PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Central Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and National Resource Conservation Service will offer a livestock clinic from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, in Presque Isle.
The clinic is designed for large-scale producers or small farm hobbyists and will take place at the Northern Maine Fairgrounds in the Olde MacDonald’s Farm pavilion. Presenters will cover basic livestock production and introduce nutrient management. Animals will be on site and participants can have their questions answered by experts.
The session will start with coffee and doughnuts at 8:30, with a welcome from CASWCD Executive Director Randy Martin at 9. Classes in the show barns from 9:30 to 10:45 will include beef and dairy with Gary Anderson, animal and bioscience specialist at the University of Maine, Orono, and swine with Colt Knight, assistant professor of Extension and state livestock specialist from UMaine.
Lunch will be served from 10:45 to 12 noon at the Olde MacDonald pavilion. Afternoon classes will run from 12 to 2 p.m. and will include poultry with Linda Trickey, agricultural assistant at the Extension’s Houlton office, and small ruminants (goats, sheep, llamas and alpacas) with Knight.
A wrap-up and roundtable discussion from 2 to 4 p.m. will conclude the event, with tips on nutrient management plans from Seth Jones, NRCS district conservationist.
The cost of the clinic is $25. Lunch will be included. There are a limited number of scholarships available for those who cannot afford the fee.
For the purposes of planning for food, registrations must be received in advance. For more information or questions about dietary needs, contact Randy Martin at 760-4602 or centralaroostookswcd@gmail.com.
