Tag: agriculture

View from the Farm — July 2022

By Heather Retberg, Quills End Farm

I fell in love all over today. 

Yes, another green grass day with my bride by my side and my children out in front of me. However, it was really a 65-year-old Indian man who made it all clear.

There are communications and COMMUNICATIONS. This man, and his perspective, fall into the latter. It reminded me of the first time I had a peach custard pie.

We Quill’s Endians, at the arrival of such a comestible, had taken our respective seats to enjoy our unearned bounty. This was an unearthly pie, the kind whose recipe should be held in secret, lest we all fall into sloth. All my dearest began to speak its praises unceasingly.

I asked, ever so politely, for silence. 

That pie demanded silence.

The simplest things aren’t often described in the simplest manner: pie, love, peace, the structure, and composition of soil. This lovely man, this Sadhguru, comes close to at least one…enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akrtCsRkV60.

Save soil.

yours,
Phil, for all the Quill’s Endians
(And, shhh. I’m thinking about that peach pie.)

Editor’s note: Phil continues to write “View from the Farm” while Heather recovers from her recent surgery. Send her a card/note at Quill’s End Farm, 192 Front Ridge Road, North Penobscot ME 04476

Heather and Phil Retberg together with their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Heather is Vice President of Halcyon Grange #345 and writes a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and has generously given us permission to share some of her columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.

View from the Farm — June 2022

By Heather Retberg, Quills End Farm

Last week, I ran into a friend we have not seen in a while.  She and her late husband have been occupying my thoughts off and on since he passed.  She has not been to the farm in some time because it reminds her of her love.  It should.  I drive his old truck.  I keep his obituary as a bookmark in my bedside reading. 

Nathan was so at home here… a Montana boy with a heart so big it lit up his whole face.  He helped harden my thought that a farm always builds community around it by literally helping us build the farm.  A classic rural genius, he could lay concrete, build with wood, and service anything. 

When we needed our third cow, Cricket, in March 2010, it was he and his wife that loaned us the money.  Then they wished us a merry Christmas in April.  On occasions when they could spare some time, he would bring his cappuccino maker, and she a poppy seed cake, and make us spare the time.   We hold those special times dearly now.

He had an uncanny knack for showing up when Heather was processing our farmstead cheese.  She was messing about with the herbs and spices that she adds to it.  Nathan was a willing guinea pig, with culinary advice to give.  A little more of this, a little less of this, and then a kiss to his fingers…perfection.  It was just spicy enough.

I’ve had the pleasure of another reminder of him every week since Heather is unable to make cheese.  So, I blend and package, ruminate and remember.  I taste test the spicy, sweet, salty combination.  The last step in the farmstead cheese making is labeling, and we hand write every “Nathan’s Blend.”

Editor’s note: Phil continues to write “View from the Farm” while Heather recovers from her recent surgery. Send her a card/note at Quill’s End Farm, 192 Front Ridge Road, North Penobscot ME 04476

Heather and Phil Retberg together with their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Heather is Vice President of Halcyon Grange #345 and writes a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and has generously given us permission to share some of her columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.

Get Counted!

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This article is reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by UMaine Extension Service.

The Census of Agriculture is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Even small plots of land – whether rural or urban – growing fruit, vegetables, or some food animals count if $1,000 or more of such products were raised and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the Census year. The Census of Agriculture, taken only once every five years, looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income, and expenditures. For America’s farmers and ranchers, the Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future, and their opportunity. June 30, 2022, is the last day to sign up for the 2022 Ag Census. If you have never received a census and are new to NASS surveys, sign up to be counted today. You do not need to sign up if you already receive NASS surveys.

Maine Animal Health Officials Respond to Bird Flu Cases

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This article is reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by Paul Stearns, State Representative for District 119.

Due to multiple detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Maine and New England, Maine Animal Health Officials announced an advisory recommending cancellation or postponement of competitions, exhibitions, shows, swaps, or other in-person events encouraging the gathering or comingling of domestic fowl or poultry.

Advisory: The risk for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) remains high, and bird owners are advised to keep birds indoors to prevent the spread of this disease. The trends observed with past North American HPAI outbreaks are that we often see a reprieve in the summer months. This is because summer is when the virus present on the landscape (outdoors) is degraded by sunlight and heat. Animal Health Officials from the six New England States recommend that all competitions, exhibitions, shows, swaps, or other in-person events encouraging the gathering or comingling of domestic fowl or poultry be postponed until July 1, 2022, or later.

“The best way to prevent spread of HPAI from infected poultry to healthy poultry is to avoid unnecessary mixing of groups of domestic birds,” said Maine State Veterinarian Dr. Michele Walsh. “With the risk of HPAI considered high in Maine, we are confident that a smart tactic to control the spread of HPAI is to recommend canceling or postponing poultry events through July 1, 2022, and re-evaluating the HPAI threat to domestic poultry and pet birds at that time.”

For a complete snapshot of HPAI in Maine, the state’s response, a list of frequently asked questions, and additional HPAI resources, visit maine.gov/dacf/hpai

To report sick poultry or unusual domestic bird deaths, call the USDA’s toll-free sick bird hotline at 1-866-536-7593.

To report a strange-acting or dead wild bird, call the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife at 207-287-8000.

Raising Backyard Chickens at White Rock Grange

Saturday, May 14, 2022, 3:00 – 5:00 PM

four assorted color roosters
Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

Join Windham Blue Seal and November’s Harvest in this event to discuss raising chicks, how to raise chicks, and common problems. Choosing a breed, where to buy, and how many. Getting ready for your chicks: what supplies do you need to get started, shelter, nesting boxes, and more. White Rock Grange is located at 33 Wilson Road, Gorham ME. For more information, visit the White Rock Grange Facebook Page.

Supplemental Food Program for Seniors

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This article is reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by Paul Davis, State Senator for District4.

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), also known as Senior Brown Bags, Commodity Boxes, or Senior Boxes, is a federal program that works to improve the health of low-income elderly people at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA foods.

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (ACF) collaborates with organizations statewide to distribute units of food monthly to over 8,000 seniors across the state. Seniors in all Maine counties can access nutritious monthly food boxes by applying through their county’s supporting agency.

Each food box, valued at $50 and freely available to eligible seniors, contains a variety of canned fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, pasta, rice, peanut butter, juice, shelf-stable milk, cereals, and cheese. Participating seniors pick up their boxes at a designated time and place each month.

Seniors need only be aged 60 and older, live in Maine and meet income guidelines. To apply, view the list of supporting agencies and contact the one serving your county.

For more information about the program, visit the Maine ACF website.

Lyme Disease Awareness Poster Contest

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This article is reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by UMaine Cooperative Extension

Each year, Maine CDC hosts an annual Lyme Disease Awareness Month poster contest for K-8th graders in Maine. Despite COVID-19, ticks and tickborne diseases are still a threat, especially among children in this age group. The topic of this year’s contest is “Tick Wise,” reminding everyone to be “tick wise” and take steps to prevent tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease.

The contest rules and release can be found under the “Lyme Disease Awareness Month” heading at www.maine.gov/lyme.

Posters will be accepted through Friday, April 29, 2022. Only one poster per participant will be accepted and posters must be accompanied by a signed release waiver. Winners in each category (K-1st grade, 2nd-3rd grade, 4th-5th grade, 6th-8th grade) receive a one-day park pass to any Maine State Park for their family and tick removal kits for their classroom. One grand prize-winning poster will be chosen to feature as the 2022 Lyme Disease Awareness poster for Maine CDC.

Please contact Maine CDC’s Vectorborne Disease Health Educator with any questions at megan.porter@maine.gov.

Sign up for Open Farm Day

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This article is reprinted with permission from an e-newsletter published by UMaine Cooperative Extension.

Now is the time! This annual event happens on the fourth Sunday in July (7/24/2022 this year). There is no fee to join promotions, but you must opt-in via Real Maine.

The sign-up steps differ for those who currently have a listing and those who don’t. Please, start here:

For those who do not have an account or member listing

View from the Farm — March 2022

By Heather Retberg, Quills End Farm

The light is strengthening and lengthening.  The first smell of change wafted across the farm this week as winter begins to yield to spring.  Mud replaces ice. The search for spring shoots has begun, the bare branches brought into the house to “force” spring where we can see the buds swelling with leaf and blossom long before they show up outdoors.

 And…the sap is rising.

 Phil found a spare hour on Monday to tap the trees and the first harvest of 2022–and a new daily chore–has begun.  Each afternoon before evening milking now, Phil and Carolyn or visiting friends check the taps, empty the sap pails into 5-gallon buckets, bring the 5-gallon buckets to the wood stove in the house, pour the sap, ice and all, into the pan, keep the stove hot, and boil that sap down.

There’s a certain sound it makes when the whole pan reaches a simmer, a sizzzzzle loud enough it is its own voice in our conversations–the company of maple syrup.  The sap that has dripped out of the buckets coats the stones on the hearth with a sugary shellac and we stick a little to the floor passing by the stove.  It’s syrup time.   The house smells and feels like a maple sauna, that time of year when we keep it cranking more for the syrup than the humans.

 The wildlife returned to the fields this week, too. So long as the cows are away, the deer and turkeys will play.  The non-domestic Quill’s Endians are first growth opportunists.  The fox looks sound and healthy, the deer have emerged from the woods looking plump and well, the turkeys are still great in number.  The winter was not too harsh for them.  We hope the ticks and parasites have fared worse.

In the cow barn, Chirp’s little feller has gotten vibrant and spritely and has caught onto drinking milk from a nipple bucket.  Good and clever for a 2 week old.  Chirp is re-accustomed to the milking parlor and has taken it all well in stride.  The next-gen Bonnie calf (sometimes called ‘Cube’ as she is our 3rd Bonnie) got weaned this week and filled the barn with wailsome protest.  All else is well and spring fever has not set into cow realms in earnest…yet.

 All told, we’re emerging from winter fairly well.  Mud and mess and boiling maple sap, green shoots, and starlings in the birches, and, oh!, the smell of spring triumphing once again over the still sterility of winter!

May your week be filled with hopeful observations and peace-instilling reminders of constancy and life.

Heather and Phil Retberg together with their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Heather is Vice President of Halcyon Grange #345 and writes a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and has generously given us permission to share some of her columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.

Avian Flue in Knox County

flock of hens on green field
Photo by Alexas Fotos on Pexels.com

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) Animal Health Division announced today that it is working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to respond to the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza detected in a small flock of non-commercial backyard birds (non-poultry) in Knox County. APHIS announced Sunday that it had confirmed the presence of the virus in Maine. Avian influenza does not present a food safety risk; poultry and eggs are safe to eat when handled and cooked properly. No cases of this particular strain of the avian influenza virus have been detected in humans in the United States. And according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recent detections of this strain of influenza in birds in Maine and several other states present a low risk to the public.

This weekend, animal health officials from DACF worked with a farm in Knox County to control the potential spread of avian influenza. DACF placed the property under quarantine and euthanized affected birds humanely. DACF also implemented additional safety measures, such as monitoring properties with domestic flocks within a 10 km radius of the initial property and notifying bird owners of the importance of proactive safety measures to help prevent disease.

DACF’s animal health officials are also working closely with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC). Though this strain of avian influenza has not been detected in humans in the United States, Maine CDC is monitoring the health and wellbeing of Animal Health staff and flock owners who were exposed out of an abundance of caution. Signs and symptoms of bird flu infections in people can include: fever (temperature of 100ºF or greater) or feeling feverish, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, fatigue, headaches, eye redness (or conjunctivitis), and difficulty breathing. Other possible symptoms are diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. As with seasonal flu, some people are at high risk of getting very sick from bird flu infections, including pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems and people 65 and older. The U.S. CDC provides information on avian flu transmission at this link. The Maine CDC’s Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory is prepared to process samples and quickly provide results for anyone potentially exposed to the virus.

According to the USDA, all bird owners, whether commercial producers or backyard enthusiasts, should:

  • Practice protective security measures to help prevent disease
  • Prevent contact between their birds and wild birds, and
  • Report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to State/Federal officials, either through your state veterinarian or through USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593.

 Resources for backyard and commercial poultry producers:

  • USDA has many resources available for commercial poultry producers and backyard bird owners through its Defend the Flock campaign.
  • Information about this campaign and links to toolkits containing biosecurity checklists, videos, and more, are available here.
  • Additional information and resources about HPAI and foreign animal disease preparedness are available here.