MOFGA’s conservation farm tour coming to Piscataquis County

By Kacey Webber
PCSWCD Educational Coordinator

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Are you a landowner looking to improve or better utilize your land resources? Perhaps you have a woodlot that needs some work or the desire to expand food production on your land? To help address some of these questions, the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) is co-sponsoring a great local event — the conservation farm tour —with the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).

This tour will be held on Wednesday, June 22 starting at 1 p.m. and we will be touring the Brochu Homestead on Bear Hill Road. On this tour, participants will be able to see first-hand some of the NRCS conservation practices available to landowners in Piscataquis County that are aimed at improving timber stands, increasing production on farms and so much more.

Presenters for the tour will include Kirby Ellis of Ellis Forest Management, Jamin Johanson of the USDA NRCS Soil Science Division, Katy Green of MOFGA and Leslie Nelson, District Conservationist for Piscataquis County NRCS. Ellis and Johanson will present together and will discuss and tour the forest stand improvement practices that were implemented on the Brochu homestead and the relationship between the tree species found in the woodlot to soil profiles.

Johanson will also discuss his work on ecological site evaluation and how local residents and landowners can get involved in this interesting and beneficial work. Katy Green and Leslie Nelson will be on hand to answer questions that attendees have about NRCS practices, including the high tunnel program and Green’s work implementing NRCS organic transitions programs.

At the end of the tour, participants will gain a better understanding of how NRCS and other cost-share programs can help landowners better utilize their land resources. Additionally, participants will obtain knowledge of a variety of ways and ideas to better manage their land and bring it to a point that is beneficial and potentially profitable to them.

If you are interested in attending this conservation farm tour, please be sure to RSVP to kgreen@mofga.org or 568-4142 or to the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District at info@piscataquisswcd.org or 564-2123 ext. 3.