2nd Month down and lots of growing...

Fossa's General Store on 4 Main Street in Dexter has just finished it's 2nd month in business and we are please to say it is growing in leaps and bounds!
We now represent over 60 LOCAL Farmers and Producers within the store and still growing.
Fossa's is truely a "General" Store carrying everything from produce & pickles, milk &d Maine Soda, meats & coffee, note paper, greeting cards, fish flies & ice fishing supplies to gifts and decorating the home items

Our kitchen is growing daily as we come up with new ideas with an old fashion 'comfort food' twist.
We boast our Wood Fired Brick Oven that we cook designer pizzas, Fossa's Hand Pies and so much more.  We will be doing artisan breads in the near future.

Fossa's Hours are:
Tuesday thru Saturday 10 am to 7 pm
Sundays 11 am to 4
Closed on Mondays

We do daily posts to our Facebook page of specials, products and new daily items...

https://www.facebook.com/FossasGeneralStore

University of Maine Cooperative Extension Event at Rogers Farm

Join the University of Maine Cooperative Extension at Rogers Farm on September 10th at 6:00pm for Dividing Perennial Plants with a special focus on Iris.

Fall is a great time to divide perennial plants.  Mary Betts will demonstrate how to divide different types of iris while Kate Garland offer tips and show how to divide other perennial plants.

No reservation is needed and the event will be held rain or shine.

Rogers Farm in located on the Bennoch Road in Stillwater. From I-95 take exit 193. Turn right onto Stillwater Ave, at the third traffic light take a left onto Bennoch Road. Travel 1.5 miles. Rogers Farm will be on your right across from the University Research Farm. You will see the farm buildings on your left.

For more information or to request a disability accommodation (please allow two weeks for a disability request), call 207.942.7396.

About University of Maine Cooperative Extension:

As a trusted resource for almost 100 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. 

UMaine Extension helps support, sustain and grow the food-based economy. It is the only entity in our state that touches every aspect of the Maine Food System, where policy, research, production, processing, commerce, nutrition, and food security and safety are integral and interrelated. UMaine Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H. 

Fossa's announces "Soft Opening" Thursday, June 27th

Fossa's General Store will be having a "Soft Opening" this Thursday, June 27th at 10 am after 3 1/2 years of starting and stopping and starting and stopping on the construction due to forces outside of our control. 

But we sure do have control now and very excited to show you all what marvelous work our local contractors and volunteer have transformed our place into! 

I like to call it "Farmer Chic" which is fitting for highlighting Local Farmers & Local Producers food & wares.

We will not have all items in place on Thursday because as you know many items planted just are not ready yet but will be in another month or so.  So, we are planning a big ole' Grand Opening in August with all the bells and whistles.

We are featuring “Locally Grown, Locally Produced” products and are pleased to be supporting locally agriculture primarily in a 35+ mile radius of Dexter, but for products not available we will have other Maine goods.

Please join us next week, but in the meantime join our Facebook page for all the latest news, photos, specials and farm spotlights & highlights.

Much Happiness,

Judy~

Fossa’s General Store Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/FossasGeneralStore

Before Spring Planting, “Dig a little. Learn a lot.”

 Maine – April 16, 2013 -- “As spring temperatures go up, it’s an excellent time for farmers and gardeners to focus their attention down to the soil below them,” says Alice Begin, Resource Conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Maine.  “A spring check-up of your soil’s health gives clues of your ground’s ability to feed plants, hold water, capture carbon and more.”  No fancy equipment is required. Just grab a spade or shovel and prepare your senses to dig a little and learn a lot.

It doesn’t matter what kind of landowner you are; small farmers, large farmers, organic farmers and even home gardeners can all benefit from this simple discovery project of one of their most important resources.  And in the process you can reap big rewards for your crops and the environment around you.

With your shovel, nose, eyes and hands ready, Begin suggests the following steps to investigate soil health:

LOOK – first at the soil surface which should be covered with plant residue, providing organic matter and preventing erosion.  Dig into the soil and observe the color and structure.  It should be dark, crumbly, and porous—rather like chocolate cake.  Healthy soil is full of air holes and live roots, and of course, you should see earthworms—our wonderful soil engineers!  Poorer soils are lighter in color, compacted or unstructured, and lack living roots and critters.

SMELL – Healthy soil should have a sweet earthy smell, indicating the presence of geosmin, a byproduct of soil microbes called actinomycetes.  These microbes decompose the tough plant and animal residues in and on the soil and bring nitrogen from the air into the soil to feed plants.  An unhealthy, out-of-balance soil smells sour or metallic, or like kitchen cleanser.

TOUCH – Soil should be loose and crumble easily indicating a porous texture.  This holds water better making it available for plants and stemming flooding and runoff.  In healthy soil, roots can grow straight and deep, allowing plants to reach nutrients and water they need to produce the food we love to eat.

Maine is fortunate to have productive soils. It is up to gardeners, landowners, and land managers to preserve and even build their productive capacity. Basic principles to improve or maintain soil health apply to small gardens, large agricultural fields, and even pastures. They include:

Minimize soil disturbance. The less a soil is tilled, and the more shallowly it is tilled, the better the all-important organisms in the soil do. Many farmers and gardeners are turning to reduced tillage and no-till systems to save energy and improve soil health.

Reduce or eliminate bare soil. In nature, healthy soil is covered by something, be it living plants or dead organic matter. Bare soil erodes easily. Rainfall runs off bare soil rather than sinking in. And bare soil temperatures can rise high enough to be detrimental or even deadly to soil organisms. Utilize cover crops and mulches in gardens and fields where crops are grown. If you have livestock, manage grazing with rotations to allow grasses and clovers to regrow before being re-grazed. Maintain a minimum height of 3-4 inches on pasture at all times.

In addition to the vital production values of soil health to the individual farmer or gardener, Begin explains that healthy soil has clear impacts on many of the larger agricultural and environmental issues of our day, from sustainable food production to water quality to mitigating climate change.  Healthy soil holds, filters and regulates water, mitigates drought and flooding, reduces runoff and erosion, cycles nutrients, sequesters carbon and suppresses weeds and pests.  For all these reasons NRCS has recently launched a nationwide effort to “Unlock the Secrets of the Soil.”

Simply put, healthy soils are productive soils and they are important to every one of us.  Visit the Soil Health website at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/soils/health/.  

Applications for Two Major Conservation Initiatives due April 19

Bangor, ME – February 25, 2013, 2012 – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist Juan Hernandez has announced a second ranking period for the Organic Initiative and the Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative.  Interested producers should contact their local NRCS office soon to find out if they are eligible for either of these programs.  Applications for the second ranking period of 2013 are due at the NRCS offices by close of business on April 19, 2013.  Both initiatives are funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and offer technical and financial assistance.

Through the Organic Initiative NRCS helps certified organic growers and producers working to achieve organic certification install conservation practices for organic production.  Funding is available to help producers plan and implement conservation practices that address natural resource concerns in ways that are consistent with organic production.  “Practices will help the selected applicants meet many requirements of their USDA Organic System Plans and stay in compliance with USDA’s National Organic Program,” said Hernandez.

Through the Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative, NRCS helps producers plan and implement high tunnels – steel-framed, polyethylene-covered structures that extend growing seasons in an environmentally safe manner.  High tunnel benefits include better plant and soil quality, fewer nutrients and pesticides in the environment, and better air quality due to fewer vehicles being needed to transport crops.

For more information go to www.me.nrcs.usda.gov or contact your nearest USDA Service Center, listed online at http://offices.usda.gov or in the telephone book under United States Government, Agriculture Department.

Coalition Providing Assistance to New Farmers

Bangor, ME – February 26, 2013 -- Are you a new farmer?  Do you need help navigating the various programs and services available to help you succeed in your new farming enterprise?

A group of federal, state and local farm service providers have joined together to assist aspiring, beginning, and transitioning farmers to succeed…providing information and assistance on everything from the soil to your wallet.

Known as the Beginning Farmer Resource Network of Maine (BFRN), this coalition of farm service providers supports the whole farm community including agriculture, aquaculture, and forestry.  They are dedicated to helping farmers succeed, as well as ensuring that agriculture stays prosperous in the future. 

BFRN has created a website that will hopefully serve as a resource for beginning farmers.  It offers a “toolbox” of information on important issues/concerns that farmers should think about when starting their business.  It provides resources and contacts on such issues as acquiring land, how to farm, conserving natural resources, planning and managing your business, financing, regulations, marketing, and much more.  It also provides information on events and workshops that may be of interest. 

Finding what you need to start farming shouldn’t be like finding a shear pin in a haystack.  Go to www.umaine.edu/beginning-farmer-resource-network/…the one stop website for new farmers. 

Elaine Tremble
Public Affairs Specialist
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
967 Illinois Avenue, Suite #3
Bangor, ME 04401
Tel: 207-990-9569
Fax: 207-990-9599

We want to talk to you!

Fossa's General Store seeks Producers

After years of delays and setbacks the Dexter Farm Project is pleased to announce that we expect to open the Fossa's General Store on the corner of Main street and Route 7 in Dexter soon. 

We will be offering food products produced primarily within 35+ miles of Dexter.  

We hope to  be able to offer a wide variety of items ranging from fresh fruits and vegetables to meats, dairy products, baked goods, and value-added items.  We aim to offer the consumer the widest variety of products that we can, weather that be certified organic or not. 

We are currently seeking products that will be available for our opening in April.

 Interested producers are welcome to contact either Ernest Rollins at 717-7057 or by email ewrollins@ymail.com , or Judy Wilbur Craig at 270.1240 or by email judy@DexterFarmProject.com 

Click here for the Guidelines for Producers – adopted 03.05.2013 by DRDC Board of Directors.

 For folks on Facebook we post nearly daily updates on our construction progress at https://www.facebook.com/groups/dexterfarmproject

Judy Wilbur Craig
Dexter Community Farm Project Coordinator

Website: www.DexterFarmProject.com 
Photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/fossageneralstore
Blog: http://DexterFarmProject.blogspot.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/dexterfarmproject 
Fossa General Store:  207.924.DEXTer (924.3398)