District Report

District Report - 2006

District Report - 2007

Winter Agriculture School
Classes included "Organic Practices and Standards", "Potato Pest Management", "Rare Heritage Breeds", "Cattle and Crop Integration", "Small Woodlot Management" and "Farmland Protection". Over people in southern Aroostook participated in these classes.

Vernal Pool Workshop
Partnered with the Maine Forest Service for a vernal pool talk with Gordon Moore. Over 30 people attended this field day.

Awards Banquet
The annual Conservation Farmer of the Year Awards Banquet was held on April 12th at the Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum.
Award Recipients:
Conservation Farmer of the Year - Borderside Farms - Mike and Karen Fitzpatrick
Outstanding Innovative Farmer - Wood Prairie Farms - Jim and Megan Gerritsen
Outstanding Conservation Partner - Dan Jacobs - Maine Forest Service
Agricultural Preservation Award - Southern Aroostook Agricultural Preservation Award.

Arbor Day Tree Giveaway
Celebrated Arbor Day by partnering with the Maine Forest Service, Vital Pathways and Irving Woodlands to give away free spruce seedlings. Nearly 500 trees were given out to the community.

Envirothon
2007 was the Southern Aroostook District's turn to host the mock Envirothon to help prepare students for the regional competition and for the top winning teams, the state Envirothon competition. Working as teams, students test their knowledge of natural resource issues with aquatics, forestry, wildlife, soils and a current natural resource issue. The Envirothon is North America's largest environmental education program for high school students

Education Outreach
The District conducted a composting class and field trial with Houlton's third grade students. Students contributed items to the compost "recipe", monitored the temperature and turned the compost weekly until summer break. Students each took home a bag of finished compost at the end of the experiment. The District also conducted a decomposition class with first graders at Katahdin Elementary School.

Camp Sponsorship
Proceeds from 2007 calendar sales were used to send two children from Monticello and Littleton to Tanglewood 4-H camp in July. Each child had a great time.

Farmland Protection
The District hosted a farmland protection workshop geared specifically to municipalities. Nine towns were represented to discuss issues with Stephanie Gilbert of the Maine Department of Agriculture's Farmland Protection Program and Tim Glidden with the Maine State Planning Office. Ms. Gilbert also met with individuals from the community to discuss farm transfers and, estate planning and easements.

BUY LOCAL Farm Calendar
2008 calendar of maps and farms of where to buy local while highlighting our area's agricultural diversity. Calendar proceeds will send two local kids to Tanglewood 4-H camp again this summer.

GRANT PRGRAMS

Winter Cover and Mulching Program

Twenty six farmers in the south branch of the Meduxnekeag Watershed were involved with this project in the 2007 harvest season.

2,304 acres were planted in a winter cover crop.

3,118 acres were mulched.

That's 5,422 acres benefited from improved soil health and prevention of soil erosion.

Drew's Lake Shoreline Erosion Control Project

The District and Kathy Hoppe from the Department of Environmental conducted an informational outreach session for grant participants at Tall Timber Lodge in May.

Shoreline buffer plantings were designed and will be implemented this spring.

Permits necessary for Best Management Practices construction were secured for 2008.