<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Shellfish growers </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">have chosen to be farmers because they have an a</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">mbition to succeed. Each day in the field is different, and each day fulfills a personal desire to learn more about their chosen profession.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Currently, there is a push for environmental sustainability and a move for local foods.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The East Coast Shellfish Research Institute, an arm of the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association, has received a grant from USDA/NIFA Risk Management Education Northeast Center to do a workshop in all of the northeast coastal states. The focus of these workshops is to help growers document the environmental soundness of their operation, show how this extremely simple technology can improve their profitability, learn something new and relevant, and understand what to do in case of mortalities in field growout.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Would you like to show your customers and consumers that you really are an environmentally aware shellfish farmer? Would you like to improve the marketing for your crop, as well as know what to do if you have a major mortality? And maybe why it’s a good idea to keep decent production records? Well, this workshop may just be the thing for you!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">We will have some hands-on work documenting your operation into an Individual Farm Plan, show how to create a Point of Purchase brochure, learn some other new things, and get some personal attention for growing your future success.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The workshops are free of charge but we’d like you to RSVP to your state Aquaculture Extension Specialist about your participation. We may send some other suggestions about what to bring with you to help the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">The workshop schedule is as follows:</span><o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>Massachusetts<o:p></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><u>Wednesday January 29….10AM to 1PM. Harbor View Conference Room, Old Jail Building - Barnstable Superior Courthouse Complex, 3195 Main Street, Barnstable, MA 02630<o:p></o:p></u></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>Delaware</b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Monday January 20, 2014<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>Maryland </b><br>Tuesday January 21 <br><br><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>New Jersey<o:p></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Wednesday January 22, 1 to 4PM Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office,<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"> </span>6260 Old Harding Hwy, Mays Landing, NJ 08330 <br><br><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>New York<o:p></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Thursday January 23, 1 to 4PM, <span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span>Cornell Cooperative Extension, 423 Griffing Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901 <br><br><span style="font-size: 8pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>Connecticut<o:p></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Friday January 24...,<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>Rhode Island<o:p></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Saturday January 25 from 1-4PM. Hazard Rooms, Coastal Institute at the Narragansett Bay Campus 215 South Ferry Rd, Narragansett, RI, 02882<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>Maine</b> <br>Monday January 27 from 1 to 4PM, University of Maine, Hutchinson <b>C</b><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">enter,</span></strong><strong> </strong>80 Belmont Avenue (Route #3) Belfast, Maine 04915<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>New Hampshire<o:p></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Tuesday January 28.....TBD, New Hampshire/Northshore Massachusetts<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Attendees are invited to bring with them all the information they would need to complete the plan (actually not much…most information is in their heads). They would create the trifold brochure at home on their own after instruction at the workshop, but people on the grant would be available by phone or email to help with those also.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;"> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Further information about the workshops will come from each state’s Aquaculture Extension people and circulated through their normal channels. So, put these dates on your calendar so you can attend. And hopefully it will be really cold, nasty, snowy, sleety, and high tide, and you won’t have any excuse not to attend. <o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>Massachusetts Contact for RSVP:<o:p></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: rgb(79, 129, 189);">Diane Murphy<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: rgb(79, 129, 189);">Fisheries & Aquaculture Specialist<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: rgb(79, 129, 189);">Cape Cod Cooperative Extension & Woods Hole Sea Grant<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: rgb(79, 129, 189);">Box 367<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: rgb(79, 129, 189);">Barnstable, MA 02630<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: rgb(79, 129, 189);">508-375-6953<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><a href="mailto:dmurphy@whoi.edu" style="color: purple;"><span style="color: blue;">dmurphy@whoi.edu</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></div></div></body></html>