Cooperative Extension

Columnist Features Harvest for Hunger

A Bangor Daily News column written by a former UMaine associate dean and associate professor of journalism Kathryn Olmstead featured Harvest for Hunger, a University of Maine Cooperative Extension-coordinated effort to respond to food insecurity in Maine by inviting gardeners and commercial to grow an extra row or two or to donate extra produce to […]

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Economist Available for State Retail Sales Analysis

New data on taxable sales from 2010 to 2011 released by the Maine Bureau of Revenue Services shows a very slow and steady increase in sales activity, a sign that consumers remain cautious, according to University of Maine Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of economics.

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Press Herald Reports on Grant to AgrAbility Program

Maine AgrAbility, a UMaine program that helps address the needs of farmers with disabilities has received a nearly $166,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s AgrAbility program, according to a brief in the Portland Press Herald. The grant was among $4.1 million provided nationwide by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Contact: […]

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Early Maple Syrup Season Story Includes Expert’s Comments

The Bangor Daily News interviewed University of Maine Cooperative Extension maple syrup expert Kathy Hopkins about the early start to this year’s maple syrup season. Hopkins said producers all over the state have started to tap trees. There is no downside to the early season, she added as long as temperatures don’t suddenly warm up […]

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Article Cites Extension 4-H Steers Club Benevolence

A Lewiston Sun Journal article about a Kingfield teen receiving an award for her service to area youth through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H Franklin County Working Steers Club cited some of the benevolent activities the club engages in, such as making holiday cards for aging adults in nursing homes, stacking wood for […]

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Press Herald Report on Pickle Lab

The Portland Press Herald featured an educational program known as “pickle labs” offered by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service of Cumberland County during school vacation weeks. Children learned how pickling developed as a method of food preservation long before modern refrigeration, and how it still plays a role in keeping foods edible and […]

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Mild Winter Triggers Early Maple Sugar Season

Lighter than normal snow accumulation, warmer than normal temperatures earlier in the season and an earlier than normal start of the maple syrup season are making some weather watchers wonder if there is a new “normal.”

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Extension Educator Comments on Maple Syrup Season

Kathy Hopkins, a University of Maine Cooperative Extension educator, was interviewed by Ontario’s Hamilton Spectator in a report on the early start to maple syrup season. Hamilton predicted the production season could be cut in half, resulting in reduced volume of syrup, due to the mild winter and the potential for a fast changeover to […]

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UMaine Extension in Story on CSA Fair

A story on the Current Publishing website noted that University of Maine Cooperative Extension in York County is co-sponsoring an upcoming Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fair in Springvale. The story also noted UMaine Extension’s Kids Can Grow initiative, which is an effort to get children involved in independent farming. Contact: Jessica Bloch, (207) 581-3777

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TV News interviews UMaine horticulturist on spring garden planning

Channel 7 (WVII) interviewed University of Maine Cooperative Extension professor and ornamental horticulturist Lois Berg Stack for a Thursday, Feb. 16, 6 p.m. news report on spring garden planning tips as warm weather approaches. Stack says February is the time when gardeners should be planning their gardens and even starting some vegetables indoors. Stack also […]

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