WATERVILLE — More than 120 undergraduate animal and dairy science majors from 14 colleges throughout the Northeast U.S. and Canada will put their dairy farm knowledge to the test at the 2012 Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge Nov. 1-3 at the Best Western Plus Waterville Grand Hotel.
The Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge, being held in Maine for the first time, is cosponsored by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences. David Marcinkowski, associate professor and UMaine Extension dairy specialist, is host coordinator and lead organizer for the event.
Teams of five students will evaluate a nearby dairy farm and make management recommendations, including ways to save money or maximize profits, to farm owners and a panel of judges. Participating farms — Stonyvale Farms, The Wright Place and Piper Hill farm — will open their barns and farm records to students for analyses. Judges will grade the teams on presentation skills, farm analysis and recommendations.
UMaine students in animal and veterinary sciences or economics programs have attended both regional and national NAIDC competitions since 2004.
“This is a tremendous event that tests student knowledge, observation skills, problem-solving ability and presentation skills,” says Marcinkowski. “In addition, we will have more than 70 industry sponsors, judges, coaches and dairy producers at the event.”
The regional challenge is a three-day event that’s part of the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge (NAIDC).
In addition to the competition, the event will include a technology seminar for local dairy producers led by some of the dairy industry sponsors and researchers who will be at the dairy challenge. For more information about the event, visit the NAIDC website at: http://www.dairychallenge.org/ or contact David Marcinkowski at (207) 581-2740 or 1-800-287-7170 in-state.
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For the first time the University of Maine is hosting the Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge in Waterville, Maine. As part of this event a Technology Seminar will be held to update the dairy industry on the latest in dairy research. We hope you can attend!!
Click Here for more information.
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The Drovers CattleNetwork website posted an editorial column praising the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s new “More Maine Meat” initiative, designed to support sustainable agriculture and increase revenues for Maine livestock producers through encouraging more forage-based feed resources. The editorial says the program provides a business model that aims to keep the state’s meat producers in the black and in business.
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Given the growth of Maine’s fiber industry, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has been working to equip the state’s sheep, fiber goat, and camelid producers with the skills and knowledge to improve production, handling, and marketing of high quality fiber and fiber products.
UMaine Extension is also participating in several fiber-related events in advance of its statewide Focus on Fiber seminar, which will be held next month at Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield. The pre-seminar events will help farmers learn about value-added processes and end products that can be produced from a herd or flock of sheep, alpacas, llamas, and fiber goats.
The next fiber event will be a fleece sale and show at the Common Ground Fair, which opens Friday, Sept. 21 in Unity. Other events leading up to Focus on Fiber include:
For more information, contact Richard Brzozowski, UMaine Extension educator, at (207) 781-6099 or Richard.brzozowski@maine.edu.
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As the fall weather approaches, most of us are spending as much time as possible outdoors. It’s important to continue your vigilance against mosquito bites, however, as EEE virus is present in the New England region at this time of year. If you are out at dawn or dusk, wear insect repellant and/or long sleeves and pants. Keep screens on your windows. Protect pets and horses from mosquitoes, as well, using either repellants or masks. Of course, your horses and mules should be boostered within the last 6 months for EEE; check with your vet to be sure vaccinations are up to date.
WCVB.com recently reported that three central Massachusetts communities have suspended evening sports activities and will close playgrounds from dusk until dawn after an Athol girl was diagnosed with Eastern equine encephalitis. Read more>>
For updated information from the EPA about mosquito control, please visit Mosquito Control by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Foster’s Daily Democrat posted a UMaine news release about the new University of Maine Cooperative Extension “More Maine Meat” initiative, which seeks to improve economic returns for livestock producers in Maine, in addition to growing the meat industry with more forage-based resources. The project involves a partnership between UMaine Extension and the Maine Sustainable Agriculture Society in Hallowell.
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The Maine Sustainable Agriculture Society (MESAS), in conjunction with University of Maine, has initiated a new project, “More Maine Meat,” which seeks to improve economic returns for livestock producers in Maine, in addition to growing the meat industry in the state with more forage-based resources. The vision includes Maine farmers satisfying a larger proportion of Maine and New England’s demand for meat.
“More Maine Meat” focuses on red meat production, processing and distribution.
A working group of producers, processors, distributors and commodity group leaders, along with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Department of Agriculture representatives, met recently in Hallowell to outline goals and visions for a prosperous and vibrant livestock industry. Representatives from almost all Maine counties were in attendance, from Aroostook to York.
The group worked through many issues with current problems that limit the potential growth of livestock production, including processing, production and distribution of product to market. While many different opinions and solutions were raised, the group was committed to moving forward, according to Rick Kersbergen, a UMaine Extension professor and expert in sustainable dairy and forage systems.
Under the leadership of MESAS, the working group will develop a plan of action that will draw upon existing resources throughout the Northeast as well as research specific issues that are relevant to Maine. The group will identify bottlenecks, provide information, data and support to entrepreneurs and provide expertise to specific enterprises as appropriate.
Kersbergen, who is working on the project with MESAS executive director and UMaine graduate Andrew Files, estimates a very small percentage of Maine’s and New England’s demand for meat is satisfied through state or regional producers. Most consumers get their red meat through supermarket chains that purchase meat from national sources.
The project is one of several being brought forward by MESAS, whose mission is to explore, develop and promote agricultural systems and practices that allow Maine farmers to retain a greater share of consumer expenditures for farm products. MESAS is membership-based and is served by a board of volunteer directors, including faculty from the University of Maine and Maine food and fiber producers. Click here for more information about MESAS.
Contact: Rick Kersbergen, Richard.kersbergen@maine.edu or (207) 342-5971; Andrew Files, afiles@mesas.org or (207) 843-7581.
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Anne Lichtenwalner, DVM PhD, Director: University of Maine Animal Health Laboratory, Cooperative Extension and Department of Animal and Veterinary Science
Human cases of hantavirus respiratory syndrome are seen periodically, and have been diagnosed in Maine. It’s a good idea to review how to minimize any risk to humans due to this disease.
It simply boils down to keeping rodents out of your house, barn or camp. If you are going into a camp or other building (shed, garage, etc.) that may have rodents living in or around it, wear a mask. Open the door and let it air out for 30 minutes before you go in. Then, spray things down with a dilute bleach solution, followed by mopping or sponging all surfaces to remove the solution. Avoid breathing the dust: don’t sweep or vacuum! This is what can carry hantavirus into your respiratory system, which is associated with the dangerous form of hantavirus in humans. See the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Zoonotic – Hantavirus (Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome)for details about cleaning areas where you think mice have been
If you think there are rodents in your home, you can use traps, bait, or other methods to reduce them (a highly motivated cat works very well, too!). Usually you will know — by a musty smell, the small dark pellet-like droppings, or characteristic gnaw-marks in food packaging/walls — that rodents are resident in your home or barn. You’ll almost never see them — if you do, the problem is likely greater than you would think.
Prevention is the best cure for rodent infestation. How? Seal up uncontrolled entry: patrol the premises, find gaps in foundations, baseboards, walls, cabinets etc. and use a rodent-proof (metal or concrete) method for patching. Many older homes are impossible to seal up. What then? Reduce the attraction: keep all food in glass or metal containers, or in the refrigerator/freezer. Use or clean out drawers and closets frequently enough to disturb any nesting rodents. Use a smell disincentive for rodents, such as mothballs, fragrant oils, dryer non-static sheets, etc What about the barn? A small population of rodents is normal on a farm. However, they should never have access to stored animal feeds. If you order in bulk, check your feed bins frequently for holes (which can lead to mold problems, not just rodents). If you purchase feed by the bag, store it in metal or thick plastic cans that seal tightly. Always close them carefully, and always clean up any spilled feed. Your livestock should eat the grain quickly; grain in feeders is also a powerful rodent attractant. Chicken feeders that can be hung from the ceiling are helpful: you may need to put a rodent deflector on them. There are even chicken-activated feeders that close when the chickens aren’t actively feeding . (see the “Rodent resistant chicken feeder” video on YouTube). Installing an automatic chicken coop door to a well-sealed coop may decrease the rodent problem, too.
Remove any clutter in the yard that might be home to rodents. Keep a well-mowed zone, or open gravel, of several yards around your home, barn or camp; rodents dislike travelling over open spaces.
In some cases, the only effective solution is a cat: but be sure the cat is vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and healthy. A population explosion of cats may solve your mouse problem, but will bring lots of other problems.
There are both private pest control services and also some public resources, such as your local Cooperative Extension office, the Maine Department of Agriculture or the USDA, who may be able to help you with stubborn rodent problems. They can assist you with the choice of solutions for your problem. Don’t forget that any effective rodenticide (rodent poison) also carries some risks: pet, wildlife or child exposure to unintended toxicity. These products must be used carefully and disposed of properly.
Should you be successful in trapping and in cleaning up any rodent debris: how do you dispose of the dead rodents or cleaning materials? First, wear gloves and a mask when handling any potentially infected materials (including dead rodents). Cleaning implements can be disinfected with dilute bleach. Bag up the dead rodents and contact your local health official about responsible disposal.
The risk of human hantavirus disease is new in Maine, but the other problems associated with wild rodents in Maine homes, farms and camps have been with us a long time.
See Maine Public Health: Blog of the Maine CDC, Maine’s Public Health Agency for news releases for Maine.
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The NickerNews.net website has quoted University of Maine Cooperative Extension veterinarian Anne Lichtenwalner in a report on mosquito-borne West Nile Virus, which can be fatal to horses, human and other animals. The article links to an Extension question and answer interview with Lichtenwalner, director of the UMaine Animal Health Laboratory, and her video about precautions horse owners can take.
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Anne Lichtenwalner, DVM, PhD, University of Maine Extension
Question: What are the risks of WNV to humans, horses and pets in Maine this year?
Answer: WNV is a disease that can be transmitted by some (but not all) species of mosquitoes here in the Northeast. Routine testing of mosquito “pools” has revealed WNV in Maine mosquitoes this summer. Summer weather always brings more mosquitoes, and thus more risk. It’s time to review the steps for preventing disease due to WNV.
Question: How can I find out where this disease is showing up?
Answer: If you would like to see an up-to-date review of where the risks are, go to the CDC site (www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm) and look at the maps in the middle of the page. You’ll get info on where there have been mosquitoes detected with the virus (this is important because they are the primary means of spreading WNV), but also where there have been human cases. You can find out how many total cases have been reported, versus the number of deaths.
Question: With more WNV around in general, what can I do to avoid getting it?
Answer: The best prevention is to avoid mosquitoes: reduce the amount of stagnant water in which they breed, have effective screens on windows, avoid being outdoors (especially standing still) at dawn and dusk, wear protective clothing and consider using mosquito repellants if you are outside.
Question: With more WNV around in general, what can I do to protect my animals?
Answer: The same steps, in general, will help protect animals: reduce the amount of stagnant water on your premises, have screened-in shelters or fly masks/sheets for your animals (especially if they are out during dawn and dusk) and consider using mosquito repellants if other methods don’t work or aren’t practical. An extra step is critical to protect horses: vaccinate. Vaccinations are available, and you should check with your vet about whether and when to vaccinate. Remember, any “first” vaccination needs a booster (repeat) at about a month following the first one; after that, every 6 to 12 months another booster may be advisable. Check with your vet about recommendations in your area.
Question: What about dogs and cats — don’t they get WNV, too?
Answer: Experimentally, it’s been shown that if cats eat WNV-infected mice, they can become infected: but they don’t show illness. As well, an experiment with both dogs and cats showed that inoculating them with WNV resulted in infection, but not signs of illness. Studies of large numbers of dogs and cats in China showed very few with antibodies to WNV, which also supported that our pets can be infected, but probably are resistant to getting sick due to WNV. While it’s a good idea to avoid infection for our pets, the biggest danger of WNV appears to be to humans, horses and birds.
Question: What about my chickens and pet birds?
Answer: The most sensitive birds to WNV seem to be wild birds of several species, including crows and jays. Chickens appear to be resistant, although WNV has been created experimentally in chickens, geese and turkeys. For pet birds (such as psittacine birds), screens are the best protection against mosquitoes, as many bird species are highly sensitive to bug repellants. If you have pet birds, it’s a good idea to consult your vet about avoiding WNV.
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