LD 1786 Public Hearing Scheduled for March 4th

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A public hearing before the Maine Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry for LD 1786 “An Act To Allow the Sale of Unregulated Farm-produced Dairy Products at the Site of Production” has been scheduled for

Tuesday, March 04, 2014, 1:00 PM, Cross Building, Room 214, Augusta, ME

You may testify at the public hearing or submit written testimony. Written testimony should be sent to the appropriate committee at: 100 SHS, Augusta, Maine 04333-0100. Persons with special needs who wish to attend a Legislative hearing and require accommodations should notify the Legislative Information Office as soon as possible: 207-287-1692, TTY 207-287-6826, FAX 207-287-1580, webmaster-lio@legislature.maine.gov

Intro to Cheese Making at Rural Living Days March 29

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The University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Waldo County is presenting “Rural Living Days” on

Saturday, March 29th between 8:30am and 3pm

Eric Rector, President of the Maine Cheese Guild and cheese maker at Monroe Cheese Studio, will give an introduction to cheese making workshop titled “Queso Presto!” in the early session beginning at 9am:

Cheese making can be quite mysterious because it involves using a few unusual ingredients to turn liquids into solids. Cheese making also can take a lot of time: usually a day of work just to get the initial stage of fresh (but bland) cheese, and then weeks/months/years of aging before that turns into something completely different. Rector will talk about all cheeses and what makes them different, and he will show you how to make a quick and tasty cheese in an hour, and describe milk’s “leap toward immortality”.

To learn more about this session, all of the sessions at Rural Living Days, and to register on-line, follow this link.

LD 1786 Released and Referred to Ag Committee

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Legislative Document 1786, “An Act To Allow the Sale of Unregulated Farm-produced Dairy Products at the Site of Production” was released from the Maine State Legislature’s clerk’s office and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry today. Use the above link to view the entire bill.

The bill is sponsored by Representative Bill Noon of Sanford, and co-sponsored by a number of legislators and senators. It appears to provide a clear regulatory boundary between licensed commercial dairy producers in Maine and farmers who produce dairy products for their own and their neighbors consumption.

Guild members should post comments about this bill on this website article, which will help me determine what the overall Guild response to this bill will be if the Guild chooses to testify at any hearing held regarding this bill.