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Livestock Extension Programming in Maine During the Pandemic

Search for Excellence in Livestock Production

Donna Coffin
EXTENSION EDUCATOR
UMaine Extension
DOVER-FOXCROFT

Team Members: Coffin, D*1, Lilley, J*2, Kersbergen, R*3, Knight, C*4
  1. EXTENSION EDUCATOR, UMaine Extension, Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, 04426
  2. Extension Professional, UMaine Extension, Falmouth, Maine, 04105
  3. Extension Professor, UMaine Extension, Belfast, Maine, 04915
  4. Assistant Extension Professor, UMaine Extension, Orono, Maine, 04473

Abstract

Livestock producers in Maine have found many ways profit from the livestock they raise. Primarily they strive to be efficient in their care and feeding to minimize costs while providing healthy food and environment for their stock. They also look for a variety of ways to sell their animals for increased farm income including the live animal market channels, such as auctions, as well as wholesale and retail market channels, such as carcass sales or cuts of meat direct to restaurants or consumers.

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As livestock farmers get more and more animals, their attention to marketing becomes more diversified and they look to places that give a higher return. Many look to meat sales direct to consumers to try to increase their market options. 

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UMaine Extension held 21 production and market-oriented programs that were offered by Zoom, live-streamed to Facebook, and recorded to YouTube that were attended by 403 people live and 2,582 people asynchronously. Seven livestock factsheets where written or updated and had 8,414 views in the past year. Four livestock websites were enhanced with more detail information that resulted in a 30% increase in views of the UMaine Extension Livestock webpages. A follow-up survey of the Selling Meat in Maine program farmers estimated that they would have an increase of $95 per animal as a result of attending the program.

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Years of CES Service: 0

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