
Agriculture News
University of Maryland Extension - Allegany County

June 2023
Changes to the Nutrient Management Program
On June 1, our office was made aware that the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has made the decision to cut funding to the UMD Nutrient Management program. As of August 31, Nutrient Management Advisors will no longer be employed in each county to write nutrient management plans for clients on behalf of UMD.
MDA is developing a cost-share program that will provide partial funding to all eligible farmers in Maryland to help offset the cost of privatized plan writing. We will continue to assist producers to the best of our ability.
UMD Extension is planning two meetings in Garrett County to discuss with farmers the future of nutrient management planning with farmers in the Western Maryland Counties. The meetings will be held on Wed, June 28th at the Pleasant Valley Community Building from 7-9 pm and at the Grantsville Firehall on Thurs, June 29th from 7-9 pm.
If you are interested in attending one of these meetings please call the extension office at 301-334-6960 to register.
The MDA press release can be found here, along with a FAQ document. mda.maryland.gov
New Insights into Agritourism & Direct Sales
A new set of fact sheets provides comprehensive insights into the demographics of U.S. farms that offer agritourism activities or sell food directly to consumers or both. The fact sheets are available for all 50 states and are intended to help local decision makers, farmers and the organizations that support them in their efforts to strengthen and expand agritourism enterprises. Developed by collaborators at Penn State, University of Vermont, University of Maine and Oklahoma State University, each fact sheet provides the total number of farms in the state and the number engaging in agritourism, in direct sales and in both activities. They also include detailed demographic and business information about these farms, including farmer age and gender, crops grown, farm size, and farm income generated by agritourism and direct sales.
Learn more about this NIFA supported research and outreach effort here.
https://www.psu.edu/news/agricultural-sciences 6/2/2023
Factsheet for Agritourism in Maryland can be found here and at the article linked above.
Sign up for a webinar below and take note of Application Due Dates:
NIFA Webinars: (National Institute of Food and Agriculture)
- June 15 – 2 p.m. EDT: Learn How to Write a Strong USDA SBIR/STTR Application
- June 20 – 2 p.m. EDT: Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities RFA Technical Assistance Webinar
- July 6 – 2 p.m. EDT: Division of Animal Systems Technical Assistance Webinar for AFRI Programs
- July 26 – 2:30 p.m. EDT: Rapid Response to Extreme Weather Events Across Food and Agriculture Systems Technical Assistance: Live FAQ Session
Application Deadlines:
- June 19: Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Competitive Grants Program
- June 30: Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program
- July 6: Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom
- July 7: Research Facilities Act Program
- July 13: Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Sustainable Agricultural Systems
AFRI Deadlines (Agriculture and Food Research Initiatives) https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/programs/agriculture-food-research-initiative-afri/afri-deadlines
The 2023-2024 Cover Crop Sign-up window is June 21st through July 17.
Cover crops are your first line of defense against erosion and runoff in the winter.
https://mda.maryland.gov/resource_conservation/Pages/cover_crop.aspx
Stop by or call Allegany Soil Conservation District to discuss cover crop programs.
Allegany Soil Conservation District
Maryland Department of Agriculture
12407 Naves Cross Road NE
Cumberland, MD 21502
Phone: 240-609-3493
Newsletters from UME offer informative, researched-based information that the reader can put into practice. Informative articles include crop production, disease information, animal science, and upcoming programs. Take a closer look at the newsletters listed below.
The Agronomy News is a statewide newsletter for farmers, consultants, researchers, and educators interested in grain and row crop forage production systems. This newsletter is published once a month during the growing season and will include topics pertinent to agronomic crop production. Subscribers will receive an email with the latest edition. Agronomy News
The Fruit & Vegetable News is a timely publication for the commercial vegetable and fruit industry available electronically from April through October. Published by the University of Maryland Extension Agriculture and Food Systems team. Fruit & Vegetable News
Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces assistance for dairy producers with the new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP). ODMAP is established to help mitigate market volatility, higher input, transportation costs, unstable feed supply and prices that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry. Specifically, under the ODMAP, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is making $104 million available to organic dairy operations to assist with projected marketing costs in 2023, calculated using their marketing costs in 2022.
Eligible producers include certified organic dairy operations that produce milk from cows, goats and sheep. To complete the ODMAP application, producers must certify to pounds of 2022 milk production, how documentation of their organic certification, and submit a completed application form.
How to Apply
FSA offices are accepting applications until July 24, 2023. To apply, producers should contact Connie Stemple at the Allegany County FSA office at 240-609-3495 (Ext.100)
Farm workers and meat packers may be eligible to claim a $600 payment for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This $600 payment is being administered by the Pasa Sustainable Agriculture non-profit, which is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute these payments through the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program. In total, eligible farm workers in 13 states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia, along with the District of Columbia, can claim this payment.
Applications for this payment opened on March 1, and will remain open until the funds for this payment are depleted.
To be eligible for this payment, a claimant must provide photo identification and proof they were employed as either a farm worker or meatpacking worker in the United States between January 27, 2020, and April 11, 2023. For additional information or to apply go to the PASA website at https://farmworkers.com/
Cost Share for Manure Transport & Injection
Cost-share funding is available to help transport and inject all types of liquid manure into fields. Injecting liquid manure lowers the potential for nutrient runoff to surface waters and reduces on-farm odors.
There is funding to pay for both spring and fall-planted crops. It may be used for:
- Transporting Manure
- Hiring Custom Operators
- Rent or Lease of Equipment
- Operating Costs for Manure Injection
Cost-share grants to transport dairy and livestock manure pay up to 87.5 % of all eligible costs. Eligible farmers receive up to $45 an acre in cost-share to inject liquid manure into the soil, based on a maximum application rate of 6,000 gallons per acre. Rates for manure transport are based on the distance between the manure source and the field. (Please note that manure injection may not be possible in some soils.)
Applicants must be in good standing with the program and in compliance with Maryland’s Nutrient Management regulations.
Spring manure injection and transport must be completed by June 30, 2023.
Claims for payment must be received by the department’s Conservation Grants Office by July 31, 2023.
For more information and to apply, please contact our office at 301-501-5886 or sethmetheny1@maryland.gov.
Photo Credit: Melissa Miller/Penn State
Therapy Services for Farm Families
Farm families are dealing with more stress than ever and a recent study by the American Farm Bureau indicated that 46 percent of farmers say it’s difficult to access a therapist in their rural communities, and 87 percent cited the cost of treatment as an obstacle when procuring that care.
“Farmers deal with ordinary stress like finances and child care, but they also have unpredictable factors like weather events and labor shortages, and these compounding stressors can have long-term impacts,” said Alex Chan, UME mental and behavioral health specialist. “Our partners in therapy have been trained in relevant issues for farmers and are better prepared to meet the unique needs of farm workers and their families.”
For more information on the University of Maryland Extension Farm Stress Management Program, additional resources, or to request a referral please visit go.umd.edu/farmfamily
Stay Connected with Allegany UME
Sarah Llewellyn, Extension Educator
Horticulture & Agriculture
Master Gardener Coordinator
Phone: 301-724-3320
University of Maryland Extension
Allegany County Office
1 Commerce Drive
Cumberland, MD 21502
Office Hours: Monday - Friday
8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Website: https://extension.umd.edu/locations/allegany-county
Update AG Client Contact Information
Please email tonir@umd.edu or call the office at 301-724-3320 to stay updated on everything agriculture related in our county and state.
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