Maine Farmcast

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Extension Professor and State Dairy Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, records an episode on the road. During October 2025, Glenda traveled to Wooster, Ohio for the 2025 Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge where 88 students participated in a farm evaluation competition. At the competition, there were man...

In this episode of the Maine Farmcast, we head to Waldoview Farm in Winterport, Maine, to sit down with longtime sheep producer Tom Hodgman for a deep, practical conversation on lambing season preparation and small ruminant management. With decades of experience raising Katahdin sheep, Tom shares what really matters when lambing time approaches—from body condition scoring and breeding management t...

In this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Colt Knight sits down with Dr. Jaime Garzon of UMaine Extension and Dr. Leandro Vieira from Louisiana State University to dig into what really makes soil healthy. The trio explores the critical relationship between soil fertility, structure, and biology, from pH and organic matter to microbial diversity and grazing management. Dr. Vieira shares his journe...

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Extension Professor and State Dairy Specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, speaks with Brett Johnson, Assistant Extension Professor and Sustainable Agriculture and Farm Business Management Educator. They have a cheerful conversation about Maine Christmas tree production, and Brett shares tips on how to kee...

In this episode of The Maine Farmcast, Dr. Colt W. Knight sits down with Dr. Jacqueline Nolting, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Animal Biosecurity at The Ohio State University, to discuss one of the most critical threats facing agriculture today, African Swine Fever (ASF). Dr. Nolting shares her journey from growing up on a small Ohio hobby farm to leading national education and p...

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Extension Professor and State Dairy Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, has a conversation with Maddy Philbrick who is the Animal Health Livestock Specialist for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry. Maddy recently attended the Maine Cattle Health Assurance Program (MeCHAP) mee...

In this episode of the Maine Farmcast, host Dr. Colt W. Knight sits down with Dr. Jessica C. Lemos Motta, a new faculty member in the University of Maine’s School of Food and Agriculture. Dr. Motta shares her inspiring journey from growing up on small farms in Brazil to becoming a veterinarian, researcher, and now reproductive physiologist in Maine. She reflects on her hands-on experiences with ca...

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Extension Professor and State Dairy Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, has a conversation with Alex Gayton who is the Assistant EFNEP Coordinator & Social Media Coordinator. The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) delivers interactive food and nutrition education. You can contact A...

In this episode of The Maine Farmcast, Dr. Colt W. Knight sits down with Ashton Caron, vice president of the Maine Beef Producers Association, to talk about youth leadership, livestock shows, and the future of Maine’s beef industry. From his early 4-H days in Corinna to his success in UMaine’s GPS Cows program and beyond, Ashton’s journey reflects the power of hands-on agricultural education. Toge...

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Extension Professor and State Dairy Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, has a conversation with Dr. Gülsün Akdemir Evrendilek who is an Associate Extension Professor and Seafood Technology and Food Safety Specialist at UMaine. Today's topic touches on aspects of food safety from the processing side, as t...

In this episode of The Maine Farmcast, Dr. Colt W. Knight sits down with Chris Howard, project manager for the University of Maine’s Crop Insurance and Risk Management Program, and longtime Extension Specialist Dr. David Handley to unpack the essential—but often overlooked—topic of managing risk on the farm. From weather disasters and market swings to labor shortages and legal liabilities, they di...

In this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Colt Knight and Dr. Glenda Pereira take listeners behind the scenes of the Maine Meat Cutting School, a hands-on program that has become one of the most in-demand educational opportunities offered by UMaine Cooperative Extension. Born out of a need to address Maine’s limited meat processing capacity, the school has evolved into a three-day immersive exper...

In this episode of The Maine Farmcast, Dr. Colt Knight and Dr. Glenda Pereira co-host a deep dive into artificial insemination (AI), the original AI that has been revolutionizing livestock genetics for decades. They discuss the inspiration behind UMaine Extension’s new hands-on AI training program, funded by the Mitchell Center and supported by partners including the Maine Beef Producers Associati...

In this episode of the Maine Farmcast, host Dr. Colt Knight welcomes his colleague and close friend, Dr. Robert Causey—known affectionately as “the horse professor”—for an in-depth conversation about the University of Maine’s equine program. A veterinarian, researcher, and Associate Professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Dr. Causey has dedicated over two decades to building and sustaining UM...

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Extension Professor and State Dairy Specialist for University of Maine Cooperative Extension, has a conversation with return guest Jason Lilley who is an Assistant Extension Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and Maple Industry Educator at UMaine Extension. While Jason is based in Cumberland County he has statewide responsibili...

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Extension Professor and State Dairy Specialist for University of Maine Cooperative Extension, has a conversation with return guest Dr. Ankit Singh who is an Assistant Extension Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and Ornamental Horticulture at UMaine Extension. Dr. Singh is based in York County, and has statewide responsibilitie...

In this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Colt W. Knight, Associate Extension Professor and State Livestock Specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, sits down with Niki Sargent, co-owner of Windham Butcher Shop and Southpaw Packing. While known for her leadership in Maine’s meat industry, Niki joins Colt to share a different mission, her work as founder of the Slicing Throug...

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, we have a crossover with the Northern New England Tri-State Dairy Team. This team is made up of dairy specialists from Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The mission of the Tri-State Dairy Team is to bring these states together to advance dairy management through collaborative educational programs, address shared industry challenges, and foster innovation acr...

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Professor for the University of Maine and State Dairy Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, has a conversation with Sarah Allen and Carl Majewski from the University of New Hampshire. We discuss how the drought stress may impact forage production and inventory in the upcoming months and considerations for...

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Professor for the University of Maine and State Dairy Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, has a conversation with Heather Donahue about the Maine Cheese Guild and the Maine Cheese Festival. Heather, along with her husband Doug, own and operate Balfour Farm in Pittsfield, Maine. The Maine Cheese Festival...

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Professor for the University of Maine and State Dairy Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, has a conversation with return guest Jason Lilley who is an Assistant Extension Professor of Maine Sustainable Agriculture and Maple Industry Educator for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Jason is base...

In this laugh-filled episode of the Maine Farmcast, host Dr. Colt Knight is once again joined by longtime collaborator and friend Dr. Gregg Rentfrow for a storytelling session unlike any other. From mistaken 911 calls while covered in blood to black bears with a taste for Twinkies, Colt and Gregg swap wild tales from their careers in extension and meat science. You'll hear about mysterious brains...

In this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Colt Knight welcomes Ashley Wright from the University of Arizona to explore the exciting potential of artificial intelligence (AI) for modern livestock producers. Are you a farmer overwhelmed by paperwork, grant applications, or the constant demands of social media marketing? AI might be the solution you've been waiting for. Ashley shares practical, actionab...

In this lively and informative episode of the Maine Farmcast, host Dr. Colt Knight sits down with his colleague and friend Mari Glatter, an instructional designer with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Mari shares her behind-the-scenes role in turning expert knowledge into engaging, accessible online learning experiences for the public. The two discuss the growing library of micro-cre...

On this episode of the Maine Farmcast, Dr. Glenda Pereira, Assistant Extension Professor and State Dairy Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, has a conversation with John Porter, Extension professor emeritus at the University of New Hampshire. John has been an extension professor for over 52 years and has a wealth of knowledge in dairy topics, especially in on farm constru...