The State of Maine Agricultural Trades Show is sponsored by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. It takes place every January and is a place for farm, agricultural and related sectors to network and connect around business needs and trends. Producers and consumers alike visit this three day show to get professional expertise, learn about technologies and to gather information on the agriculture industry.
Join MOFGA staff and presenters on Tuesday, January 9, for a full schedule of programming in the Piscataquis/Sagadahoc Room. The Tradeshow runs from Tuesday, January 9 to Thursday, January 11.
SCHEDULE:
9 a.m. – Demystifying Organic Certification & USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP)
Learn the basics of organic certification process and requirements of becoming a certified organic producer. The USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) will also be covered. TOPP, which is part of USDA’s larger Organic Transition Initiative (OTI), aims to offer unprecedented support for farms and producers to transition to organic certification. Learn about becoming a mentor, a transitioning producer (mentee) and other opportunities through USDAs OTI.
11 a.m. – Maine Organic Milk Producers Meeting
Updates on organic dairy cost of production, updates from Maine Dairy Industry Association, and updates from MOFGA Certification Services on any changes to rules or processes.
12 p.m. – Hoping for the Best, Planning for the Worst
Learn about how we expect pests and diseases to change with our climate, how those changes will affect management tools, and how you can build more flexibility and resilience into your pest management systems.
1 p.m. – Managing Nitrogen with Uncertain Weather
Nitrogen is the trickiest nutrient to “get right” on organic farms even in an ideal growing year, and it’s more difficult when conditions are less than ideal. Learn about organic sources of nitrogen fertility, and considerations for how to best prepare for uncertain growing conditions. Come learn important insight!
2 p.m. – Resources for a Climate Resilient Farm
Learn about increasing the climate resilience of your farm through resources like Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) cost-share programs and the Climate Smart Commodities program that provides farmers with soil health grants, soil health benchmarking reports, and climate-smart marketing support.
3 p.m. – Using Cash Flow Projections for Forecasting Risks of Crop Failure
Cash flow projections are a common financial tool to help farmers assess risks and anticipate how disruptions, costs, weather, crop failure, and other changes impact the farm business. Step-by-step example of a crop failure on a sample farm will show you how to use spreadsheets and data to understand how to use cash flow projection to help build resiliency into your farm planning.
Read the full schedule of events here.
