Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — John Rebar, executive director of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, was in Aroostook County last week explaining why the passage of Question 2 on the Nov. 6 ballot would benefit the entire state.
“Most folks know about Question 1 — the same sex marriage referendum — but they don’t know about the different bond issues,” said Rebar, “so we’re trying to raise public awareness for Question 2 which specifically pertains to the University of Maine and the Cooperative Extension and how we support the Maine economy.”
Question 2 asks, “Do you favor an $11,300,000 bond issue to provide funds for capital to build a diagnostic facility for the University of Maine System; for capital improvements and equipment, including machine tool technology, for the Maine Community College System; and for capital improvements and equipment at the Maine Maritime Academy?”
Of the $11.3 million bond, $7.8 million is earmarked for a new animal and plant diagnostic facility at the University of Maine. The proposed 18,000-square-foot building would feature designated areas for animal and plant diagnostic testing and research, an attached greenhouse, a large animal autopsy room and a secure waste disposal system. The new facility, which has the potential to generate 800 jobs in both agricultural and scientific fields, will protect agricultural jobs from the serious economic threats of plant and animal disease, food-borne illness, and invasive species.
“What we’re trying to emphasize is that passage of this bond will build, create and protect Maine jobs,” said Rebar. “For example, here in Aroostook, we use a lot of our diagnostic capabilities to support the potato industry, as well as other sectors of the agricultural economy including the wild blueberry, dairy, and the growing cheese industries.
“The challenge we have is that we have very outdated facilities that were built in the 1940s and ‘50s and they need to be updated,” he said. “We’ve outgrown their capacity, and we don’t have the kind of bio-security that we need when you’re dealing with potentially infectious agents or trying to quarantine the diseases. Right now we don’t have that bio-secure location.”
Rebar said construction of a new diagnostic facility that monitors and addresses serious threats like late blight, E. Coli, ticks and bedbugs will “ensure the stability of key Maine industries and protect the livelihood of those who work in and depend on these sectors of the state’s economy.”
“The new diagnostic facility will enable the state to retain and expand the jobs of Maine people who study and work to eradicate threats to our agricultural economy and public health,” he said.
While many people have heard of the Cooperative Extension, and its most famous program — the 4-H Youth Development Program — Rebar said what they may not know is how the Cooperative Extension does work that pertains to peoples’ lives on a regular basis.
“For example, in 2010 there was a massive egg recall in many states of the nation; many people got sick, but there was never a recall in Maine because of the diagnostic testing that’s done through the university in partnership with the Maine Department of Agriculture and the large egg producers,” he said. “We were ahead of the country in both protecting consumers and food safety. People were safer in Maine with that product because of the testing that occurs here.
“Because there is no organized opposition to Question 2, it
hasn’t risen to wide attention. You’re not going to see a large television campaign,” said Rebar, “so we’re doing what we can to create public awareness so we have an informed electorate when they go into the voting booth on Nov. 6. Question 2 is not just about building something at the university or at the community colleges; it’s about an investment in Maine’s future.”
In addition to educating the public about Question 2, Rebar said the extension is busy conducting a national search for an agronomist in Aroostook County.
“Traditionally we’ve had at least three faculty in Aroostook County in support of the potato industry,” he said. “We have an entomologist, a plant pathologist and a soil scientist, or an agronomist. That position has been vacant for a couple of years now, and as we’ve managed our finances, we’ve had to make sure that we were able to fill that position with a secure budget that will keep that position here for years. We are conducting a national search and hope to have a new faculty member working from our Presque Isle office — I would hope — by the start of 2013.
“The soil scientist will look at soil-borne issues … everything from fertilizing, plant nutrition, water use, micronutrients, as well as rotational crops,” said Rebar, “… what can we grow in the off years when we don’t grow potatoes and how can some of those crops be cash crops for the farmers.”
The executive director said agriculture is a major part of the state’s economy.
“The state of Maine has added 1,000 farms since 2000, and we are one of the few parts of the nation that’s showing an interest in farmers. We have more female farmers than ever before, the average age of Maine farmers is going down, the value of Maine agriculture has increased; in 2011, the cash receipts to farmers was $717 million which translates to over $3 billion of economic activity; we have the most diverse agriculture in New England by far,” said Rebar, “and as we look to the future, agriculture will continue to be a growing industry for the state of Maine. This is really an exciting time to be involved in agriculture.”
For more information, contact Rebar at 581-3238 or e-mail john.rebar@maine.edu.
