appointed as the statewide poultry specialist by his extension administration and another landed a $20,000 Working Lands Grant to develop enterprise budgets and business feasibility tem- plates for three laying-hen business models. Yet an- other participant complet- ed a two-year market research project address- ing poultry demand in his state. This four-year project was recently funded for a phase-two effort to con- firm and expand on the phase-one results. T Increase the Food Safety Margin of Wild Blueberries through Improved Intervention Measures; Improve Integrated Pest Management Practices for Maine Wild Blueber- ry Growers; and Build a Hops Ag in Maine. Since 2006, the Specialty Crop Block Grant Pro- gram has collected close to $3 million dollars for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to support specialty crop producers selling local and regional markets. For more Information: http://www.ams.usda.gov/scbgp Or call Jessica Nixon at 207-287-3494. Waite General Store ●Sporting Goods, fishing licenses ●Groceries, beer, soda, milk ●Postal service, UPS & Fed Ex ●Gift shop, Arts & Crafts ●Weigh station ●Game inspection, licensing ●Beer, deer, moose & turkey ●Get in the book ! 796-2330 Fax 796-5664. Hours: M-F 8 to 4 Dr Richard Brzozowski Commissioner Walter Whitcomb has announced Maine is part- nering with USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to invest $602,678.57 to support Maine Specialty Crop Producers. Ten initiatives to increase the competitiveness of specialty crops enhancing and strengthening markets for potatoes, wild blueberries, maple syrup, other fruits and vegetables; investigat- ing the health of honey bees; increasing nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops by Maine children and adults; and furthering the develop- ment of a hops industry to bolster Maine’s craft beer industry. "These investments will benefit Maine farmers and consumers by funding research and marketing that is critical to the growth of Maine specialty crops,” said Whitcomb. “Selected projects will help growers make food safety en- hancements, solve research needs for better pest management, make better informed decisions to increase profitability and sustainability and encourage the next generation to enter into commercial agriculture enterprises. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program supports projects that: Support Food Safety Audit Preparation; Increase Nutrition Knowledge and Consumption of by Maine Children and Adults; Enhance Consumer and Producer Awareness of Maine Maple Syrup; Improve Maine Potato Yields through Increased Rotation Lengths and Improved Rotation Crop Profitability; Support Maine Potato Integrated Pest Management; Enhance the Competitiveness through Regional Collaboration; Investigate Honeybee Exposure to Pesticides in Maine (the question about Neonicotinoids); USDA Specialty Crop Grants Grow Markets for Producers At this year’s Ag Trade Show the following farmers were awarded a por- tion of $422,855 by Agriculture Commis- sioner Walter Whitcomb: These awards will accelerate new market development, adopt improved technology and promotion of agricultural products produced in Maine. The Commissioner of Agricul- ture, Conservation and Forestry may allocate grant funds among projects involving market research, market promo- tion, or a combination of those activities for the purpose of expanding existing markets and developing new markets for agricultural products produced in Maine; or for testing and demonstrating new technologies related to the production, storage or processing of State agricultural products. It is anticipated that other Agricultural Development Fund Requests For Proposals will be released in the future. Ag Development Grants Announced Spring Sheep Shearing 965-2332 Wally Sinclair – Food Safety Education for Maine Crop Distribution Sys- tems, – Establishing Cover Crop Seed Cleaning Capa- bility inside the State of Maine, with associated demonstration of growing practices, – Maine Malt House, - Mar- ket Expansion of a National Award Winning Artisan Creamery, – Downeast Salmon Federation Mobile Smoke- house, – Modern Storage Facility for Year-Round Distri- bution of Local Farm Produce to Food Insecure Mainers, Maine Agricultural in the Class- room (Augusta) – Increasing Maine Agricul- tural Markets & Nutritional Awareness of Maine Crops through Elementary Education, Peaked Mountain Farm (Holden) – Commer- cial Propagation of Common Milkweed and Butterfly Weed, Tide Mill Organics (Edmunds Town- ship) – Developing Retail Markets for Maine Organic Poultry, Univ of Maine (Monmouth) – Increasing Local Plum Production for Farm Market Diversification, Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine (Orono) – 2015 Wild Blueberry Major Metro Enhancement Program Agricul- tural Development Grant Program. Natural Living Center BANGOR 209 Longview Drive (Cor. Stillwater Ave.) 800 933-4228 990-2646 2015 S P R I N G ISSUE Mainely Agriculture || Equi Ag & Livestock || Aqua Agriculture 3
