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B854: Cost Of Producing Milk In Maine: Results From The 2013 Cost-Of-Production Survey, Xuan Chen,, Gary Anderson, Dylan Bouchard, Julia Mcguire, George K. Criner, David Marcinkowski

Bulletins

The state of Maine has a unique tier-pricing program for dairy farms, established in 2004, which has been funded by milk-handling fees paid by processors. Given the nature of volatile production costs in dairy farming, it is important to update the baseline cost estimates for each tier every three years. This study aims to provide a precise baseline estimate of cost of production for each tier so that state legisla­tors can better manage the tier-pricing program. The authors provide a historic overview of past Maine dairy cost-of-production studies. They analyze the trend of the cost of producing milk in Maine …

B853: Cost Of Producing Milk In Maine: Results From The 2010 Dairy Cost Of Production Survey, Richard Kersbergen, Gary Anderson, George Criner, Anthony Davis

Bulletins

The present study reports on a survey conducted for the Maine Milk Commission to determine the cost of milk production for 2010. This assessment was undertaken sooner than the normal three-year update because of the difficult economic climate for dairy farms in Maine.

B852: Organic Wild Blueberry Production, Frank Drummond, John Smagula, Seanna Annis, David Yarborough

Bulletins

Recent research carried out under the auspices of a USDA organic transition grant resulted in a better understanding of the interaction of wild blueberry production tactics such as pruning method, soil pH reduction by sulfur (S) application, and organic fertilizer rates on wild blueberry growth, development, and yield. This bulletin is the product of what we have learned over the past four years of this research project.

B851: A Comparative Analysis Of Organic Dairy Farms In Maine And Vermont: Farm Financial Information From 2004 To 2006, Timothy J. Dalton, Robert Parsons, Richard Kersbergen, Glenn Rogers

Bulletins

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide an insight into the relative financial performance of organic dairy farming through the examination of three years of detailed farm financial records. Farm financial records were collected in person by trained enumerators from organic dairy operations in Maine and Vermont for the 2004–2006 production years. These farm records are complemented by surveys on farm and farmer characteristics along with farmers’ motivational interests for organic dairy production and performance satisfaction. This report, therefore, provides a rich financial perspective on the evolution of organic dairy farming performance unlike single-season surveys.

B850: Representative Farm Budgets And Performance Indicators For Integrated Farming Practices In Maine, Aaron K. Hoshide, Timothy J. Dalton, Stewart N. Smith

Bulletins

This report compares the relative profitability and sustainability of Maine farms integrating crops and livestock with comparable non-integrated or conventional farms. Potato and dairy systems coupled for only two years had greater profitability compared to conventional systems. Profitability increased in the short term in two ways. First, potato farms grew more of their primary cash crop. Second, dairy farms expanded cow numbers, increasing profitability assuming increasing returns to scale. Coupled systems integrated for more than ten years (long term) had more favorable profitability and sustainability measures than short-term couplers since greater manure-nutrient credits were taken for potatoes and silage corn. …

B846: Growing Season Parameter Reconstructions For New England Using Killing Frost Records, 1697-1947, William R. Baron, David C. Smith

Bulletins

In New England, killing frosts in the late spring and early fall mark the limits of the region's growing seasons. Over the years, farmers have tried to anticipate when to plant and when to harvest to safely prevent their crops from experiencing the harmful effects of freezing. As a hedge against failing memory, some farmers kept notes on when killing frosts occurred so that they could more readily calculate in the years to come when to sow and when to reap. Some of these notes have survived and are now preserved in archives and libraries across the region, or remain …

B843: The Ecology, Economics, And Management Of Potato Cropping Systems: A Report Of The First Four Years Of The Maine Potato Ecosystem Project, A. Randall Alford, Francis A. Drummond, Eric R. Gallandt, Eleanor Groden, David A. Lambert, Matt Liebman, Michele C. Marra, Jeffrey C. Mcburnie, Gregory A. Porter, Bacilio Salas

Bulletins

The bulletin reports on the first four years of the Maine Potato Ecosystem Project, a long-term, multidisciplinary study of alternative crop management strategies. The study site is a 15-acre tract on the northern boundary of the University of Maine's Aroostook Farm in Presque Isle, Maine, divided into 96 main plots that are grouped into four blocks. Each block is an area where soil survey data show similar soil characteristics. Thus, given the same production inputs, the crop output is expected to be the same on each plot within a block. Within each block there are 24 plots to which the …

B832: The Profitability Of Supplemental Irrigation For Maine Potatoes, Michele C. Marra, Timothy A. Woods

Bulletins

The question has arisen among Maine potato growers and other industry personnel whether irrigation technologies can be transferred successfully into humid growing areas such as in Maine and whether they can benefit the Maine potato industry. This report presents the findings of a stud y that attempts to answer the question of whether adoption of two of these newer technologies might be profitable for an individual grower in Maine.

B823: Transporting Fresh Blueberries From Maine To The Boston Market: A Look At The Economic Alternatives, Antonia L. Hoelper, Michele C. Marra

Bulletins

A study was initiated at the University of Maine to investigate various transportation alternatives available to marketers of fresh blueberries and similar fresh-market enterprises to determine economies of size in shipping. Several methods of economic analysis, including partial budgeting and break-even analysis, were used to assess the feasibility of several transportation alternatives. The alternatives analyzed were (1) contract shipping services, while using various percentages of truck capacity, (2) purchase of a truck and large trailer (20,000 Ibs capacity), and (3) purchase of a truck and smaller trailer (10,000 Ibs capacity).

B814: Performance Evaluations Of Potato Clones And Varieties In The Northeastern States - 1985, G. A. Porter, J. B. Sieczka, R. H. Cole, L. S. Morrow, D. Moyer, W. M. Sullivan, H. J. Murphy, R. Jensen, E. Kee, R. Tarn, O. S. Wells, R. J. Young, M. R. Henninger, S. Sterrett, D. A. Young, D. Halseth, R. Precheur

Bulletins

New potato clones and varieties must be tested against commercially accepted cultivars to determine If they possess advantages over existing varieties. Possible Improvements over the existing varieties could Include greater disease resistance or tolerance, higher yield, more uniform tuber size distribution, Improved storagability, good processing characteristics, etc. Often new cultivars are sought to fill local special-purpose needs. The cooperative potato variety trials reported In this bulletin were conducted to provide Information on the performance, adaptation, and performance stability of new potato clones under a wide range of geographic, climatic, soil, and cultural conditions. These tests are contributions to Regional Project …

B812: Dairy Farmer Indebtedness In Maine, Wayne L. Thurston, George K. Criner, Ralph A. Reeb

Bulletins

The dairy industry in Maine is an important contributor to the agricultural sector and general economy. In 1982 there were 750 employees processing dairy products in Maine drawing a 12 million dollar payroll (Maine Bureau of Labor). The 1983 farm-gate value of milk produced in Maine totaled 108 million dollars, higher than any other single commodity's farm-gate value (Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources). For the past several years the farm level price of milk has remained fairly steady while production costs inflated. This "price-cost" squeeze worsened in 1983 with a 50 cent per hundredweight decrease in the …

B811: Field Appraisal Of Resource Management Systems Farms Crop Yield And Quality Relationships With Soil Erosion - 1982, Paul R. Hepler, Lauren H. Long, Kenneth J. Laflamme, John H. Wenderoth

Bulletins

This document presents the objectives and third-year results of the Field Appraisal of Resource Management Systems (FARMS) study. The principal objectives of FARMS were to study the relationship of crop yields to predicted soil erosion and to simulate the economics of this relationship. Crop management, soils, conservation practices and management, crop yields, soil chemistry, and sociological data were collected. The data analyzed in preparing this report are from the 800 plots sampled in 1982. This report presents statistics for rill and sheet soil erosion, which is estimated by the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and assumed to represent a long …

B808: An Annotated Bibliography Of The Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, David C. Smith

Bulletins

The Maine Agricultural Experiment Station is a venerable organization soon to celebrate its centennial year. As a research organization--its staff was early on called the Faculty of Investigation--members of the station staff have always presented the results of their efforts in a variety of publications both in-house and otherwise.

Professor Smith has provided an annotated list of all station publications as well as some special papers of interest. Through the index to this bulletin, any interested person can readily locate material of particular interest and can easily determine whether or not it is worthwhile to go to the original publications …

B806: Performance Evaluations Of Potato Clones And Varieties In The Northeastern States 1984, H. J. Murphy, R. Jenson, D. E. Halseth, L. S. Morrow, M. R. Henninger, F. L. Haynes, D. A. Young, Janet Fallon, R. H. Cole, Richard Tarn, J. B. Sieczka, W. M. Sullivan, E. Kee, R. Loria, Susan Sterrett, O. S. Wells, R. J. Young

Bulletins

Cooperative potato clone and variety trials were conducted at 32 locations to determine field performance of selected clones and varieties grown under soil, climatic, and cultural management common to the potato growing areas of 12 cooperating states and the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. A few locations also evaluated storage and processing behavior of selected clones and varieties. These tests are contributions to Regional Project NE107 entitled, "Breeding and Evaluation of New Potato Clones for the Northeast." The primary objective of this project is to determine clone performance and stability over a wide range of soil, climate, and cultural conditions.

B792: The Development Of The Ability To Select For Increased Milk Production: The Jersey Dairy Cow In Maine, 1900-1984, John R. Paton, Barbara A. Barton

Bulletins

Histories of dairying and dairy farming usually pass over one very important topic, the point of origin herself: the dairy cow. In the past 150 years, the period associated with the rise of commercial dairying in the U.S., she has not been a static creature. The story of her development is an important and exciting part of the history of dairying, but this development cannot be explained by such phrases as "feeding and management improved" or "breeding improved " . Since the dairy cow of the 1980s is not the same dairy cow of the 1830s, we should understand how …

B801: Performance Evaluations Of Potato Clones And Varieties In The Northeastern States 1983, H. J. Murphy, R. J. Precheur, Chang-Chi Chu, L. S. Morrow, O. S. Wells, F. L. Haynes, R. H. Storch, R. Jensen, G. Dyer, D. A. Young, M. R. Henninger, E. C. Wittmeyer, Richard Tarn, J. B. Sieczka, R. H. Cole, R. A. Ashley, R. Loria, W. M. Sullivan, E. Kee, D. E. Halseth, R. J. Young

Bulletins

Cooperative potato clone and variety trials were conducted at 23 locations to determine field, storage, and processing behavior of selected clones and varieties grown under soil, climatic, and cultural management common to the potato growing areas of 13 cooperating states and the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. These tests are all contributions to Regional Project NE107 entitled, "Breeding and Evaluation of New Potato Clones for the Northeast." The primary objective of this project is to determine clone stability over a wide range of soil, climate, and cultural conditions.

B799: Field Appraisal Of Resource Management Systems "Farms" Crop Yield And Quality Relationships With Soil Erosion, Paul R. Hepler, Lauren H. Long, John A. Ferwerda

Bulletins

This document presents objectives and preliminary results of the Field Appraisal of Resource Management Systems (FARMS) study. This study assumes that estimates of soil erosion using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) represent long-term rather than short- term effects. The FARMS study randomly sampled 2400 plots over a three year period, 1980-82, for: crop management, soils, conservation practices and management, crop yields, soil chemistry, and sociological data.

This report presents analyses from the 800 plots sampled in 1980. Statistics of rill and sheet soil erosion, as estimated by the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), are presented. Data are presented for …

B798: A Census Of Maine's Potato Production, Storage, And Packing Operation, Raymond J. Nowak, Edward F. Johnston, Alan S. Kezis

Bulletins

Both internal and external factors relating to the production and marketing of Maine potatoes continue to influence and often undermine the profitability and market position of this important agricultural industry in the State. Among these factors are the technical aspects related to commercial production, storage and packing of potatoes in Maine; the current market structure; responses by the Maine industry to market preferences; and public policies, both foreign and domestic, affecting financial conditions and promotional activities in Maine and competing production regions. The quality of Maine potatoes in produce outlets in major Eastern U.S. markets is affected by production practices, …

B796: A Comparison Of Direct Market Users And Nonusers Habits, Acceptance, And Preferences For Direct Marketed Small Farms Horticulture Commodities, Neil C. Buitenhuys, F. Richard King, Alan S. Kezis, Howard W. Kerr

Bulletins

Until recently small scale farming has been considered inefficient and undesirable. Small farmers have found it difficult to compete with large operators in the market place because of their inability to provide a significant quantity of product over an extended period of time to meet the needs of large scale marketing firms. According to the 1978 Census of Agriculture small farms, those with sales under $40,000, account for nearly 76 percent of the farms in Maine. Therefore, a market system has developed which is not amenable to the small farmer who represents a significant segment of Northeast agriculture.

Though the …

B795: Production, Marketing, Socieconomic Characteristics And The Perceived Needs Of Maine's Small Farmers, Neil C. Buitenhuys, Alan S. Kezis

Bulletins

For nearly 30 years small scale farming was considered inefficient and undesirable. Small farmers found it increasingly difficult to compete with large operators in the market place because of insufficient produce quantity, the seasonal nature of their production, and lack of marketing information . During this period, large commercial farmers moved to higher levels of management sophistication and use of modern production technology. The market system also became more sophisticated because of mass marketing of agricultural products, monocultural production techniques,and highly advanced assembly and distribution systems.

In the late 1960's and early 1970's, it became evident that consumers' food buying …

B791: Soil And Topographic Features That Help Predict The Manageability Of Sugarloaf Mountain, T. B. Saviello, R. A. Struchtemeyer

Bulletins

As the economic and aesthetic value of mountain areas increases, more pressure is applied to develop and manage them. This study was conducted on Sugarloaf Mountain ski area . It involved examining soils above and below the 765 m contour, which Maine had established as a critical contour for land management . Soils were excavated and profiles were described and sampled. Soil and topographical features that proved significant in predicting the manageability of this mountain ecosystem included slope, drainage, depth, texture, organic matter, pH and nutrient content.

B790: Effects Of The Symbex System On Yield, Quality, And Tuber Size Distribution Of Katahdin Potatoes Maine -- 1979-81, L. S. Morrow, H. J. Murphy

Bulletins

This paper reports on three years of research conducted at Aroostook Farm; Presque Isle, Maine, to determine the effectiveness of "Symbex System" products for improving the yield and quality of Katahdin potatoes. These products included the following: Symbex, a bacterial soil inoculant; Symbooster, a non-inoculated soil additive containing nutrients for microbial development; Symcoat, a bacterial seedpiece treatment; and Symspray, a foliar applied plant food supplement.

B782: Performance Evaluations Of Potato Clones And Varieties In The Northeastern States 1981, H. J. Murphy, L. S. Morrow, D. A. Young, R. A. Ashley, M. D. Orzolek, R. J. Precheur, O. S. Wells, R. Jensen, M. R. Henninger, J. B. Sieczka, J. S. Pisarczyk, R. E. Cole, R. E. Wakefield, R. J. Young

Bulletins

Cooperative variety trials were conducted at 33 locations to determine field, storage, and processing behavior of selected potato clones and varieties when grown under soil, climatic, and cultural conditions common to the potato growing areas of 12 cooperating States and the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. These trials are all contributions to Regional Project NE107 entitled, "Breeding and Evaluation of New Potato Clones in the Northeast Area."

B764: Nitrogen Transformation And Movement In A Marine Sediment Soil Following Treatment With Varying Rates Of Poultry Manure, R. F. Jeffrey, F. E. Hutchinson

Bulletins

Nitrate in water can be hazardous to human health and also cause excess algal growth. Recent research has revealed agriculture to be a potential contributor to these problems. Nitrate (N03-) present in the soil, in amounts in excess of plant needs,may be leached through the soil profile to the groundwater and eventually to lakes and streams. This investigation was undertaken under laboratory conditions to determine the transformation and movement of nitrogen through a poorly drained marine sediment soil following application of varying rates of poultry manure.

B753: The Uptake Of Nutrients By Katahdin Potatoes As Influenced By Soil Moisture Regimes And Rates Of Fertilization, Gurbachan Singh Kalra, Roland A. Struchtemeyer

Bulletins

In Aroostook County, Maine, where the annual average rainfall is 35-40 inches, it is generalized by many that moisture is not a limiting factor in potato production. Weather data for Aroostook do, however, show frequent periods of low rainfall during the growing season, and these periods do cause temporary moisture deficiencies in the crop. Struchtemeyer, based on irrigation research in Maine, showed that the potato plant needs approximately 1 inch of water per week during the growing season. From the 1936 to 1955 Maine Weather Records, Pullen and Schrumpf (23) found that about 70 percent of the time, less than …

B749: Pulping, Biomass, And Nutrient Studies Of Woody Shrub And Shrub Sizes Of Tree Species, Andrew I. Chase, Harold E. Young

Bulletins

The research described in this report was a further effort to determine the potential of woody plants and forest waste not normally used commercially as a source of wood pulp. The results of previous studies of this subject have been reported in several technical journals and as LSA Experiment Station Bulletins over a period of several years.

It was concluded that the only feasible way of harvesting this type of material for pulping would be as a whole plant. The small size and large proportions of bark and small branches would preclude any kind of barkwood separation process. If species …

B752: Reserve Milk Supplies Of Milk Processors In Maine And Massachusetts, Homer B. Metzger

Bulletins

In making payments to producers, fluid milk dealers pay for milk on a utilization basis. That used as fluid whole milk, low fat, or skim milk is paid for at a Class I price and all other milk, regardless of how used, is paid for at a lower Class II price. The milk classified as Class II is often distinguished as that processed and that not processed at the fluid milk receiving plant. The latter is shipped to a surplus milk disposal facility and in Maine, the dealer pays producers a lower, Class lib price for it. This milk ultimately …

B738: Costs And Returns In Lowbush Blueberry Production In Maine, 1974 Crop, Homer B. Metzger, Amr A. Ismail

Bulletins

Blueberry production is primarily a part time enterprise with a wide variation in acreages per grower and a modest investment per acre.

Blueberry growers recovered cash costs and most of the variable costs of producing and harvesting the 1974 crop. For a competitive return on investment and a modest wage, the average grower would have had to receive 35 cents rather than 20 cents per pound, considering the yields obtained in 1974. To be reasonably assured of adequate returns, a grower should achieve yields of over 1,000 pounds per acre.

B741: Structure, Conduct, And Performance Of The Commercial Campground Industry In Maine Part Ii: Industry Conduct And Performance, Louis W. Pompi, George J. Seel

Bulletins

This study deals specifically with the privately owned and operated commercial campground industry in Maine. The general goals of the research are: 1. To assemble basic, quantitative data for Maine's commercial campground industry. 2. To analyze these data for the purpose of providing detailed information, having implications for both public policy formulation and the management of new and existing campground firms, on the structure, conduct and performance of the industry.

B704: Costs And Returns On Maine Apple Farms, Wilbert C. Geiss Jr., Reginald K. Harlan

Bulletins

The purpose of this study was to collect data relative to the costs of growing, harvesting, storing, and packing apples in Maine, to analyze the factors affecting costs and returns, and to provide Maine apple producers with current information for adjusting farm resources to achieve optimum efficiency in production under rapidly changing economic conditions.

This study was undertaken to determine the profitability of Maine apple farms, and to determine the current size and scope of the Maine apple industry. The results and implications of this study should be useful to all concerned with the apple industry in Maine and New …