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Wild
Blueberry Newsletter |
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October 2007 NOTE: December 1st Deadline for 5-Year Phase in Option This summer the Maine Department of Environmental (DEP) Water Level Standards for rivers, streams, brooks and lakes went into effect. The Maine Legislature adopted the DEP developed rules this spring. The goal of the rules is to protect aquatic habitat. The rules are likely to affect many farmers who irrigate from smaller rivers, streams, brooks and lakes. The rules are complex as they attempt to determine how much water is needed to protect species in the water body by setting a flow or water level. Flows that must be maintained can be calculated from the size of the watershed upstream or gauges, if they exist on the water body. For general information on flow and water level compliance go to: http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/mpd/business/irrigation/lowflow.html Farmers who used water from natural sources prior to September 30, 2007 have 5 years to come into compliance, providing they document their prior use by December 1, 2007. This provision to provide growers 5 years to adapt to the new rules was developed by the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine and the Maine Potato Board and passed in the Legislature with the help of Maine Farm Bureau and other agricultural organizations. Growers can document their prior use by two primary methods. For growers required to report water use under the water use reporting law beginning in 2003, reporting annually is considered notification. Make sure you report your water use for 2007 by December 1, 2007 to John Harker at the Maine Department of Agriculture John.Harker@maine.gov, 28 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0028. More information on the water use reporting law, including reporting forms, can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/mpd/business/irrigation/waterlaw.html. Growers that do not need to report their water use, under the water use reporting law, must document past water use. Writing a letter to yourself outlining past usage: where, when, and how much and putting the letter in a file is considered documentation. Make sure it is done before December 1st and dated. One could go a step further and have the letter notarized, such that the authenticity and date is not in question. Taking pictures of existing irrigation equipment and putting the pictures in a file with the letter is also recommended. In the next few months farmers who need water sources for irrigation should develop a Farm Water Management Plan. A plan example can be found at http://www.me.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/IrrigationInfo.htmThe plan will help you quantify the amount of water needed and document where the water could come from, both natural and man made water sources. Contact your local soil and water conservation district for help in developing a Farm Water Management Plan. It is complicated to determine how much water can be used from natural sources, especially smaller water bodies. Contact your local soil and water conservation district office or the Maine Department of Agriculture for help in determining how much water can be used directly from the resource. If you do not have enough water from the natural sources, limited cost share assistance is available periodically through the Maine Agriculture Sustainable Water Source Grant Program http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/mpd/business/irrigation/wsdg.html managed by the Agricultural Water Management Board and staffed by the Maine Department of Agriculture. In the recent past, limited state bond monies have been available to help farmers cost-share sustainable water sources such as farm ponds and wells. Contact John Harker (287-7620) or Steve Belyea (764-2105) at the Maine Department of Agriculture for cost-share information. More information can also be found at the Maine Department of Agricultural website http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/mpd/business/irrigation/index.html Remember to document your past water use by December 1, 2007. Doing so will allow you at least 5 years to pursue cost-share and to develop alternative sustainable water sources, where necessary. WBANA Media Relations: Interest from Maine journalists has been high Highlights include the following: Media outreach regarding the 10th Annual Bar Harbor Health Research Summit in August resulted in strong statewide coverage. Maine public radio interviewed Dr. James Joseph, Ph.D., from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston, airing a 5-minute interview on the health benefits of wild blueberries on Maine Public Broadcasting Network’s nightly statewide radio program, Maine Things Considered. The Bangor Daily News wrote a front-page business story about wild blueberry health as it relates to business growth. To read the complete story, Bar Harbor: Summit Benefits Blueberry Industry, go to http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/hancock.aspx?articleid=153240&zoneid=178. WLBZ and WVII in Bangor both conducted interviews with researchers at the summit resulting in television coverage in the Bangor area. Portland’s NBC affiliate, WCSH6, interviewed WBANA nutrition advisor Susan Davis, MS, RD for the weeknight lifestyle program, 207, where she prepared a new recipe from the consumer brochure highlighting the versatility of wild blueberries. The segment aired on Monday, August 27th in Portland and on Tuesday, August 28th on WLBZ-2 in Bangor. Wild blueberries also appeared in USA Today, via the Associated Press - a story about mechanical harvesters. To read the complete story, Blueberry Farms Turn to Mechanical Harvesters, go to http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-08-25-blueberry-maine_N.htm.
Sincerely,
David E.
Yarborough
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