University of Maine Cooperative Extension
WALDO COUNTY HOME | COUNTY OFFICES | PROGRAMS | RESOURCES | PUBLICATIONS | WHAT'S NEWS | UMAINE EXTENSION HOME  | UMAINE

Extension Perspectives

                      Waldo County Cooperative Extension's Monthly Newsletter                        

Last chance reminder!
To save postage costs, we need to make sure you want to receive this publication!  To renew your subscription, call the office at 1-800-287-1426 or email Sónia at santunes@umext.maine.edu

CALENDAR

Rethinking Agriculture - 8th Annual Soil Conf.

Tuesday - Wednesday                            

February 17 - 18                         Bangor Motor Inn

Registration and info available at www.heartofmaine.org

Woodland Owners' Shortcourse

Wednesdays                                6:30 - 8:30pm

February 18 and 25                    Unity

Two-part workshop designed to familiarize landowners with the basic elements of forest stewardship for long-term care, woodlot management, resources, basic woodland ecology, assessment, planning, and elements of a successful timber harvest The event is being co-sponsored by SWLA and the Friends of Unity Wetlands and will take place at FUW’s office 93 Main St - call 948-3766

Doing Business Radio Show

Thursday 10am - 11am

March 5

Lessons Learned: First Two Years of Business

WERU 89.9/102.9 FM  Live broadcast encourages listeners to phone the station with comments, reactions, & questions.

Visit www.umext.maine.edu/Waldo/Radio 

Farmland Protection Workshop

Saturday 10am - 3:30pm

March 7

Unity College Centre for the Performing Arts

For landowners and land trusts.  The cost, which includes lunch, is $15.  Pre-registration required.  www.equitytrust.org

Waldo County Extension Assoc Meeting

Monday 6:30pm - 8pm

March 9

University of Maine Cooperative Extension, 992 Waterville Rd, Waldo.  Public welcome

Spring Growth 2009

Saturday, March 14                 9:00 - 4:00pm

Common Ground Education Center, Unity

presented by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.  Growing grain in Maine: A full day of presentations for Commercial and Home-scale growers, covering varieties, fertility, harvesting and storage and seed saving.   Registration fee: $45/individual, $60/couple, $25/student and apprentices.  Keynote Speaker: Klaas & Mary-Howell Martens of Lakeview Organic Grain

Call (207) 568-4142 or visit www.mofga.org

Maine Dairy Seminar

March 17

Waterville Elks Club, call 1-800-287-7170 to register

Wild Blueberry Spring Meeting

Wednesday, March 18    Waldoboro 6 - 9pm

Thursday, March 19    Ellsworth 6 - 9pm

Saturday, March 21    Machias 1 - 4pm

Details at www.wildblueberries.maine.edu/calendar.html

Maine Vegetable & Fruit School 2009

8:45 AM - 4:00 PM

Two Dates - Two Locations

        March 31 in Bangor

        April 1 in Portland

Pre-registration is required to attend the Vegetable and Fruit School. The cost is $30.00 per person and includes lunch.  For more information contact: Mark Hutchinson 1-800-244-2104 markh@umext.maine.edu

STATE OF MAINE
Department of Agriculture, Food & Rural Resources

Division of Market and Production Development

28 STATE HOUSE STATION

   AUGUSTA, MAINE 04333-0028

January 30, 2009

Dear Farmland Owners /  Land Trusts,

If you are interested in protecting all or a portion of your farm / or a local farm through the sale of development rights, please attend one of the following workshops offered by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources.

Friday, March 6^th from 10AM – 12:30 PM - STANDISH MUNICIPAL BUILDING, COUNCIL CHAMBERS,

175 Northeast Road, Standish, ME 04084. Please see attached map and please park in the front of the building or in a parking lot across the street.

Friday, March 13^th from 10AM – 12:30 PM – AUGUSTA, DEERING BUILDING, Dept. of Agriculture. Driving directions are available on the web http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/co/directions.html

Please park in the upper terrace parking lot and enter the Deering Building at the north, ground-floor security entrance to call and be buzzed in for the “Farmland Protection Meeting.”

Friday, March 20^th from 10AM – 12:30 PM – BANGOR, BANGOR PUBLIC LIBRARY. Driving, parking and building entrance directions are on the web http://www.bpl.lib.me.us/map_to_the_library.htm

During each workshop the Department will explain how the Land for Maine’s Future Program (LMFP) and the USDA Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP) assist land trusts with purchasing development rights on Maine farms. While these programs are currently without funds, it is likely that additional funds will be authorized in the next 10 to 18 months.  Should this happen, the Department will sponsor up to 8 farm projects to these programs. Please attend one of these workshops to review the planning and decision-making steps that farmland owners and land trusts must take to be sponsored by the Department.

Each workshop will cover:

• How to know if your farmland is eligible.

• How to determine if this opportunity is right for the farmer, the farm and the land trust.

• How development rights are appraised.

• How the Department’s Pre-proposal process works

We will give a slide presentation, provide handouts and allow ample time for folks to ask questions. There will be a 15-minute break at 11:15 to allow participants to stretch and mingle. 

Hope to see you there!

Stephanie Gilbert,

Farmland Protection Specialist    287-7520     stephanie.gilbert@maine.gov 

Hand-Washing Recommendations to Reduce Disease Transmission From Animals in Public Settings

Hand-washing is the single most important prevention step for reducing disease transmission. Hands should always be washed upon exiting animal areas and before eating or drinking. Venue staff should encourage compliance with hand-washing as people exit animal areas.

How to Wash Hands

• Wet hands with running water; place soap in palms; rub together to make a lather; scrub hands vigorously for 20 seconds; rinse soap off hands

• If possible, turn off the faucet by using a disposable paper towel

• Dry hands with a disposable paper towel. Do not dry hands on clothing.

• Assist young children with washing their hands 

Hand-Washing Facilities or Stations

• Hand-washing facilities should be accessible and sufficient for the maximum anticipated attendance, and configured for use by children (low enough for them to reach or equipped with a stool), adults, and those with disabilities.

• Hand-washing stations should be conveniently located in transition areas between animal and non-animal areas and in the non-animal food concession areas.

• Maintenance should include routine cleaning and restocking to ensure adequate supply of paper towels and soap.

• Running water should be of sufficient volume and pressure to remove soil from hands. Volume and pressure might be substantially reduced if the water supply is furnished from a holding tank. Therefore, a permanent pressured water supply is preferable.

• The hand-washing unit should be designed so that both hands are free for hand-washing, by having operation  with a foot pedal, or water that stays on after turning on hand faucets.

• Hot water is preferable, but if the hand-washing stations are supplied with only cold water, a soap that emulsifies easily in cold water should be provided.

• Communal basins, where water is used by more than one person, do not constitute adequate hand-washing facilities.

Hand-Washing Agents

• Liquid soap dispensed by a hand or foot pump is recommended.

• Alcohol-based hand-sanitizers may be used if soap and water cannot be made available, and are effective against multiple common disease agents (e.g., Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter). However, they are ineffective against certain organisms (i.e., bacterial spores, Cryptosporidium, and certain viruses).

• Hand-sanitizers are less effective if hands are visibly soiled. Therefore, visible contamination and dirt should be removed to the extent possible before using hand-sanitizers.

Hand-Washing Signs

• At venues where human-animal contact occurs, signs regarding proper hand-washing practices are critical to reduce disease transmission.

• Signs that are reminders to wash hands should be posted at exits from animal areas (exit transition areas) and in nonanimal areas where food is served and consumed.

• Signs should also be present to direct all visitors to hand-washing stations upon exiting animal areas.

• Signs with proper hand-washing instructions should be posted at hand-washing stations and restrooms to encourage proper practices.

Example of a Hand-Washing Sign

Neutralizing Acidosis and Bone Loss among Mature Adults

A new study funded in part by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) suggests that neutralizing an acid-producing diet may be an important key to reducing bone breakdown, or "turnover," while aging. The study comes on the heels of several ARS-reported studies suggesting that consuming more-than-recommended amounts of calcium may not be the main answer to protecting bone.

The study was led by physician and nutrition specialist Bess Dawson-Hughes at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Mass. ARS is a scientific research agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Fruits and vegetables are metabolized to bicarbonate and thus are alkali-producing. But the typical American diet is rich in protein and cereal grains that are metabolized to acid, and thus are acid-producing. With aging, such diets lead to a mild but slowly increasing metabolic "acidosis."

The researchers conducted a placebo-controlled study involving healthy male and female volunteers aged 50 or older. Key measurements were taken at the beginning and end of the intervention, which lasted three months.

A group of 78 volunteers had been provided either of two bicarbonates -potassium or sodium - along with their usual diet and exercise regimes. Key bone mineral nutrients were controlled to reduce variation in study outcomes. The bicarbonate groups consumed an amount of bicarbonate equivalent to about 9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. This allowed the researchers to look at possible acid-neutralizing effects from an adequate, not high, alkali load.

The results showed that the 78 volunteers in the bicarbonate groups had significant reductions in biomarkers that are associated with bone loss and fracture than the 84 in the no-bicarbonate, or control, group.

The authors concluded that increasing the alkali content of the diet, for example by consuming more fruits and vegetables, merits further study as a safe and low-cost approach to improving skeletal health in older men and women.

By Rosalie Marion Bliss
January 30, 2009

The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Our Master’s Seeds
a Project to Grow More Produce for the Unity Volunteer Regional Food Pantry

Our Master's Seeds is a new project which stems from an urgent need to increase the supply of food for the Volunteer Regional Food Pantry in Unity. In the coming season, we'll require over 25,000-35,000 pounds each month. Need is growing in western Waldo and eastern Kennebec Counties. At the same time, our supplies are shrinking because of the increased pressure on the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn.

In 2008, the Unity VRFP was blessed with over 10 tons of nutritious local produce. Most was donated from local farms and some from home gardeners. In 2009, we’d like to expand donations in four ways: 

1.      Encourage local farmers and home gardeners to double their donations.

2.      Create a garden behind VRFP’s new facility at 180 Depot Street in Unity (the old fire house).

3.      Provide gardening classes to fifteen families, taught by market grower Joyce Benson of Troy.

4.      Provide volunteer mentors to help these families with their home gardens.

To achieve these goals, we’ll need over $500.00 worth of seeds! Cooperative Extension will donate some, but doesn't have enough for the entire scope of this project. If you have an overstock of well-kept seeds from last year, please think about donating beans, beets, chard, lettuce, and other nutritious and easy to grow varieties. Seed potatoes are especially welcome.

The new garden at the Unity VRFP will need seeds, seedlings, and volunteer labor to prepare the soil, plant, and help maintain the garden. We’ll also need a substantial load of well-aged compost.

The families who will be receiving gardening training (some of whom are handicapped), will need mentors to help them at home with soil preparation, planting, weeding and harvest.

There are many opportunities for volunteers.

If you’d like to help make this program a success,

please contact Richard Moore 

948-6232 

ingallside@uninets.net

Huge Growth Potential, Pounds of Dividends:
It’s Time to Order Seeds

Consider the fact that half a pound of pole bean seeds, which you can buy for between $4 and $15 depending on the catalog and variety of bean, will plant a 100-foot row that can yield 150 pounds of beans The price of fresh, organic green beans at Maine farmers’ markets is about $3 per pound, so even if you paid $15 for your seed, that 150 lbs. would have grossed $435 for you!

How about carrots? One-sixth ounce of carrot seed, costing between $1 - $5, will plant a 100-foot row and yield about 100 lbs. of carrots. At $2 per pound (more at many markets), that’s a gain of some $195.

Have you ever paid $3 for a single, vine-ripened tomato? Well, a small packet of tomato seeds, which you can buy for about $1-$4, is enough to plant 50 feet of tomato plants and produce some 75 lbs. of tomatoes—or more.

Bernard Madoff would have made out a lot better if he’d invested in seeds and veggies than in… hmmm… nothing? A table on page 4 of the Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalog shows how much better: half an ounce of spinach seed can sow a hundred-foot row and yield 40 pounds of greens; an ounce or so of winter squash seed can produce 200 pounds of squash!

It really doesn’t take too much money or effort to grow a lot of the vegetables that you’ll consume in a year, and the more veggies you can start from seed yourself, the less money you’ll have to front for that production. Some of these seeds can be sown in the garden soil in the spring; others need to be started in a soil mix indoors and transplanted outdoors once the weather has warmed. Seed catalogs (especially Johnny’s and Fedco) give excellent information about how to grow each vegetable. Many gardeners buy all their transplants—tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc.—but these can be started indoors on a warm, sunny windowsill in mid-spring, at great savings.

To grow your own seedlings, purchase an organic seed starting mix (also available from Maine’s seed catalogs) or make your own, using recipes in MOFGA’s publication, “Soil--less Mixes for Vegetable Seedling Production,” available at http://mofga.org/Publications/FactSheets/tabid/133/Default.aspx. Follow seed-starting directions in the seed catalogs.

Here’s a basic planting calendar to get you started. The dates are approximate and will vary depending on your location, the weather, and the time you have available. If you aren’t able to grow your own seedlings, you can buy them at farmers’ markets, food co-ops, local greenhouses and farm stores in the spring and just follow the transplanting dates on the following page.

by Jean English. Copyright 2009

This article is provided by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), PO Box 170 Unity ME 04988; 207-568-4142; mofga@mofga.org; www.mofga.org. Joining MOFGA helps support & promote organic farming & gardening in ME and helps ME consumers enjoy more healthful, ME-grown food.

Vegetable Variety Investigation (VVI)

Donna R. Coffin, Extension Educator
University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Piscataquis County

"What vegetable varieties will grow best in my garden?"

Gardeners have been asking this question for centuries. By conducting the Vegetable Varieties Investigation with youth, teachers & youth group leaders it will help uncover some answers for today's gardeners and scientists, while providing a rich learning experience for students. The youth will also contribute to an online library of gardeners' vegetable variety experiences which will serve as a tool for preserving knowledge and promoting biodiversity. VVI is a citizen science program of Cornell University Department Horticulture.  

Few gardeners grow everything, but collectively gardeners across the world grow hundreds of crops and thousands and thousands of specific varieties. The knowledge gardeners have about vegetable varieties is astonishing, and plays a critical role in preserving biodiversity. Through the Vegetable Varieties Investigation, students will use the interview process to gather gardeners' opinions about specific vegetable varieties they have grown. They will learn about traits of specific varieties of vegetables and find out why gardeners grow some varieties and avoid others.

There are many different vegetable species, from asparagus and arugula to tomatoes and turnips, available for growing in home and community gardens. A variety is a kind or form of a given species or crop. For example, Jersey Knight and Martha Washington are varieties of asparagus, and Sungold and Brandywine are varieties of tomato. While varieties of a particular crop species share many common characteristics, each has slightly different features. These characteristics influence taste, yield, appearance, adaptability to environmental conditions like heat and moisture, and resistance to disease and pests. Many gardeners pay careful attention to the varieties they choose because of successes or difficulties they've had in the past with specific varieties or personal preference for a particular taste or appearance.

By sharing their findings via the VVI website, they will contribute to an online library of vegetable varieties reviews that will:

? assist scientists with understanding traits of specific varieties and how they perform in various regions and garden settings

? help gardeners select appropriate varieties for specific growing conditions and desired outcomes

? compile the experience of gardeners from many locations and backgrounds

? serves as a tool for promoting biodiversity

To learn more about how you, students or youth members can participate in the VVI go to http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/vvi

Source: Cornell University Department of Horticulture, http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/vvi accessed January, 2009.

White Liatris

A beautiful Native Perennial for Maine Gardens

Liatris spicata 'alba' or 'floristan weiss' (White Liatris)

There are 37 species of Liatris, the most common being the purple Liatris spicata, also know as Blazing Star. Native to North America, Mexico, and the Bahamas, these plants are perennials, surviving the winter in the form of corms. Their long-lasting flowers are often used by florists to provide height in bouquets, and their tall, narrow form contrasts nicely with rounder blossoms. They also have lovely thin foliage, which adds texture to the garden.

The white Liatris spicata is slightly shorter than the more common purple varieties, with heights between 30 and 36". Plants do best in sunny, non-fertile and drier sites, though watering the first year to get the plants established is important. The white varieties are harder to find. My research in 2008 resulted in the following list of sources, which should save an interested gardener some time:

? Brent & Becky’s Bulbs (VA)

? Park Seed Co. (SC)

? van Bourgondien (VA)

? Michigan Bulb Co. (IN)

? Spring Hill Nursery (OH)

? Van Bloem Gardens (GA)

? O’Donal’s Nursery, Scarborough, ME.

? Sylvan Nurseries (MA)

All of these sources have catalogs and/or websites and some will only sell the corms in spring. (Some nurseries sell larger, healthier corms than others.) White varieties of flowers are increasingly popular, so call local nurseries for corms and potted plants. Once established in your garden for a number of years, the corms are easy to divide. If you leave the flower stalks to ripen, they’ll add winter interest to your garden, provide food for birds, and some will self-seed.

White Liatris looks great in the garden with Purple Coneflower, Black-eyed Susan, and Autumn Joy Sedum. I thoroughly enjoy this perennial, and hope others will consider growing it.

Pat Felton
Master Gardener Volunteer, Belfast

Parents Are Teachers Too program
If you are expecting or recently had your first baby, call 1-800-287-1426 for more information or to enroll in the PATT program to help your child get the best possible start in life.

Eat Well program
Could you use help in stretching food stamps, cooking and shopping for one or two, providing snacks for children? Contact UMaine Cooperative Extension Eat Well Program for a nutrition aid to help you.

Staff

Extension Educators:

• Jane Haskell: Business, Youth & Community Development

• Rick Kersbergen: Agriculture & Natural Resources

EAT WELL NUTRITION STAFF:

• Sandy Dubay, Regional Nutrition Education Professional

• Beth Chamberlain, Pat Fraser: Eat Well Nutrition Associates

4-H PROGRAM AIDE:

• Joyce Weaver

PARENTS ARE TEACHERS, TOO STAFF:

• Pam LaHaye, Coordinator

• Martha Powers, Diane Russell, Ellie Weider

EXTENSION SUPPORT STAFF:

• Sónia Antunes

• Annette Hanser

Also:

• Liz Stanley, Horticultural Aide, Knox-Lincoln-Waldo county

• Caragh Fitzgerald, Ext. Educator, Kennebec & Waldo county

 Waldo County Extension Association
PRESIDENT: Barbara Gould
SECRETARY: Lucia (Chia) Murdock
TREASURER

Michelle Gharst
Jacqui Lee
Andrew Marshall
Robert Nelson
Anne Rothrock