Spring 2010 Mainely Agriculture

8/8/2019 Spring 2010 Mainely Agriculture

1/12

The current planning

to use Boon Island really

strikes at the heart of all the

not in my back yard numb-

skulls for a large wind power

tower coming soon in the

Gulf of Maine. Consider a

true story this, of a shipwreck

and cannibalism. Those 1710sea survivors so many years back

have paid the debt for the rest ofus. See Boon Island a short

ook of the same name by author

Kenneth Roberts. Get Real,

quickly. Wind Power in the Gulf

of Maine will likely help power

parts unknown and if the legisla-tors do the right thing, each prop-

erty taxpayer, like Alaskan oil

development was assisted with a

check for paying other taxes, buy-

ing food, etc. Solar, propane,

hydro fresh and sea turbines, windand other new tech must replace

petroleum and coal sourcing forpower production. We all know it.

Lets have Maine taxpayers get

real dollar benefit from windpower. Do it right. Lets get going

Maine, talk is cheap, lets get it

done right Time is wasting, cap-

tains of industry and science!

DORRS EQUIPMENT CO.1468 Hammond St. - Bangor, Maine 04401

Phone 945-5965 or 942-4655 Fax 990-4924

An independent farm journal Vol 2 No 2 Spring Issue 2010

Boon Island

Number one

Penobscot Narrows

More thanjust a bridge

The men and woman workers in-

volved in the concept project to protect

Maine travelers when state inspectors sawpublic transport threat two years ago is pho-tographically examined. See Pages 6-7.

Newspapering in Maine]\]More than just ink

publishing the last of its kind web printing facility in Maine called The Lincoln News,weekly newspaper, you do as the founder would want, never miss an issue, fire or not.Five months ago at this printing, television has now shown their brand new printing fa-cility and all is higher tech with new pre-press modern page makeup and design.

The late Dan Aikenfounded The Lincoln

News and printing

company with sheer

grit 50 + years ago.

His life before his newspaper bee sting was

ahead of this reporters

time, so among the

many who truly knew

him, many admired him.

Metal

harvest

startedSee page 12

Fire! Fire! Fire! - And it is on your door-

step. When you are a group of hardy souls

- Public Notice -Maine Insurance regulators - the Associated Press re-

ported on 4-11-10 - have ordered the following insur-

ance entities to cease doing false insurance sales andcollecting premiums. Those three companies are named

The American Trade Association, Smart Data Solu-tions and Pinnacle Health Solutions.\

If you have insurance with one of these three companiescontact Maine Insurance

Superintendent Mila Kofman

Phone: 207-624-8475

TTY: 888-577-6690

Vous parlez francais ?

Notre colonne surlagriculture par notre

Correspondante francaiseest on page 5

This local newspaper

and its people today arefirmly entrenched andworking a magnificent

new facility following thetragic loss of the full

morgue of all those backissues and the step son toAiken carries on as owner

with his able staff. Theydo Mr Aiken proud. What

a setback fire can be.Congratulations fellow

Journalists. You do Lin-coln proud, you do the

Millinockets proud, youillustrate and make weeklynewspapering in Maine a

creative and determinedhub of wordsmithing and

all who know these milltowns, find it weekly cov-ered with everything read-

ers need to know - put outby the small and tidy crewgrinding it out. It is no

wonder people line up atstores to grab the papers at

the newsstand price. Theirlocal communities news-

paper is worth the read ev-

ery single issue.

The past: Dan Aiken hiredme on the spot one day in1975 needing a job and

having some paste up expe-riences. Skills now passewith this recent fire. This

was one of the best news-

obs I ever had, one afternoon a week whilst taking

courses. The publishing company bookkeeper remainsthere still and following their fire,MainelyAgriculturehad to pivot to find a new printer. This agriculturalistelectronic learning curve coming out of paper paste upis most steep. St. Croix Printing in St. Stephens, NB

bridged us out of the all paper boards to get our AGTrade show issue out in January and the complexity of

cross border pre-press work is now in your hands oncemore. So, to view this local newspaper establishment ontelevision within their new digs and to know The Lin-coln News augurs a greater future success is comforting.

The now modern Lincoln News / Katahdin Area News is backin full business, no matter what economy where, bodes ill.

A final mention about pressman Aiken as observed wayack when, he seemingly didnt care if his ink smeared as long as

it could be read - part curmudgeon and elf chap, self actualized ingaloshes, doing it all, gathering the news and waiting until thedeadline to run around as merchants handed him what they wantedset in newsprint they knew they needed to get out. He had already

attended the news meetings and knew when to hire what talents healso needed and likewise knew when to go fishing and launched thecolumn called The Tea Pailthat Paul Thibodeau continues to writeto help beef up the sporting flair within such pages that additionallygive a good read. Local Sports, News and a no nonsense straightline reportage of small town controversy when it flitters in. This,then is a word picture of likely the last Maine weekly paper to gototal electronic web press lithography makeup and still owningtheir own press. Cudos pressman and journalists all - by Wally Sinclair


2/12

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Increasing the numbers ofblack sheep in your flock islimited from the get go bygenetics. There may be blacksheep at hand - both ewes anda ram - at your farm or nearbyand you may keep goodrecords, so why so few brown,gray, spotted or little blacklambs, season after season?

You know the black wool gene

is carried by most breeds ofsheep no matter how pure youthink your stock is or yourregistered animals should be.Even when you try to orches-trate some color coding, youthink you ought to get morecoloreds? Right?

Recessive, the black geneis dominated by the whitegene. A gene pair for woolcolor is passed from the sire -singularly - and from the ewechromosome - singularly - tomake the new gene color pair

within each new offspring. Ofthese two possibilities (twinoffsprings included) the domi-nate white or W and therecessive black b will comefrom one or both of the par-ents. Since the dominantcomes from one, both or theother parent, the recessivemay be dominate in certainequations. Most sheep are

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Spring Issue

white, the offspringfrom two white par-ents are likely W-W produc-tion animals within subse-quent offspring codes. Asmall number of white sheep

you might have on your farmmay have both W-b or b-Wcodes but when bred with

WW sheep will most alwaysgain a white offspring. Yetwhen two W-b sheep or b-Ws

reed - on average - they will

produce 25% of the offspringthat are b-b color coded.

These little lambs will havesimple color spots or offer a

whole hide of color. Suchlambs and the parents are thefoundation to a whole flock ofcoloreds. The other threefourths of this farm genescheme - made easy to under-stand with quads - would beeither W-W or W-b gene pairs

with outwardly white wool With such percentages byquad example you have 25%

W-W; 50% W-b and 25% b-b.Since W-W and W-b is whiteoffspring coding or 75% onaverage, than such a mating of2 W-b sheep will produce thedesired 25% color coding youseek, long term.

This kind of percentagetally works out for any type ofgene trial you wish to make.

. For instance, you may wish to turn your farm into milk sheepusing the blood line of East Friesian sheep or in a differentdirection you may wish to add Dorper genes to your meatbreeds to garner bigger sheepsters. You should know howeverthere is something out there called the anomalous white gene.

At the very least, when white offspring from colored parents areroutinely created, this suggests an obvious juncture to mark in

your book of gene code pairings as anomalous whites in oneor both of the adults mated.

As most of us put a black ram on white ewes to get coloredlambs, the resulting 25% colored critters are obvious whenpresented. These b-b offspring of color will also have brothersand sisters of W-W and W-b coding but you never know it until

your record keeping is cross checked and those W-b outwardlywhite ewes who produce lambs of color in subsequent lamb-ings. Further W-W x b-b mating offsprings may look white butactually carry W-b codes from this point on. This brings youto an inbreeding decision point or better still, marks the timeto get a new ram or ewe of color from off the farm.

Reinvented or hybrid animals have been with us forcenturies. The players are always new but when it comes todeveloping traits we like, or think we like, a fresh idea is soontried. Since recessive genes are increased in the early genera-tions of inbred animals it is important to cull undesirable othertraits like undersized, poor reproductive outcomes in hold over

ewes. This is consuming breed planning and recording bothin your time and in numbers to be shipped. The resulting poolof black gene paired sheep becomes superior however and

when a new ram enters such a flock, the chances of as muchas 75-125% colored offspring results is far more predictable.

For reference, there are two types of inbreeding: closebreeding and line breeding. is the mating ofclosely related animals such as a sire to daughter, son to damor full brother to full sister. pairs more distantlyrelated offsprings such as half siblings, cousins or granddaugh-

er to granddad. Such linebreeding genetic base group-ing creates more uniform orhomozygous animals in prac-tice and creates your identifia-ble colored breed look, shouldthat be the goal of your linebreeding programs over the

years.

Getting back to developing

that flockof colored critters for your place, if you have pro-duced some b-b sheep of obvi-ous color and are shocked to

see a pair of white twins result,keep in mind that average W-bparent gene sources will derive5% white (W-W or W-b) to

black (b-b) gene paired off-springs for 25%. It will taketime to identify all b-b animalsfrom W-b parents throwingcolored lambs.

Black face sheep recessives in

sheep like Hampshires as well asreeds recognized for increased

color flock development genetics

such as Columbia, Panama, Kara-

kul, Border Cheviot, Dorset Horn,Finn, Lincoln, Rambouillet and

Targhee will also give you geneticchoices outside color coding

givens. Getting use of one of thesereed rams or brood ewes with

color coding paired with others

will source fleece, meat or off-

spring benefit to add value to firstand second generation confirma-

tion and breed type for fleece/

color. Any ram who looks as good

or better with a fine build and has

the look of previous generationsill help in your plan, especially if

you limit overall breed influences

to control trait pairings. This will

keep you closer to your breed

goals and deliver uniformity eachseason and present a unique

colored farm flock of closely

matched hue and type and theyill look like your whites in equal

confirmation.

A distinct flock withcolor. Something of pride for the

skill of applied genetic codes that

you have helped bring about.

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Black Sheep?

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3/12

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Spring Issue 3

Homeowners all overMaine were out as soon asgreenery started to comeabout raking--shovelingroad dirt off the lawns andmany young people foundspending money doingthese chores for the elderlyand the gainfully employed.

Meanwhile farmers withfarmer markets farmsteadlocated were already spruc-ing up the winter fade ofsigns, buildings and equip-ment, tilling soils Kittery toBangor.

Maine Sheep Breeders

Association held a sheepshearing clinic for about 10Aroostook County peoplein April to get the wool off20 + animals of the large

flock now on pastureowned by Fred and InezArledge of Littleton and toshow new people the craftand enable new sheep pro-ducers to harvest their ownwool or go into sheepshearing. The Arledge fam-

ily has dozens of coloredRomney sheep.

Maine lobster fishermen

caught 75.6 million poundsof lobster in 2009, reputedto be the highest landingsrecorded in Maine, ever.Nowonder Matinicus erupted ingun play last year. Prices

affected fishermen dollarlosses big time with glutcaught.

One would hardly think ofmice as kind of agriculture

but it is indeed, and Floridawants to woo Jackson Labson College Of the Atlanticgrounds to the swamps ofthat state, big time with $130million dollars of matchingfunds to do so. Talk about

brain drain? We are re-minded how far Maines

land grant college, UMaineOrono, Monmouth devel-oped so many varieties ofgreat potatoes over the yearsand they all ended up inIdaho as if they were in-vented there. History re-

peated if that happens with astory of mice and men.

No license or inspectionis required by the MaineDepartment of Agriculture,Quality Assurance and Reg-ulations for producers ofeggs with less than 3000

laying hens. However,there are several regulationsthat sellers of eggs must fol-low if they contemplate atrue egg business startup.

When selling eggs in Maine,the size and grade of the eggsmust be labeled on the eggcarton. The name, address andzip code of the packer mustalso be on the carton (an ad-dress sticker or stamp willsuffice). Eggs in the cartonmust match what is on the car-

ton as labeled (grade, size andcolor). Cartons must also belabeled to state that refrigera-tion is required. Eggs must bestored and transported at 45degrees F or less.

When reusing cartons, theUSDA Shield must be obliter-ated from the carton becausethis shield suggests that theeggs have been inspected bythe USDA. Cartons must beclean and odor free. Some gro-cery chains do not want their

cartons to be reused. If you areupping your number of birdsyou may seek generic cartons purchased from a local farmstore or online. Keep emptyegg cartons in a clean, dryodorless area.

Clean the eggs of any fecalmatter as needed. Use a bleachsolution of 1 tablespoon ofbleach per gallon of warm wa-ter to wash any soiled or dirtyeggs and use single-use paper paper towels to clean. Otheregg wash materials designed

for this purpose are availablefor purchase. One such prod-uct is Egg Wash Powder from NASCO catalogue, by example. The temperature of thewater for washing eggs shouldbe at a minimum of 90 degrees

Fahrenheit. Do not soak theeggs. Eggs have a natural waxcovering. Excessive washingmay remove this wax.

The candling of eggs todetermine cracks is not re-quired. However, crackedeggs should not be sold be-cause cracks increase the riskof contamination and entry of bacteria. Eggs must meet aminimum of Grade B quality.Those who wish to sell eggs ingreat numbers are encouraged

to have product liability insur-ance. Your homeowner's in-surance may not be adequate.For specific questions or addi-tional information about regu-lations please call (207)287-6319 or write: Quality As-surance & Regulations, DanaFinnemore Maine Departmentof Agriculture State House Sta-tion 28 Augusta, ME [email protected]

FYI: The State of Maine Food

Code is a manual that lists all

regulations related to food. Youcan request a free copy of the

manual from the Maine Depart-

ment of Agriculture or obtain in

on-line at http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/01/001/001c331.doc

Information compiled by Richard

Brzozowski, Extension Educator

University of Maine Cooperative

Extension - Revised April 2010

Publishers Note: Manure from

chickens is a gift of nature that

should be sold and available to

small holder vegetable growers

for excellent naturally grownveggies. Encourage the future.

- Larger than coffee can egg money need

Mainely Agriculture

has learned that US SenateBill 510 a twisted sister ofHR 2749 may come beforethe Senate shortly. This

aims directly at the farm-ing character mentioned inour headline. On line anal- sis can be found at:www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/4548062-sb-510-a-food-safety-bill-or something-else-entirelywww.naturalnews.com/207579

food safety local farms.htmlwww.cornucopia.org/

2009/11/action-alert-senate-bill-510-fda-food-safety-modernization-act/

Because of the re-cent battle in the House andSenate over the presidentshealth care initiative, akicker bill labeled abovewill be considered by theSenate in the first weeks ofMay. The family farmershould have direct concernwith a blanket passage ofthe presently concocted

bill. By example an estab-lished Pacific coast goatdairy pushing $100,000/year with less than 50 doeswould be calculated tocomply with Hazard Analy-sis & Critical ControlPoints (HAACCP) plan, af-ter the fact type legislation.This would amount to$200,000 and this dairytook the low road and de-cided to sell out.

Dear farmer readers,

will this make you want to

start a new dairy now?A point of compari-

son, not to slight goat v sheepmilk at all, goat milk is moreperishable and subject to rapidspoilage if not properly han-dled however, goat dairy milkis one of the fastest growingcommodity sectors in Amer-ica and shall always be so.Montana Senator Jon Testerhas authored an amendmententitled Healthy Local FoodsAmendment, which makes

exceptions for farmstead di-rect sale scale agriculture. Heneeds co-signers in the senateto help smaller farms wadethrough the muck to craft theirlivelyhoods. Farmer organiza-tions may sign on to thisamendment electronically andcontact Sen. Testor at:

www.farmandranchfreedom.org/food safety bills 09

Tester.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Mike Fitzpatrick309 Main StreetBrewer

207 989-8880

Ron Kofstad26 Rice StreetPresque Isle

207 764-5645Tom Foster

Dan Foster659 Church Hill RdAugusta

207 622-4646

Greg Wilson60 Main StreetBucksport

207 469-7322

Miller Associates636 Rt 1 Box 7Scaborough

207 510-6301

Ralph Russo2 Main StreetRichmond

207 737-4200Amy Lear

Jane Nelson913 Main StreetVassalboro

207 680-2520800 839-4435

Andy Daigle400 Main StreetMadawaska

207 728-4348

Randy Lincoln24 North StreetHoulton

207 532-2016Peter DeSchamp

Eric Hart20 Main StreetLivermore Falls

207 897-2500

Patrick McLaughlin400 Main StreetMadawaska

207 728-4348

The Maine Agency of Farm FamilyInsurance

We have an agent near you

www.farmfamily.com


4/12

Right as you go Maine Legislature and this Governor for putting the next important

measure on the June ballot for voters to decide the fate of not losing the 230+ miles of rail

corridor next election. In rail terms, Maine is a leader for better or worse. Bangor Punta

raped the B & A and got into aircraft and several times over the years other rail lines,

nationwide have met the ebb and flow of commerce to the beat of infrastructure need. The

new MMA rail company operates in the new economy and is right to want to pass it on.

What this state has done in the last 20 years with saving such corridors has been dramatic

if only to hold the fort. Yes, the lines are not there yet for tourism but this particular line

is total meat and potatoes for the lack of the land to put the I -95 north and it is likely thatwill never happen. Not in my lifetime. The cost of rail line building/maintenance in 1974

Editorials - Op Ed4 Spring Issue

The price of progress

E D I T O R I A L S

PAGE FOUR

- by example - was about 1.5 million dollars a mile. Think

of that. Keep that in mind, Maine voter and see the simple

math. For the state of Maine people to own - finally - this

rail property as with several other corridors in Maine suggests

stop gap action, the new economy. It helps our bread basket and allows heavy commodities

commerce to keep on, keeping on. Maine is at a pivot point and those who understand that

and see that, will agree that the east west dream is near at hand and to lose that north south

feeder will kill the Maine we all grew up with. There is only so much land and space and

time and place and never the twain again. It is still a bottle neck to get from Bar Harbor to

Bangor and to Aroostook so roads can only do so much as the crow fly. This is no mountain

top closed door private rail line for tourists and for the people of Maine to have the last say

on keeping it in June is necessary. So go vote. WGS

From the gulls viewWe have the great good fortune to have photography donated to us by retired engineer

Jim Wait of Bucksport who was given free rein to climb aboard the almost emergency

project to bridge the Penobscot Narrows when the antique steel structure threatened

commerce, about 2 years back. We have what we hope will be keepsake views for you

the reader to shove in a cupboard as this bit of craftsmanship fully demonstrates the

complexity of road building for all travelers. Tourists, Log trucks, semis, Toyotas,

broken down second hand hay wagons, you name it. Whew! He said you get used to

heights slowly at first and then proceed and it all becomes a matter of balance. Yah!

Sure Jim. Not me. I wouldnt climb a flag pole such as that for any money. Jim is

organized and his book project is ready to write. This is a treat to publish. Thank you

advertisers to help get these pictures upon the streets and in stores. WGS

Summer FairIssue out after July 4

Houlton Fair.

Go to all Maine fairs this

year to get your copy of

griculture and

mom/pop store pick up

points elsewhere.

The uncomfort zonewith Robert Wilson

Sometimes You Have to Ripthe Cover Off the Book

On a summer week-end in 1977, my friend Tony

and I made plans to go water

skiing. When he picked me

up there were two people in

the car that I did not know.He introduced his new girl-

friend Sue, and her brother

Bubba.

Bubba was the quint-

essential redneck. Withinminutes of getting on the

boat, he stuffed a wad of

chewing tobacco the size of

a baseball in his cheek, then

chugged several beers. In

less than an hour we were

dealing with an irritable

drunk. He belched loudly,

spit constantly, complainedincessantly, and couldnt

string two words together

without inserting a profanity.

In short, Bubba made our

visit to the lake completely

unpleasant. Eventually he

passed out in the back of the

boat and we enjoyed the rest

of the day.

My opinion of

Bubbas character, talent and

intelligence could not have

been lower. I looked upon

him as a total loser. A dim-

wit who would never amount

to anything.

At the end of the

day, Tony drove Sue and

Bubba home first. When we

arrived at their home, Bubba

was awake and somewhat

sober. Sue asked Tony to

come inside and see the newdress shed bought. Then

she turned to Bubba and

said, Why dont you show

Robert your chickens?

We walked around

to the back of the house and

Bubba pointed toward a

miniature barn. It was the

cutest little building Id ever

seen. Rounded roof, little

windows, bright colors and

lots of lacy gingerbread all

around.Whered you get

this? I asked. I built it,

replied Bubba.

From a kit? I

asked. No, I built it after

my grandfathers barn.

For the first time that

day, I was impressed by

Bubba. When we went in-

side, the first thing I saw was

a display case full of blue

ribbons. Dozens of them.

These were first place

awards from around the

country that Bubba had won

for his chickens. Then he

started showing me his

chickens and telling me

about them. Suddenly the

cussing and complaining

Bubba became eloquent.

As we walked

around the barn he showedme more than 50 of the most

beautiful and exotic looking

birds Id ever seen. Unusual

looking birds that I would

never have known were

chickens. These were not

birds for eating or laying

eggs these were prize show

chickens.

He explained to me

that chickens originated in

the jungles of Asia. He told

me how he bred and raisedthem. What he did to make

their plumage bright, color-

ful and plentiful. I was

amazed by the extent of his

knowledge and I listened ea-

gerly to everything he said.

He spoke with an enthusiasm

and energy that I could not

have imagined earlier. The

difference was that I had en-

tered his real world. Theworld he loved and was ex-

cited about. Here was his

hobby, but he was so moti-

vated by it that it brought out

the very best in him.

I learned a big lesson

that day. Id always heard

my teachers say, Dont

judge a book by its cover,

but until then I had not wit-

nessed the truth of that prov-

erb. I decided then and there

that I would never judge an-other person completely by

my first impression. That i

time and opportunity al-

lowed, I would look further,

deeper.

When you discover

someones passion, you have

discovered what motivates

them. And, that is the key to

communicating with them in

the most productive way

possible.

-Agriculture

- Established Summer 2008-

Sheep Market Publishing Co.

PO Box 632

Brownville, Me 04414

Tel. 965-2332

[email protected]

[email protected]

-

Founding Publisher

W ll Si l i

,

net & ground

For whom it concerns:

Im really business minded -ust want to say that if we were

really doing things as Nature in-

tended, we wouldn't have sheepin North America except in themountains and deserts (ie Big-horn sheep), we wouldn't befencing them in and forcing them

to re-graze pastures, we certainlywouldn't have sheep with tails(flystrike), and we wouldn't have

genetically selected for traits thatare self-serving (ie heavy fleecesand/or copious milk production).Many of the challenges we face

as shepherds have little to dowith the sheep and more to dowith how we're able to managethem given our circumstances.

Over time, you'll find the combi-nation of ideals and practicalitythat works best for you.

- Holly Marks

P.S. Many lambing problems esp.

Mal-presentations are caused by the

ewe not getting enough exercise dur-

ing gestation (another management

issue) and/or not having enough se-

lenium; conditions that aren't geneti-

cally inherent, and loss or be culling

perfectly good animals for some-

thing that isn't their fault.

- dairy sheep group yahoo

ARIZONA'S NEW

IMMIGRATION LAW" And the state of Arizona, has

a new slogan: 'get out.' "

--- Jay Leno

" Arizona's Governor had been

stalling, you know, on signingthis. She said it did not reflect

any ambivalence about the bill.

She just wanted to make sure

her pool was clean and her

lawn was mowed before she

signed. "

--- Bill Maher, on Arizona's

immigration bill.


5/12

Alors que se dissi-

pent les fumes du volcan

islandais dans le ciel, et que

peu peu les choses se

remettent en place, cette pa-

ralysie momentane des

transports ariens dans le

monde ( et particulirement

en Europe, et en France o

e vis), et ses consquences

donne penser.

On ralise alors les

progrs formidables rali-

ss en matire de transports

ariens, on prend lavion

comme on prend le bus, le

monde est porte de

bourse, le voyage sest d-mocratis.

Quand tout dun

coup, tout sarrte ainsi,

brutalement, laissant sur le

carreau des milliers de

voyageurs, et que lon doit

revenir aux moyens de

transports davant lavion

(train, bateau, bus, voiture)

on ralise aussi quel

rythme effrn on vit, et on

se demande si tout ceci

nest pas excessif.Les fumes dun

volcan nous renvoient

notre condition dtre hu-

main, vulnrable devant la

Mre Nature, et nous invite

prendre le temps nou-

veau. Remettre un peu de

lenteur dans nos vies, et se

dplacer bon escient, en

toute conscience, telle

pourrait tre la leon tirer

larly in Europe, and France

where I live), its conse-quences makes people think.

We realize then the formida- ble progress weve done in

air transports: we take theplane as we take the bus, the

world is getting smaller, to

travel today is more demo-cratic. When suddenly every-

thing stops, leaving on theground thousands of travel-

ers, and we have to get backto transportation before avia-

tion (train, boat, bus, car), wealso realize how fast has be-

come the pace of this world

and we wonder if all this isnot excessive.

Smokes of a volcano send

us back to our condition ofhuman beings, how vulnera-

ble we are before Mother Na-ture, and it invites us to take

time again. Put back a littleof slowness in our lives, and

more consciousness in the

way we move.

- Fabienne Prost

It is our volunteer

mission to support and encour-

age a vibrant and thriving re-

turn to family farming/forestry

along with building a more

healthy farm infrastructure, a

sustainable and wider regional

economy based upon agricul-

tural traditions handed down

for centuries. Such agrarian-

ism is indeed a culture at the

same it is an economy. We

foster and support such a local

economy, statewide.

Editorial ContributorsFabienne Prost

Bill Sawtell

Gordon Moore

Ellen MacMillan

Mainely Agriculture

Mission Statement

Spring Issue 5Eloge de la lenteurVolcanoeffect Icelandon Europe

Eulogy ofslowness

While dissipatingsmokes of the Icelandic vol-

cano in the sky, and while

little by little things put back in place,

this momentary pa-ralysis of the air

transports in the

world (and particu-

On the RFD withMainely AgsBy Jack Strout

We had a hellish spring last year at this time prehay harvest The entire state was up in the watertable about 5-8 inches and fodder shortages wereenough to rock this spirit from the past to ride along with theboss once more time delivering funky newspapers tocrooks and crannies of mom and pop stores all overhell and back, here in Maine.

One day the boss overheard me talkabout The Elite Trout. His hearing is all shot. I

was yakking about my people, the elite Strouts. Hewent on about trout and fishing em at Gulf Hagasin the old days and I mentioned my pride andprejudices bout people in general. Somewhere inthe midst of Danforth or some place he finallycaught on. It wasnt about the biggest and best troutin the headwater but the swarms of the schools andthe way we all swim and tread water. Dont know

what brings us together on the road but it sure is fun.He has stopped drinking coca cola diet and carriesice water in a thermos but my buds are with me still.He says the hay season will be a money maker forthose putting it up this year. Dont know how he

knows that. - Jack

PO Box 845 Presque Isle 04769

1150 Central Drive 554-9044

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Canadas oldest producing woolen millHarvey, New Brunswick, CN E6K 1J8

506 366-5438 Fax (3034)1 800 561 YARN (9276)

Farmland Trust of Maine

(MFT) has launched a

new Farm Viability Pro-

gram, designed to 1) help

farms become more suc-cessful, and 2) help new

farms get established.

Participating farmers initiatenew operations, reach new

markets and get assisting

consultation with a widerange of agricultural leaders

and the resources to helpsuch new and existing opera-

tions and better quantify fu-ture success. The new farm

viability program announced

in early April 2010 will serveMFTs broader goal of

farmland preservation byproviding tools and services

that contribute to the overallsuccess of those who want to

stay as farmers.Two recent awards, one a

Quality of Place (QOP) grant

from Environmental Funders

Network and the other, a Com-

munity Food Projects (CFP)

grant from the US

Department of Agriculture will

further support MFTs efforts to

lead this coalition of partners

in innovating new projects,

products.

It is not enough to

simply preserve farmland for

future availability. We need to

offer programs that help to en-sure the success of the stewards

that are actively engaged in

keeping the land agriculturally

productive said Mike Gold of

Unity, recently hired, who now

coordinates the effort. Gold

will be working out of Unity, a

heartland of related former trust

activities and this new effort

will be focused on small farms

and family plans.

Goals moving the matter seeks

not just topreserve farmland but

revitalize villagecenters, boost local farming, as-

pire community based strategies

to improve food security taking

advantage of increasing interest

in local farms and farmers

products, while simultaneously

responding to a surging local

need for emergency food assis-

tance all over Maine.The Farmland Trust is a

membership based organization ded-

icated to preserving Maine's working

farmland and providing services to

help farms stay in production. To

learn aboutMFTor the Farm Viabil-

ity programvisit:www.mainefarmlandtrust.orgor call 207 948-6575.

One half of Township Five, Range Nine, which

became Katahdin Iron Works, was granted to Warren

Academy in 1808. Six years later Ichabod Thomas of

Sidney bought the northern part of the grant, and Eber

Davis bought 1000 adjoining acres. They began clearing

land and moved their families there in 1815, bringing to

twelve, the residents in 1820. This was along the West

Branch of the Pleasant River.

In 1821 they exchanged their estates for farms in

Brownville. The hay on their estates was cut for several

decades. These farms were later possessed by J. Herrick

and Sons, proprietors or the Silver Lake Hotel at the Iron

Works three miles to the south.

In 1877 they harvested 80 tons of hay, 800 bushels of

oats, 600 of potatoes, 50 of beans, 30 of wheat, and a

large amount of garden vegetables, for use of the inhab-

itants and animals at the Iron Works. The farm con-sisted of intervale holdings including 150 acres in grass

and 50 in vegetables. Comprised of three barns, the farm

was ditched and drained in 1887. Some 200 loads of

stable manure were put on the fields, with 50 sheep 10

horses and eight cows being raised.

In 1890 a total of 250 tons

of hay, 750 bushels of oats,

and 600 bushels of potatoes

were produced there. Three

years prior, the 15 farm-

hands produced 1,800 bush-

els of oats, 1,000 bushels of

potatoes, and 200 tons of

hay.

The Iron Works closed

operations in 1890.

Always sold in conjunc-

tion with the hotel, the farm

was but a short buckboard

ride from that establishment

for visitors who were intent

upon partaking of the

nearby mountain scenery.

Later occupied by

Winfield Peabody and his

son, Bert, the farm supplied

hotel and lumber people in

the area with staples and

produce.

Story by Bill Sawtell

A year later the farm had

17 horses, a yoke of oxen,

seven cows, five colts, 100

sheep and 10 hogs.

The farm at Katahdin Iron Works


6/12

GreaterWaldo Area

Homemade Soups, Breads,Salads, Gourmet Coffees

215 Depot Str., Unity, ME 04988

Show Room

Antique Kitchen, Parlor

& Wood/gas Stoves

MuseumStoves & Doll Circus

Antique Cars, Music

199 So. Main St., Rte. 100

04922

Phone 426-8594 M-Sat 6-9

Timberwolf Alamo Hardy Farm

Wood Mowers Loaders Winches

Machines Trailers Chippers

PEN BAY TRACTOR SUPPLY CO.

6 Spring Issue

Small FarmBakery

Rte. 3 Belmont

342-5682

Special OrdersWelcome!

75 years of steel waits for number one price. New Penobscotith photographic

clarity, Jim Wait of Buck-sport - a retired engineer -

had ample opportunity to

climb aboard ship new

bridge high above the

deeper west channel of ourgreat Penobscot River

passing by Prospect, Buck-

sport and Verona Island fortwo straight years soon af-

ter Maine DOT bridge in-

spectors cried enough! Theformer (Waldo-Hancock

Bridge) had become very

dangerous to public safety

and is now dwarfed by the

new (Penobscot Narrows

Bridge) some 20 months ormore into an expected 100

+ year life span that now

gets us all toll free to and

from midcoast to downeast.The former steel bridgeopened in 1931 a monu-

ment to high climbing men,

rivets and American steel.

Maine and her tourist business now has both, the

new and old to appreciate andgander upon. From places like

Winterport Dock area eachday, vision is great at night

and daytime and we heard

even on good days from partsof North Haven Island, Rock-

land and thereabouts, the Pe-nobscot Narrows can be seen.

We can tell you that a birds

eye view from the north look-ing at the viewing platform

out to sea would stir a lonelysea captains wife as an ideal

spot to marvel at PenobscotBay, the great Atlantic, our

Gulf of Maine waiting for her

ship to come in. It is beyondwords from the air Just a bit

higher above what you andme and tourists can see taking

the elevator.

This bridge is a major choke

point to Downeast Maine, BarHarbor-Ellsworth and Acadia

National Park from Camden-Belfast and points north such

as Brewer-Bangor. The 1.2

mile span of the original took15 months of lifting steel and

rivets for a 35 cent toll eachway. The new, displays

Maines finest granite seen

easily on the western side forthe Fort Knox confederacy to

Excellent example of Maine granite mined nearby to face the entrance to theelevator ride to the top, now open for business and visitors. Access is from Ft.

Knox parking and visitor booth, Prospect.

High cementpouring above

Bucksport town

in distance near

top of one pier,

eastern edge or

Verona Island

end of new

bridge.

Massive tanker and tug easily manage the two bridges under

construction above during 2006.

take the elevator 420 above ground level to see 360 degrees of

Maines finest hard pan. The new span is 2120 long. One of

only two presently like it on the planet and we have a 400 footdeep channel for the largest ships to chug on by. See above.

Yes, there is some new technology in this edifice - new

invention - that from the outside view is very reminiscent of theWashington Monument through, not just for the inside climb to

See next page...

W

the top 3 viewing platforms, but in

total bridge design that prefigures

art following function. Guess wecan say Verona Island has Georgestwin and Prospect town the eye of the

brother overlooking over our part ofthe east coast. Dirigo.

These twin wall piers inside

the monument took shape one by one

on each shore, out from the shore likea stone man with four fish poles, ex-

tended one after the other on eitherside of each monument, one deck cast-

ing after another, rebarred and posi-

tioned, poured within precise forms of

concrete and steel locked outside ofthe atmosphere. Hollow, safe worker

Day sailor passes by

western side, popular

restaurant pre-removal

ith rock cut just starting.

O


7/12

Art, Pics or Docs sent to thispaper should not be

transmitted in Word Pad.Use Adobe or jpeg for this,to cease our PC problems.

Spring Issue 7

Somerset Area

FPO

Adv. Rate CardClassified Cards$10. Col. InchInside pages

$12. Col. InchFront page Card

$30. Col. InchLimit 2 col. inch

Back Page Cards

$25. Col. InchBusiness Cards

$100. 5 issues year-

10-15% per year,Large block adv.

Pre-paid

Brownville, ME

[email protected]

FPO CaracolivresFPO Higgins/son FPO Northwoods journal

staging - multiple usemaintenance, inspection- with delft planning andmodern bridge construc-tion tech to rival any inthe present decade fromMaine to China. This isone of two such bridges presently established inthe world.

These travelers,as they are called kept balance and tension andas one temporary staywas put in place the per-

manent followed. Thetensioning of the same -a trade secret - employed

Narrows Bridge

Men ready one base of the stays inside the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge. A

Contractors fabrication invention helped pull strong cables along and inside the

device pictured when finally used.

a device co-invented by

Ben Blodgett pictured on page 10 holding thesame standing in front ofcompleted stays (tieins). These very strongsteel cable encased intube steel and plasticcovering beyond graffitiand such, now hold upyour hay wagon, BMWand 18 wheeler logtrucks passing through.Yes sir. A bridge for allsnow storms and we im-agine, earth quakes. A

ob very well done in-deed Maine DOT andMaine highway taxeswell spent and budgeted.

Primary contractors for this state of Maine

Department of Transportation contracted bridge

was the joint ventured Cianbro, Reed & Reed, twoMaine based companies of Pittsfield and Bath

respectively working with a design by engineersrom Figg Company.

Not sure what is here

Time 11 pt. bold

Photographer Jim

Wait, of Bucksport

Observa-

tory roof

bolted into

place &

top cone

followed


8/12

East Penobscot Area

We Rush So

You Can Flush

Trucking Available *

Auction all types

-

Tiltons Auctions

-Daily Buying and Selling-

Shipping Day on Tuesday

207 285-3467 991-4435cAuctioneer Jeffrey T. Tilton Lic. # AR 1163

Local - Fresh - Organic - Produce

Eggs - Milk - Bread - Supplements

Beer - Wine - Cheese

Hampden Natural Foods

281 Western Ave. (Rt 9) 207 [email protected]

M-F 9-6, Sat 9-5, Sun 10-5

Memorial Day 1968Spring Issue

This is story about

a profound coincidence.A short piece about coin-

cidence within a haunt-ingly poignant time. Theshock of it found a con-

necting link between his-

tory and the ever present.A tale I shall never forget.

Honoring thenations dead taken in war

at Memorial Day is often an

effusive event in city and

town. A time appreciated

wholly or directly by thosewho had lost friends and

relatives and for those who

survived the horror or the

time spent connected with

past wars.

In 1968, during the

ohnson administration,500,000 Americans were in

Vietnam. Almost 250,000

were at European bases

when the then Soviet Union

invaded Czechoslovakia.

For most Ameri-cans and for my age group

at the time, this was a time

for great concern, worry. A

time for questioning of

FpoSubscription

form

American sacrifice to theideal of protecting others

freedom, resources, form of

government, aligning a

greater peace. I was one of

those citizen soldiers whoquestioned the same as I

dressed in uniform each day.

The commemoration of war

dead at that time was openlyfelt by millions of Ameri-

cans as heroic men and boys

perished at places called

Hamburger Hill, upon the

HoChiMinh Trail, Mekongdelta and elsewhere in

Southeast Asia.

For those in uniformin Germany, my duty sta-

tion, the spring of 68 wasan ominous time. Three of

my friends were then dead

in action in Vietnam. My brother returned from duty

upon the hospital ship and

DaNang with a purple heart

and a heart of darkness for

what he had seen with USMarines. A buddy in Ger-

many was soon reassigned

to Nam ahead of me with

less months to serve than

me, taking the only otherMOS (occupation) from the

ranks of the 4th Armored

Division, a 10,000 man con-

tingent at bases in and

around Nurnberg.

This was a time for

mixed emotions as I neither

wished to go to Vietnam nor

thought my friend should go before me. As far as I

know, Pete never came

home from there.

On Memorial Day 1968,Pete was safe at the base inFurth and I was in France

filing a report forThe Roll-

ing Review, a division radio

information program for AFN Nurnberg. Our newspaper

of the same name sent a photographer from signal corps.Our division band was chosen in the NATO command to

provide the proper musical salute to 80,000 Americans and

allies who died in Europe during World War I. As I was

soon to learn, ceremonies would be held on land where

men once screamed in terror, died in agony. A place where

a dreadful carnage took place reminiscent to our Gettys-burg and I was to provide a spulchral report for the boys

away from home?

At the time, I looked upon the weekend trip into

France as a paid holiday, a quick, easy way to see Paris andthe French countryside. I welcomed the overnight ride in

a VW Beetle from Bavaria. Even if I had to share a limited

backseat with the officers and Sgt. Brocks gear. From

Nancy to Paris I slept. When I awoke, the car had stopped

on a city street and the C.O. And the sergeant were outsideon the sidewalk taking pictures. I looked to the left out a

steamy backseat window. That toy Tour Effel dad brought

back to Maine from his time there in WWII was just yards

from me now full-size.

A monument itself to industrial art. This was a weekendthen, of monuments. War dead from conflict in France,

Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Holland, the rest of the war

theatre, England, Tunisia, Germany. At home I thought of

my parents and the Legionnaires just getting off to a late

at Post #41, Milo. Boy

Scouts, majorettes and thehigh school band. This Me-

morial Day 1968 not far

from Paris would have to be

better than dodging black

flies in Milo or a suddensnow storm.

The VW found its

own way to the countryside

before 10 a.m. And the en-

trance to the cemeteryseemed to be right along

our predetermined pathway.

Amazing VW, the workers

who built it were spirituallytaking us there. I was on

map duty and shirking it for

girl watching. Yet there we

were driving up a long drive

to see before us thousandsof crosses and Hebrew

stars. Each of us amazed at

the length and breadth of

the place. We arrived on

time. There were manygenerals and other dignitar-

ies, color guard, honor

guard, cannon, and rifle

fire, with 3 GIs from the

Public Information Officein tow.

How would I cover

such a sober event for

newspaper and radio? How

could I sneak a commentabout the carnage and not

have a division general

tracking me down for edito-rial comment? After all, I

was a pacifist at heart andthis was a trip to a scene of

horror, mustard gas,

trenches and gangrene.

I decided to take a walk-about the crosses and stars

and leave the recorder run-

ning. If inspired I would

say something into it, like

Walter Mitty or Ed Mur-row. (When you are 19,

your life is a movie.)

Meanwhile, the echo of theband and rifle fire was be-

ing collected. With thatworking, the thought in my

Fpo X

See next page

Fpo other cards

8


9/12

A score of French citizens were also assembled therewith both local military and civilian speakers as well.American and French soldiers from the war to end allwars, now engraved deep in my mind.

For that day and ever since, Memorial Day has becomean expression of hope for peace for me. A hope for theend of the monstrosity of war and waste. That weekendin France stays with me as a necessary connection to thehorrors of the past and the perplexity of yet a newcentury and so called theocracy couched as jihad. Suchis the ever present reality and the complexity of humantragedy, conflict without common sense.

rticle by Wallace Sinclair

Fpo eastern penobscot 4 col foam insulation etc

Fpo NDC adv 3 col x 6+ w/pixs last issue

mind was inattentive, true respect for the ceremony at hand was faulty. I looked to thetrees, the beauty of the place. The suns reflection over the shrubs and marble.

I think that I will never see, a poem as lovely as a tree...Childhood thoughts amid the shock value of American sacrifice. I was apparently

beginning to get bored but not losing a furtive emersion. What to heck, Id go lookfor any dead of my namesake. I started a quiet walk between the stones, recorder stillrunning. Three stones away, no Sinclair but, there, in amazing relief was the sameJoyce Kilmer, whose poem only moments before I had mocked. I was then weak at theknees, light at the head, almost faint. The recorder ran to the end of the reel. I sat downand looked once more around me and at the distinction that grave profoundly had madeupon me.

I saw American youth and talent wasted, emolished and conversely a symbol of thesame energy, talent and progress we, as a nation awesome and immortalized on thosehillside stones in France. I cried.

General John Pershings American Battle Monuments Commission had done a serviceto America with the upkeep and beauty of that somber site. What a mixture ofemotions befell me. Kilmer, dead in World War I and there in the ground in front ofme. Trees to the right of him and behind him and all the rest, a splendid monumentdesigned by Paul P. Cret, consulting architect to the monument commission. Amonument which shows grandeur, dedication, appreciation and affection for the menwho gave up their lives.

Recent road work on Indian Island is

improved to take bingo players to the

Penobscot Nations Sockalexis Palace

and the Old Town region.

Nearly 5 - 600 farmers

assembled at PattenFarms, Atkinson todivest the heirs of debt

of dairy farmer

Peter Patten all family

equipment, remainingfodder, animals, any-

thing of value in April.

Auctioneer Jeff Tilton

sold all tagged items.to help mitigate losses

with his demise.

Spring Issue 9

Farm EquipmentSawmills

Firewood ProcessorsEdgers & More

PO Box 95 ME 04921

Farmers assemble for auction


10/12

Most of our Maine treesbegin to produce seed whenquite young and only scatter

seeds every few years. Byexample, Norway pine seedsevery few years, every threeor four years; White Pineseed years occur six or sevenyears apart. The quantity ofseed and the frequency ofseed years depend on theamount of food materialstored up in the trees. There-fore, trees seed less and moreinfrequently in the northernlimits of their distribution,

because the conditions of

growth there - up in the trees- may not be favorable.Light being the great singlefactor in seed production.The Johnny Appleseed ofMother Nature to providethe seeds upon which thewinds and from mans intro-duction of seed and seed-lings.

By examplec 1988-89:

The tremendous loss ofwestern forests to fires thisthe summer of 1988 - seenthen as the hottest in 50 years- to this years mess outsideand in LA County, CA andeven the tree loss of the erup-tion of Mt St. Helens in1980have all become workinglabs for forestry students,Phds, state, local and fed-eral governments with treecutters. Finally after thesmoke cleared, the continued

cutting loss of the two-tieredtree top ecology (ground andseed top inventory) was alsomatched by heavy cutting inBrazil and Central America,in 1988, one would expectour precious resource righthere in Maine and New Eng-land will see higher values

placed upon our stocks anddouble the sames impor-tance within a rightful part ofOur Maine Nature. Ask thewoodcutter you know for

that opinion about his last 20years of cutting trends.

- The Merrymeeting Stan-

dard, Richmond, ME Our

Maine Nature column -Summer 1988.

- Gordon Moore next issue.

AttentionButchers,Livestock Brokers

We are interested in volun-

teered numbers from meat

processing plants state-wide

and trucking data of animals

leaving Maine.

This newspaper would likequarter rundowns of total pounds of domestic meatprocessed per commodity. Itwill make for interesting ad-hoc measures of the vitalityof meat preparation, ship-

ping in Maine. We are notinterested in comparison one tothe other shop in a given town,only an approximate tally foryou, Mr Butcher. You maychoose to tally, x number headof beef, pork, sheep, etc. and brokers may see validity insharing numbers shipped toboost availability of animals orthe lack of the same. That isalso acceptable as it registersdata to the reader that Maineagriculture has strength orweakness. Thereby, the dollarvalue to you the purveyor orshipper is not needed for publi-cation yet poundage reflects thegreater public good. As this publication is a quarterly, youmay hand write such numbersor request a brief form to checkoff provided byMainely Agri-culture. Request the same withyour first telephoned report, post card or email us [email protected].

--

The Higgins FamilyFarm has completed the twosize smoker/refrigeration in-stallation located in Charles-ton, a project from start tofinish nearing a $250,000 in-vestment cash and loan for a

second new processing suite,added cooling, & hangingspace. Barry and son are ontime, on budget for your day

by day need for farm produc-tion meat processing, stateinspected with custom gamecutting.

The improved YorkUSDA plant in Medway re-

ports not much interestthereabouts for local lambfor their meat counter but

processing is available for

News of Maine Resources, Logging, Recreation, Woods, Water & Commerce10 Spring Issue

Due a shift

in publishing

dates for this

MainelyAgri-

culture, Gor-

don Moores

Column this

issue is com-

osed by the

publisher.

Out

On

a Limb

A regular feature of Agriculture sponsored each issue by the businesses upon this page.

building with aseparated storefront on theMooseheadRoad.

Luceseats in Northnson continues

a banner busi-ness of inspec-tion processingand custom labelapplication forfarmers market-ing their ownmeats at farmersmarkets, etc.

Jasonsin Albion is acustom housewith a busyschedule and

all domestic meat animals an seasonal game.The new heirs to Herring Brothers USDAplant

in Guilford have two smokers, a new administration

Watsons Custom Butcher Shop in Etna has a large blastfreezer and concentrates on beef, hogs, lambs.

Mainely Agriculturepublished a complete list of all meat proces-sors state-wide in the fall issue and will do so again in October, if your shopis not listed with state agencies and you want public notice, contact thepublisher. Lets keep the public informed about available products.

perko

Grained deer at Smiths Grocery, Brownville

Ben Blodgett of Reed &

Reed, Cianbro company con-

struction project for the new

Penobscot Narrows bridge co-

invented this handy tool to

help bring heavy steel wire

into the tightening devices lo-

cated at each bridge stay end.

This bridge is one of only two

on the planet of its type at this

writing. We thank photogra-

pher Jim Wait for providing

all photos for our readers.

F P O Ebel Vets

Rail line importanceOfficials of the Maine and Montreal Railway are meeting

with the US Transportation Bd.to mediate the future for 241miles of track, employees,shipping that will be affectedif voters fail to pass a $7 mil-lion purchase of the rail rightof way in order to revitalizethe Madawaska-Millinocketcorridor for a June referen-dum decision.


11/12

Classified, news, etc.

Western Penobscot

Spring Issue 11

F P O n penob

The importance of buying localState and national red meat marketing through chain stores of the late 20th century has beena key economic trend but thousands of small farming entrepreneurs, including vegetablegrowers, beef, sheep, pork, goat, offer red and white meat, chickens, turkey and suchcomplimentary side vegetable and seasonal dishes are all grown here in Maine. We naturallybelieve that the more you buy locally, the healthier your local economy will be and so too,your own personal economy and lifestyle. You know some things cannot be challenged onprice alone. That is why fresh and frozen local offerings has to be offered with someconvenience and at prices that compete with all delivered commodities. Many growers insistupon buying local themselves to confine production techniques to simple, tested seed,minerals, water, the equipment they invest in and from the suppliers they can trust. Suchinterdependence is as old as modern agriculture has been this and last century(s). We arein tougher times and many of us barter and watch what we spend hard earned money uponbut know this, livestock growers -by and large - have to get back what is spent to feed suchanimals or they simply go out of such farming. Abundant vegetables are not the same asmeat animals and/or fishing from inland streams or ocean catch. All such food stuff is therefor you to buy for your family, see that you do and watch for sales at the food stores to loadup your shelves and refrigeration/freezer. Plant your own garden with what you like and thethings you cannot grow, you will find locally at farm stands.

Maine Agricultural

Fairs 2010

July 1- 4Houlton Fair

Contact: 532-2977

www.houltonfair.com

July 8 - 11 Ossipee Valley Fair

in Hiram Contact: 793-8434www.ossipeevalleyfair.com

July 16 - 18 Waterford World's

Fair

North Waterford Contact: 514-0333 www.nwwf08.org

July 22 - 25Pittston Fair

Contact: 582-7791

July 30 - Aug. 8 Bangor StateFair

Contact: Mike Dyer 947-5555www.bangorstatefair.com

July 30 - Aug, 7No Maine Fair

Presque Isle Contact: 769-2258

www.northernmainefairgrounds.com

August 4 - 7Monmouth Fair

Contact: 933-2249

www.monmouthgrows.com/monmouthfair

August 6 - 8Athens Fair

Contact:660-7340

August 8 - 14 Topsham Fair

Contact: 729-1544

www.topshamfair.net

August 12 - 21Skowhegan State

Fair

Contact: Rebecca Turner 474-2947

www.skowheganstatefair.com

August 21 - 28 Union Fair

Contact: 273-2465

www.unionfair.org

August 26 - 29Piscataquis Valley

Fair

Dover-Foxcroft Contact: 943-2650www.PiscataquisValleyFair.com

August 26 - 29Acton Fair

Contact: 636-2026

www.Actonfair.net

August 29 - Sept. 6 Windsor FairContact:549-7121www.windsorfair.com

September 2 - 6Blue Hill Fair

Contact: 374-3701

www.bluehillfair.com

September 3 - 6Springfield Fair

Contact: 738-2888www.thespringfieldfair.com

September 3 - 6Harmony Free

Fair

Contact: 683-5873www.harmonyfreefair.org

September 9 - 12 Clinton LionsFair

Contact:426-8013 or 474-8287 e-mail:[email protected]

September 10 - 12Litchfield Fair

Contact: 353-8105

September 11 Cornish

Horsemans DayFair

Contact: 625-4469

September 13- 19 Oxford County

Fair

Contact: 743-9594www.oxfordcountyfair.com

September 17 - 19New PortlandLions Fair

Full Maine & New

Hampshire schedulein summer issue


12/12

was moved out.

One recycler outskirts of Bangor town is doing a banner business! It must comein micro managed fashion, however. The suburbs are taking it all in. You see therecycling Mainers everywhere, more so this year than last. They all apparently held

back waiting for the price to make it worthwhile - those who do that for spendingmoney and food on the table. More power to them. And further out, country locatedgatherers south and west have even more recycling outfits to deliver to, easing thegasoline to and from scene. Not much gets tossed by farmers and the good farmersweld, do their own mechanics, electrics and plumbing, so we expect they get calls. Tossup question as to if that is a routine they like, eh? Giving away hoarded stuff, but inmany cases just plan crap metal must be gone for the sake of sanity. Some ex-

ceptions abound. A yard some 80+ years old bit the dust last two weeks in April. Werefer to the former Bishop yards in Orneville, LaGrange. Years back, practically noone could petition the owner to sell one of the hundreds of 1920s, 30s, 50s autos andold trucks. All is now gone. One large truck of number one steel and two twisted lightsteel of car design style and substance to traditional automobile manufacturing gone,kaput, out of there. Only thing left, top soil and trees. History evaporated for $210 aton. Hardly seems it paid for the equipment and the movers.

Again locally, even Harvey Farm Equipment heirs pulled out some of thetwisted metal from the devastating Grange building fire the late Raymond Harvey oncehad several floors of stored tractor supplies and management there also got that in whilethe steel price was up.

For others, most of the local stuff being moved is light metal and always somenumber one steel or the trip isnt made. Yep, annual spring cleaning with a better price

than the yap of the lady at home going on like a broken record. Clean that up!. Cantbeat that, greenbacks for better China on the dinner table, maybe a steak with Mainepotatoes and other veggies for rusting metal. Ayuh.

Maine Metal Harvest12 Spring Issue

Anyone with a pickup, a trailer behindan SUV, old station wagon is - may still

be - scouring the woods and fields oflands by permission owners wanting itout of there! First weeks of April wererusty. An Army of woods skinners weretrekking steel. Prices in central Maine

went from $210 down to $170 / ton inabout 3 weeks time in April, so much

Ted

Mc LEODWater Wells

Pump Sales & Service,

MERL DUNHAMSam INC.

G.L. Strout & SonsWelding, Inc.

- Machine Shop -

Shop & Portable:

LINE BORING

Browns CustomSpreading

& Lime Sales

WELL CONTRACTORSAcross The Street or Across The State

David A. Kutcher Reg. Maine Guide

207 564-0303 168 Milo Road

Regional-State wide

Artic Cat Ariens GravelyHoule Husqvarna StihlNew Idea New Holland

2400 W. River Rd.,

Agricultural Tractors

Kramers Inc.William Massow

Manager500 Odlin Rd Bangor

New England Salt Co.Serving Mainess De-icing Needs

262-9779

Bangor Truck Equipment34 Perry Road * Bangor 04401

990-3757 Fax 990-1125Toll Free 1 877-990-3757

www.bangortruckequipment.comJohn Fahey - Wayne Nason-Dave Therrien

Save 50-70% onYour heating bills

www.ELCOgeothermal.com

207- 942-4659

GEOTHERMALEastern & Coastal Maine

207 [email protected]

Hot-Cold & Therapy

Maine Farrier ServiceNewburgh 04444

In Washington

152 Rockland Rd., 04574

845-2480

MAINE HARVEST LINKDistributors of local natural foods

Mike Gold - 16 Waning Rd., Unity

207 [email protected]

Installing Outdoor

Wood FurnacesFor All Your

Heating NeedsRick Strout

285-3832 Home

745-9650 Cell

SportingCamps

SN 17621

Will take $3200.

Starting with the Dems (reverse alphabetically) wehave Rosa Scarcelli, a southern Maine housing developerwho asserts acres of fallow farmland in Maine should bere-growing agriculturally ; Steven Rowe, former Attor-ney General; former Speaker of the Maine House places

interest in power sourcing power from Quebec; ElizabethMitchell, presently member of the Maine Legislature,

previously ran for Governor seeks to grow better studentswith incentives for educational payback by less braindrain out of state; Patrick McGowan, present Commis-sioner Maine Conservation, previously ran for Governorand he asserts energy with resources are sacred cows forthe future as it has been in the past, industrially. Four forvoters on the Dem side since technically aggressive vol-unteers botched some accounting for money raised forformer House Speaker John Richardson and the numbersof signatures taken bar him now from this ballot. Inde-

pendent lass Lynne Williams bowed out of the Green

Party slot with a lack of enough signatures for the stateballot earlier this spring.

For the Republicans there are seven candidates,(reverse alphabetically) Bruce Poliquin, developer, says the

private sector operates as lean as state programs must;Les Otten skiing area developer, would like strongerentrepreneurial banking in Maine; Peter Mills, attorneywould allow existing authority in state government toinvest for the general public for greater business/industrial infrastructures; Paul LePage, General Mgr.Mardens Stores would drop personal state income taxlevels coupled with programs to cease band-aid state

planning for a growing Maine; Matt Jacobson, business

man, says he gets nervous when government picks win-ners and losers as ideas are floated to banking, stateagencies, granting powers; Bill Beardsley, former Presi-dent Husson College would counter any nibbling awayof programs which support Maine businesses; Steve Ab-bott, professional politician, aide to Senator Susan Col-lins, chides state government attitudes without definingsuch charges and cites activities in other states in regardsto the paper plantation outside of Maine.

leven men andwomen are the outcome ofthe petitions, announcedcandidates for Maine Gov-ernor for voters to castaside and choose one per

party in June.

E

Specializing inAwnings - CanopiesAll types of Covers

& Tarps, Flags

943-14561 800-287-3043Fax 942-3043

100 Thacher St. Bangorwww.youngscanvas.com

Spring 2010 Mainely Agriculture

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