Wreath and Tree Shippers Should Be Aware of Out-of-State Plant Regulations

Monday, November 19, 2012
AUGUSTA, Maine - As part of its commitment to supporting the state's farm- and forest-based businesses, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (ACF) has established a website outlining other states' restrictions on importing cut trees and wreaths. Maine decorative-plant shippers who are sending Christmas trees and wreaths around the country for the holiday season can save money and lost products by noting important regulations enforced by other states.

States such as California are impounding and destroying shipments to prevent infestation by invasive insects and the spread of plant diseases, said Ann Gibbs, Maine state horticulturist.
"Import requirements for cut trees and wreaths with ornamental nuts and fruit arrangements exist to protect regional agriculture or other commodities from the risk of plant pests," Gibbs explained. "Unfortunately, some Maine shippers have learned about these regulations the hard way and have had shipments impounded and destroyed. We want to prevent any losses by getting the word out now.

Our best advice is to check out-of-state orders in advance, especially those headed to California, and to make sure they are free of scale on the needles."

Distributors also should identify their products clearly through labeling, beginning with the statement, "Grown in Maine," followed by the county of origin and the name and address of the shipper. Labels should indicate the contents of packages, including the different types of greenery, nuts, fruits and cones used to decorate wreaths.
"This information benefits the shipper by speeding along deliveries," Gibbs said. "That is very important in this time-sensitive industry."
An informational sheet, "Know State Regulations When Shipping Wreaths and Trees," is available on the ACF website at www.maine.gov/agriculture/horticulture/ship.htm or by contacting Sarah Scally at (207)287-3891 or sarah.h.scally@maine.gov.
For more information about the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, go to: http://www.maine.gov/acf

Fossa General Store completion is underway

Dexter Regional Development Corporation is pleased to announce the contract with the General Contractor was signed on Wednesday, October 31st and construction is beginning immediately. The low bid General Contractor is J. Wilbur Construction of Dexter and he has enlisted several local subcontractors to help complete the Fossa General Store in about 3 months. DRDC & J. Wilbur Construction is working closely with Plymouth Engineering, Inc. of Plymouth, Maine.

Last week week Contracts were signed and there is ‘hammering of the nail’ now taking place, but you will be seeing more and more activity at 4 Main Street in Dexter.

Dexter Regional Development Corporation (DRDC) has been working on the Dexter Community Farm Project idea since June 2009. Along the way, they have received 2 CDBG Federal Grants to help in the rehab of the old Fossa Store, which was generously donated to DRDC from the Fossa Family in 2007 after running the Fossa Store for 3 generations.

DRDC has spent over $50,000 from their own coffers, as well as 100’s of hours of volunteer work from Dexter’s Aspire Volunteers & Workfare Program, the Charleston Correctional Facility, DRDC & community members.

DRDC is developing the Fossa General Store that will support local farmers by creating a year round mercantile space, a commercial kitchen (for use by the store, to rent to farmers and for educational purposes) and to act as a wholesale agent for Farm to School, Farm to Institutions and Farm to Table.

DRDC is creating a market for their products year round, creating jobs both in the store and on the farm; providing education to farmer, the consumer and to the education community.
 
This week piles of paperwork has been scanned and emailed to appropriate people, dozen of phone calls coordinated, Maine Revenue & Maine Labor paperwork done, Contractor is framing inside the store, furnace is waiting to be installed, subcontractors notified, building materials delivered by Dexter Lumber, volunteers to be organized, grant to be finished... okay, it is a great week! FINALLY moving forward....

If you would like more information on the Dexter Community Farm Project, email judy@DexterFarmProject.com.

Exciting news

Thursday, October 11, 2012We FINALLY have the go ahead to start Phase II (completing the interior of the store front). Dexter Regional Development Corp. (DRDC) has had so many obstacles placed in front of us over the past 2 1/2 years, that were out of our control, and today this last one was lifted!

It almost doesn't seem possible because we have had to many set backs, but the terrific DRDC Board of Directors and I are extremely happy.

We have a lot of paperwork to complete in the next week and then the contractor will be able to sign on the dotted line hopefully in a week or so and construction will begin!!!!

The Fossa General Store is finally going to be a reality hopefully around February / March (approx.) after construction is completed....

Preconditioned Fall Feeder Calf Sale

The Maine Beef Producers Association (MBPA) is sponsoring a preconditioned feeder calf sale at Dick Brown’s facility on November 3^rd, 2012. 

Cow Calf producers have taken the time to precondition their calves for this sale. Preconditioning reduces the incidence of respiratory disease and enteritis by increasing the immunity of the calf in preparation of the stress of weaning and shipping.  Dehornings and castrations are healed.

Some cow calf producers consigning animals to the sale have also signed affidavits attesting that their animals have been raised under the MBPA Natural Meats program protocol of never having received hormones, antibiotics, or feeds or feed supplements containing animal-by-products. And/or their animals are 100% grass (forage) fed, no grains, grain-by-products, grain crops, grain crop silages, or other prohibited feeds under the USDA grass fed guidelines have been fed.

The MBPA are expecting 75 to 100 calves weighing about 600 to 700 pounds to be sold at the November 3^rd sale at 11 am. 

If you are interested in buying a few or a lot of animals or have questions contact Sale Manager, Pete Dusoe at 207-416-5441 (cell) or 207-948-3233, or pbdusoe@uninets.net or Bob Dusoe at 207-322-5609. Pre-conditioning protocol is available at http://bit.ly/V5btMl or http://www.mainebeefproducersassociation.org/Sales.html

For more information contact Donna R. Coffin, Extension Professor
University of Maine Cooperative Extension
165 East Main St.
Dover-Foxcroft, ME   04426
(207)564-3301 or in Maine 1-800-287-1491
http://extension.umaine.edu/
http://www.facebook.com/umaineextpsq

October meeting

Reminder: Monthly meeting Tuesday, October 2nd at 6:30 pm at the Fossa General Store upstairs. Board members and interested people are invited. 

Cheryl Hajek, certified Quickbooks Adviser will be on hand to talk about our financial structure, P&L projections, POS systems, etc.
We will go over the P&L Projection spread sheet and ask for your thoughts and the Biz Plan that was done recently.  Fred D. and I worked about 6 hours on it last Wednesday and it is getting better and better.  We will explain.
Fred wants to ask about Capitol Gains (I think) and how we will handle them but Cheryl will be able to help that too.

We also will be talking about when construction can begin and about our private lender. At this point we are still waiting on the Town of Dexter audit year 2011 to be done and filed with the state.

I will go over the findings Richard Frank & I have found at the Kitchen Warehouse places and where we stand on both Grants.  I want this finished THIS week.

Darlene Bagley and I have been searching online for recycled bags for the store. IDEAS?   Lots of details that need to be decided on.
AND a big item is our LOGO!!!

I am making some calls to find an artist, I know Dave P. is very busy.  BUT we have to have it soon!!!  it will be on our invoice, labels, our Sign, shopping bags, t-shirts, etc and we have to get it now and not later.

I will try to have coffee available for the meeting and dress warm :)

Call if you have any questions or thoughts.
Judy

Annual Tour honoring our Cooperator of the Year

On Saturday, August 25^th, the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) along with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation District (NRCS) honored Sid and Rainie Stutzman of Stutzman’s Family Farm in Sangerville as the 2012 Outstanding Cooperator of the Year. The day began with introductions of the Stutzmans by Gordon Moore, Chair of the PCSWCD and a Maine District Forester.  

Sid talked about the various conservation practices they have implemented on the farm with help from some of the NRCS programs available to farmers. Sunny Stutzman spoke about the new Gothic arch cedar high tunnel that he designed under a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) awarded to PCSWCD by NRCS. This high tunnel has been designed using a locally harvested product and locally available hardware, and is designed for use by farmers as well as backyard gardeners.

The high tunnel has wheels to make it portable. In this way the grower can move the high tunnel to a new location in order to rest and restore the soils after several seasons of use. Dave Power, District Conservationist for NRCS in Piscataquis County, spoke about available NRCS financial assistance programs.

The participants were given a tour of the CIG high tunnel as well as another high tunnel the Stutzmans bought with financial assistance through NRCS. There was a short tour of their fields and a question and answer segment regarding equipment that is used to produce the food which is sold at their farm stand and through Community Supported Agriculture.  A delicious lunch made with their farm grown produce was served while Caragh Fitzgerald, Extension Educator with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, discussed the findings of a cost benefits analysis on high tunnels and the importance of maintaining soil quality when growing crops in high tunnels.  

If you are interested in finding out more about the programs available from PCSWCD or NRCS, contact the USDA Service Center located in the Pine Crest Business Park at 42 Engdahl Drive, Dover-Foxcroft, Monday through Friday, 8am-4:30pm, call 564-2321 extension 3, or email info@piscataquisswcd.org. PCSWCD and NRCS are equal opportunity providers and employers.

Michaud Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Help Maine’s Family Farms & Forest Owners

Will help ensure land owners aren’t forced to sell due to estate tax bill

WASHINGTON, DC – Recently, Congressman Mike Michaud will join Diane Black (R-Tennessee) to introduce the Keep the Forest and Farm in the Family Act of 2012, which helps protect American farms, forests and ranches from the negative impacts of the estate tax. About 90% of Maine is covered in forestland, and 233,000 families own 5.7 million acres of the state’s forest. If families are forced to sell their forestland or harvest timber prematurely to pay the estate tax, Maine risks losing family-owned forests and the benefits they provide.

“This bill helps protect Maine livelihoods and ensures that families who want to maintain their working forests and farms will not be penalized for their efforts,” said Michaud. “I support a permanent solution to the estate tax. But we also need to amend current law so that family forest owners aren’t forced to sell their land when it changes hands from generation to generation.”

The bill introduced today would change two provisions in current law. First, the bill will amend a provision in current estate tax law called the “special use valuation.” Special use valuation allows an estate’s value to be reduced by as much as $1 million if certain criteria are met. This bill would ensure that harvesting timber in accordance with a forest management plan is considered consistent with maintaining a forest’s current use and permitted under special use valuation.

The second provision in the bill would increase the special use valuation exemption from the current level of $1 million to $5 million. As previously mentioned, this exemption reduces the value of the estate on which a forest owner, farmer or rancher would have to pay taxes. In some cases, this additional reduction in estate value would protect them from having to pay the estate tax (by reducing the value below the $5 million threshold in current law).

The forest products industry contributes over $4 billion to Maine’s economy, supporting more than 60,000 jobs directly and indirectly. Because 82% of family forest owners have annual household incomes of less than $100,000, families are often forced to sell or harvest timber prematurely when estate taxes come due. A fact sheet on Maine forest land can be found here.

Here is an example of a challenge that the Keep the Forest and Farm in the Family Act of 2012 could help resolve:

Example: Jo landowner inherits forest from his parents worth $6 million at fair market value. Jo can only exempt $5 million of this estate under current law (that allows all a $5 million exemption), so he must pay estate taxes on $1 million—which would be a $350,000 tax bill. Jo can’t afford this bill but he doesn’t want to sell the land and the timber isn’t ready for harvest. So Jo elects the special use valuation, agreeing to keep his forest as forest for 10 years. With this election, Jo reduced the value of the estate to $5 million, so he won’t have to pay estate taxes on it. Unfortunately, under current law, if Jo needs to harvest timber in the 10 year timeframe (say his neighbor has a pine beetle outbreak, and Jo wants to take preventive measures) he must pay all or a portion of the estate tax benefits he received under special use valuation plus the typical income or capital gains taxes.