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Congratulations Kent County!
According to the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Grant Program’s Annual Report, Kent County was first in cover crop and second in Cost-Share agreements in 2023!
Click on the link to read the whole report. Conservation Grants 2023 Annual Report
We are here to help you make the most of your acres.
Call us with any conservation concerns at 410-778-5150.
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Are you contemplating a transition to organic production, currently undergoing the transition process, or just curious about organic farming?
The University of Maryland Extension invites you to register for a half-day seminar from 8 am to 2 pm on March 19, 2024 at the Eastern Shore Higher Education Center – Chesapeake College. The agenda for the day includes presentations by Klaas Martens, Chris Johnson and Brian Kalmbach covering key topics such as the direction and future of organic production, insights into organic grain markets, and navigating certification, regulations, and requirements. Additionally, there will be a farmer roundtable discussion featuring panelists representing various aspects of organic farming, including grain, vegetable, animal, and research. Light breakfast refreshments and lunch will be served.
For more information or any inquiries contact Dwayne Joseph at dwaynej@umd.edu or by calling 443-480-8369.
Space is limited so register today: https://go.umd.edu/TOPP
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The American Farmland Trust and the Million Acre Challenge is seeking a successful Maryland farmer to feature in a case study. Information below.
Farmer Grants help farmers try new things that could improve their operations, according to Grant Coordinator Candice Huber.
“Farmers are natural problem solvers,” Huber says. “They see something that needs to be done and build a solution. Northeast SARE provides an opportunity for farmers to try solutions that improve quality of life, profitability, and environmental impact.”
A wide variety of topics can be funded by Northeast SARE, including marketing and business, crop production, raising livestock, aquaculture, social sustainability, climate-smart agriculture practices, urban and Indigenous agriculture and more. Last year, the cap for Farmer Grants was increased from $15,000 to $30,000.
“We’re looking for people to pay a reasonable wage for their work on a grant project,” Huber says. “The additional funding is also more realistic for complex projects with more collaboration, education, and replication to increase the strength of results.”
The online system for submitting proposals will open on Oct 1, 2022. Proposals are due no later than November 15, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. EST.
An informational webinar featuring multiple Farmer Grant recipient Tommye Lou Rafes will take place at 12:00 p.m. on October 4, 2022.
Rafes says the benefits of a SARE grant go beyond financial support. There’s an emotional support to knowing that your problem is valid and worth spending time to study.
“Everyday I walk around and I have questions and I have problems,” she says. “To have someone say ‘Tommye, this is valuable and this is something other people can learn from and hopefully this will help other people’… that was a big validation for me.”
Avian Influenza – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Confirmed in Maryland.
Click below for the most current information
The Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Bird Flu Website
Executive Order Restricting Movement of Poultry Litter
Executive Order – Amended Movement of Poultry Litter
2022 Avian Influenza in the United States – What You Need to Know! – Farm Service Agency (April 13, 2022) Commercial producers and backyard enthusiasts alike are asked to practice good biosecurity and report sick or dead birds.