Cooperative Extension

Notice of UMaine Extension Program Training

The Lewiston Sun Journal included a notice about training for the Signs of the Seasons program, a University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant initiative to study seasonal changes in plants and animals. Participants will gain practical experience for observing and recording plant and animal life cycles in their backyard, schoolyard or other […]

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Extension Experts Available to Discuss Early Warm Weather & Gardening

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension has a variety of gardening and agricultural experts available to assess how the unseasonably warm spring weather could affect crops, ornamentals, fruit trees and flowers. Sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s and 70s could force early blooms for daffodils and other flowering plants throughout Maine, which can be […]

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Dill Comments on Ticks in Maine

Jim Dill, an entomologist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, was interviewed by the Bangor Daily News about the effect of warm late-winter temperatures on Maine’s grub and tick population. Dill said grubs are more active than usual, which has skunks active earlier than usual. He also predicted a “pretty good” tick year but […]

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UMaine Extension Educator in Story About Farm Fuel Costs

Andrew Plant, a University of Maine Cooperative Extension educator, was interviewed for a Bangor Daily News story about the effects of rising fuel prices on Maine farms. Plant said Maine has a lot of forest capacity and unused agricultural land which could be producing anything from grasses for heating to biogas to anaerobic digesters for […]

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UMaine Extension Pathologist in Press Herald Story on Boxwood Blight

The Portland Press Herald quoted University of Maine Cooperative Extension plant pathologist Bruce Watt in an article about Boxwood Blight, a fungus that defoliates the boxwood plant. Although the blight is not yet in Maine, it is likely to arrive soon, and Watt said he is hesitant to recommend that people plant boxwood in the […]

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UMaine Extension Associate Comments on Yogurt and Kids

Brenda Bracy, a nutrition associate with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Eat Well Nutrition Education Program, was interviewed for a Portland Press Herald story about the hidden sugars in yogurt marketed for children. Bracy said less sugar is always better. She also offered a recipe for a yogurt-based ranch dip that children can help […]

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UMaine Horticulturist Stack in PBS NewsHour Report

Comments from University of Maine Cooperative Extension professor and ornamental horticulturist Lois Berg Stack were included in a national PBS NewsHour news blog on the new, interactive USDA Plant Hardiness Map, which reflects shifting climate zones in the United States. It serves as a guide for farmers and gardeners to see minimum temperatures across the […]

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UMaine Extension Educator Noted in Forum Advance

In a story about the upcoming FTN 2.0 Biomass and Beyond forum, the Bangor Daily News noted Andrew Plant, a University of Maine Cooperative Extension educator, will participate in the day-long meeting on the status and future development of alternative energy in Maine. plant researches liquid and solid biofuel for farmers, according to the story. […]

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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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