Harvesting Clean Energy is a technical assistance program
of Maine Rural Partners and its Farm Energy Partners network.
Together, we help Maine farmers save energy, improve the environment,
and strengthen their bottom lines.
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January 2010
Happy New Year! Farm Energy Partners is kicking off the new decade with a full program this week at the Ag Trades Show in Augusta. Our big day is Thursday, but we'd still love to see you at the booth tomorrow and Wednesday. See you there!
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Agricultural Trades Show
Tuesday-Thursday, January 12-14
Augusta Civic Center
Free of charge / No registration required
Tuesday: 9am-5pm
Wednesday: 9am-8pm
Thursday: 9am-3pm
The show provides an atmosphere for everyone to walk through, observe and educate themselves about the different areas of agriculture. Not only does the trades show furnish a showplace for farmers and producers to come and see the most up-to-date farm equipment and farming needs, but provides an opportune juncture for networking and exchanging ideas. The show provides a wealth of knowledge for non-farmers to learn about agriculture and is a great opportunity to learn how the locally grown products they consume are harvested and processed.
Come and see us at the Farm Energy Partners booth -- or come to our presentations on Thursday! (See below for our schedule.)
More information is available online, including a schedule for the entire show.
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Cutting Edge Energy Options:
Farm Energy Partners Presentation Schedule for the Agricultural Trades Show
Thursday, January 14
Androscoggin and Aroostook Rooms
Augusta Civic Center
9:00-9:40am
Assessing my property for wind energy potential
Mick Womersley, Unity College
9:40-10:20am
Energy audit options
John Blais, Kennebec County SWCD
Mike Barden, Efficiency Maine
Craig Metz, EnSave
10:20-11:00am
Solar hot water heating - Revision Energy
John Blais, Kennebec County SWCD
11:00-11:40am
Is an alternative energy investment worthwhile for me?
Richard Fortier, Public Utilities Commission
11:40am-12:20pm
Funding your alternative energy project
Tim Clark, Efficiency Maine
John Sheehan, USDA Rural Development
12:20-1:00pm
Heating with vegetable oil
Ralph Turner, Laughingstock Farm
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Anaerobic Digesters for Maine
Ag Trades Show Presentation
Wednesday, January 13
10:00-11:00am, Oxford Room
Farm Energy Partners steering committee members Caragh Fitzgerald and Ron Desrosiers will be contributing to a presentation on anerobic digesters.
As part of a series of nutrient management presentations from the Maine Department of Agriculture, attendees can receive 1 Nutrient Management Recertification Credit from attending this one-hour presentation.
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Maine Farmers' Market Convention
Friday-Saturday, January 29-30
UMaine Hutchinson Center, Belfast
Registration required; $75 for one day
or $120 for the full conference. Registrants can bring a guest free. The registration form is part of the brochure available at the WHCA website.
Workshops will discuss: Connecting with Community, Market Menu Creation, Individual Marketing Material Review, Marketing Strategies, Seasonal Eating and many more topics.
Visit the convention's web page for an event brochure and registration form, or call WHCA at 664-2424 x4460 for more information.
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Efficiency Maine Trust Requests Stakeholder Input
The Trust is developing a 3-year plan providing program design, planning and implementation strategies for all energy efficiency and alternative energy resources, merging the programs of Efficiency Maine and Maine's Energy and Carbon Savings Trust.
You can provide input on this plan by e-mailing the Board at info@efficiencymainetrust.org or, even better, by attending a stakeholder meeting:
Friday, January 15 - 1:30-4:30pm
Room 105, DP Corbett Hall
University of Maine, Orono
Friday, January 22 - 9:30am-12:30pm
Rooms 109 and 110,
Abromson Community Education Center
University of Southern Maine, Portland
Friday, January 29 - 9:30am-12:30pm
Room 211 (Utilities and Energy Hearing Room)
Cross Office Building, State House Complex, Augusta
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Farmers Under Stress
University of Maine Cooperative Extension has posted a comprehensive list of resources to help farmers cope with the stress of our recent economic challenges. Please share these resources with anyone who needs them.
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Small Wind Conference
June 15-16, 2010
9am-6pm both days
Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Registration not yet available: save the date!
The sixth annual Small Wind Conference is an important resource for small wind-electric system designers and installers, and for those involved in sales, specification, management, funding, and permitting of small wind systems. (This conference is not intended for homeowners or end users.)
Topics will include:
Updates from turbine manufacturers & suppliers
Test results on new turbines and equipment
Wind-electric system cost and design
Zoning and permitting processes
Advancements in resource & site assessments
Problems from the field and how they are solved
Updates on installer and turbine certification
Updates on the new NEC code for small wind
For more information, visit the conference website or contact Samantha@windustry.org
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Got Information to Share?
If you know about events or information of interest to the broader Farm Energy Partners network, please pass them along to newsletters@mainerural.org and we'll consider them for possible inclusion in a future edition of this Harvesting Clean Energy newsletter. Thank you for your help in making this a useful resource for Maine's farming community!
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