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Note: This website is intended to provide general information about legal issues, crop insurance, farm policy, and other risk management issues and should not be construed as providing legal advice. It should not be cited or relied upon as legal authority. For advice about how the issues discussed here might apply to your individual situation, you should consult an attorney.
Welcome to the Maryland Risk Management Education Blog, provided by the University of Maryland Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. This blog provides readers with information on risk management issues important to Maryland agriculture, upcoming events, and new materials that may interest readers.
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Produce Safety Rule Grower Training May 18 in Princess Anne
Image by Edwin Remsberg This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. UMES Extension and the Maryland Food Safety Network are hosting an in-person FSMA Produce Safety Rule (PSR) Grower Training in Princess Anne, Maryland, on May 18th. The training will be from 8:30am to 6:00pm. The location is at the UMES Research, Education and Extension Farm located at 10789 Steward Neck Road in Princess Anne, Maryland. More information abo
Nicole Cook
Apr 10, 20242 min read
Heirs’ Property Education Workshop at UMES on March 28
Heirs' Property Workshop Flyer This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. UMES Extension will host an Heirs’ Property Education Workshop on March 28. The event will be held from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at the UMES Richard A. Henson Center Ballroom on the main campus in Princess Anne, with opening remarks expected at 8:30 a.m. Heirs’ property is family-owned property inherited by multiple generations without the formal legal proceedi
Nicole Cook
Mar 19, 20241 min read
Agricultural Workers’ Disaster Leave
The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. The rise in frequency and intensity of natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and earthquakes emphasizes the need for businesses to provide leaves and recognize the impact of disasters on individuals and their ability to fulfill work. Disaster leave has emerged to safeguard safety and support employees after a natural disaster or emergency. This type of leave recogni
Sima Majnooni
Mar 12, 20243 min read
Labor Webinars Planned for Agricultural Employers
Image of flyer for webinars. Image created by Christin Redding with photo credit in flyer of tractor pulling seeder in field by Edwin Remsberg. See here for the site’s reposting policy. The University of Maryland and the University of Delaware will host the Hiring and Retaining Farm Employees – What you Need to Know and Do four webinars every Friday in April at noon, starting on April 5th and ending on April 26. The free webinars will cover developing an employee handbook f
Paul Goeringer
Mar 5, 20241 min read
Updated: Back in a Wait-and-See Mode With Recent Dicamba Ruling
Spraying soybean field by United Soybean Board The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. A recent Arizona federal district court ruling has vacated the 2020 registrations for dicamba products used over the top in cotton and soybean production. The ruling is based on violations of federal law requiring the public to have an opportunity to comment on the proposed “new uses” in 2020. This ruling currently means for growers tha
Paul Goeringer
Feb 14, 20243 min read
Peer-powered learning on land use, estate planning, & navigating solar options.
Image of piggy bank with solar panels in background by Sergei Domashenko See here for the site’s reposting policy. College Park, MD – The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC) will host two one-day, in-person workshops on Feb 26th at Chesapeake College and March 12th in Boonsboro. The Cultivating Knowledge Together: Maryland’s Peer-Powered Land Use workshops will run from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Registration is required to attend. This program is complimentary
Press Release
Feb 6, 20242 min read
Federal Estate Tax and Gift Tax Limits Announced For 2024
This is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. In November 2023, the IRS announced the revised federal estate tax and gift tax limits for 2024. The federal estate tax limit will rise from $12.92 million in 2023 to $13.61 million in 2024. The federal gift tax limit will jump from $17,000 in 2023 to $18,000 in 2024. In Maryland, state estate tax limits will stay at $5 million. Federal Estate Taxes For 2024, the federal
Paul Goeringer
Jan 30, 20243 min read
Upcoming Food Safety Trainings
Image by Edwin Remsberg This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. The Maryland Food Safety Network (MFSN)―a collaboration of the Maryland Department of Agriculture, the Agriculture Law Education Initiative, Maryland Extension programs, and the UM College Park Plant Science Food Safety Group―has several food safety trainings scheduled for this winter. If you need to: get FSMA-certified; ensure that new, existing or returning
Nicole Cook
Jan 16, 20243 min read
Labor Workshop Planned for Agricultural Employers
Image of two people talking in front of a hoop house by Edwin Remsberg The University of Maryland and the University of Delaware will host the Hiring and Retaining Farm Employees – What you Need to Know and Do workshop on January 23rd in Boonsboro, MD, and January 30th in Georgetown, DE. Both workshops will be from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. The Jan. 23rd program will be at the University of Maryland Extension Washington County office, 7303 Sharpsburg Pike, Boonsboro, MD 21713. Th
Press Release
Dec 19, 20232 min read
The University of Maryland to Host Ag Law Program on January 16 in Cockeysville
Image of cattle in a field by Chesapeake Bay Program See here for the site’s reposting policy. College Park, MD – The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC) will host the, So You Want to Own Farmland in Maryland workshop on January 16th in Cockeysville from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. The program will be held at the Baltimore County Ag Center, 1114 Shawan Rd, Cockeysville, MD 21030. The free program will cover those legal issues that Maryland landowners may face.
Paul Goeringer
Dec 12, 20232 min read
Negligent Entrustment Liability for Farm Employers
Photo by Edwin Remsberg This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. The leaves are falling, which means it’s the time of year when we are sharing the road with harvesting equipment. Hopefully everyone is being careful out there. But, what if a farm worker has an accident while driving a piece of farm equipment and injures someone or something? Who could be held liable? Sounds like it’s a good time to talk about “negligent e
Nicole Cook
Oct 24, 20233 min read
UME Leads the Next Generation of the Statewide Nutrient Management Program
Image of combine dumping soybeans into grain cart pulled by tractor at sunset Image is by Steven Baird See for the site’s reposting policy. University of Maryland Extension (UME) has launched an enhanced nutrient management planning process designed to adapt to modern farming practices and operations that better align with Maryland’s agricultural regulations and environmental goals. Moving forward, UME will now administer and coordinate statewide nutrient management planning
Press Release
Oct 17, 20232 min read
New Shellfish Pilot Crop Insurance Program for Container-Grown Oysters
Image Maryland Sea Grant Extension This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. UPDATE 11.20.23 - Deadline to purchase has been extended to Dec. 15, 2023. Last week, the USDA announced a new shellfish pilot crop insurance program. The pilot program is available in certain counties in Maryland (Dorchester, St. Mary’s) as well as Virginia, Alabama, California, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, R
Nicole Cook
Oct 3, 20232 min read
Kansas Court Denies Application of Right-to-Farm Law
Image of Kansas wheat field by Brian McGuirk The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. Today, I want to highlight a recent right-to-farm decision out of Kansas involving a hog farm. Although Kansas’s law is different than Maryland’s, features of the law are the same, and this decision provides sound guidance to Maryland producers on what not to do when hit with a similar lawsuit. In the Kansas decision, because the produce
Paul Goeringer
Sep 26, 20235 min read
FDA Guide for Small Farms on the FSMA Food Traceability Rule
Image by Edwin Remsberg The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a guide in May to help small farms and businesses comply with the requirements of the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Food Traceability Rule. You can download a copy of the guide here. The guide provides a general overview of the traceability rule, the requirements for a traceability plan, and recordkeepi
Nicole Cook
Sep 12, 20232 min read
Owning Farm Land in Maryland Workshops Honored at NACAA
See here for the site’s reposting policy. Owning Farmland In Maryland program was recently honored by the National Association of County Ag Agents (NACAA) during the 108th Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference held in Des Moines, Iowa, from August 13 to 17, 2023. NACAA is the professional association for Extension educators and other professionals who work in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and natural resources, 4-H youth development, community developm
Paul Goeringer
Sep 5, 20231 min read
Federal Court Grants Summary Judgment For Murphy-Brown in New Hog Farm Litigation
Image of hogs in confined operation by United Soybean Board The article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. A federal district court in North Carolina recently granted summary judgment in favor of Murphy-Brown, LLC, regarding negligence and trespass claims brought by neighbors of a hog farm that contracts with Murphy-Brown. This litigation had been watched by those of us following right-to-farm law developments since it utilized
Paul Goeringer
Aug 29, 20233 min read
Webinar On USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program
This article is not a substitute for legal advice. See here for the site’s reposting policy. UPDATES: The deadline to apply for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program has been extended to January 13, 2024. You can watch a recording of the August 23rd webinar here. Join The Farmers' Legal Action Group and UMES Extension's Agriculture Law Education Initiative for a free webinar on August 23rd about the USDA's Discrimination Financial Assistance Program The new USDA's
Nicole Cook
Aug 22, 20231 min read
Landowner-Oriented Agricultural Law Online Modules Available To Address Common Concerns
Aerial image of Farmland by Chesapeake Bay Program See here for the site’s reposting policy. College Park, MD – The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC) reminds Marylanders of an online course for rural landowners in Maryland released earlier in the spring. The So You Want to Own Farmland in Maryland course is available through the University of Maryland’s Enterprise Learning Management System – Canvas. The free program will cover those legal issues
Paul Goeringer
Aug 15, 20231 min read
NASS Releases Delaware and Maryland Statewide Cash Rental Rate Averages for 2023
See here for the site’s reposting policy. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistic Service (NASS) updated data on cash rent paid by producers in 2023. NASS collects this data from 240,000 operations across the United States annually through the Cash Rent Survey - data used by other agencies throughout USDA. The survey results give us an idea of what other tenants in the area may be paying per acre for farmland. One important note: many of you ask me what constitutes a reaso
Paul Goeringer
Aug 9, 20232 min read
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