By Mayhah Suri
Maryland Department of Agriculture Extends Manure Application Deadline Maryland Department of Agriculture has extended the state deadline for fall application of organic waste on dairy and other livestock operations from November 15th to November 30th. This extension does not apply to poultry farmers. After the end of this month, farmers will not be able to spread manure on their fields until March. The decision was made due to late planting in the spring which stemmed from below average temperatures. This caused a later harvest and soil conditions favorable to organic waste. If you have questions about how this may affect your nutrient management plan, talk to you nutrient management consultant or your county’s nutrient management specialist. For more details about the extensions, please visit http://smnewsnet.com/archives/395229/maryland-department-of-agriculture-extends-deadline-for-manure-application-to-november-30/
Harford County Introduces On-Farm Brewery Legislation Harford County Officials have introduced new legislation to permit on-farm brewing of beer, ale, stout, and other grain based beverages. The legislation mirrors the statewide rule passed in 2012. This county rule includes a provision that the ingredients used in the brew must be grown on the farm and allows farmers to hold promotional events like tastings and festivals. For more information about this proposed legislation, please visit: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/harford/belair/ph-ag-farm-brewery-bill-1113-20151111-story.html. To learn more about the Maryland law and how to get started on opening your own farm brewery, check out our guide at: http://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/16347
Carroll County Introduces Ag Preservation Research Formula Carroll County will soon switch to a formula-based approach for determining the fair market value of farms whose owners wish to permanently preserve them as agriculture land. But several county commissioners are concerned the formula, as presented to them last week, could inadvertently promote the creation of so-called “green belts” around municipalities and designated growth areas, thus hindering the development of those localities. “I would hate to see us extinguish the growth potential of towns with an ag preservation program that needs a little bit of refinement,” said Commissioner Richard Rothschild, R-District 4.The formula assigns point values to certain aspects of a farm, including its development potential and location, soil features and farmability, and natural resource characteristics and special attributes. A farm can be awarded up to 1,000 points, with half coming from the number of lot rights a property has. The overall goal of the program is to extinguish these lot rights to preserve the land as agricultural for the indefinite future. To read the full story click here: http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/local/ph-cc-ccg-ag-pres-formula-20151103-story.html
Maine Lawsuit Settled Between Neighboring Landowners An interesting lawsuit involving neighboring farmers was recently settled in Maine federal district court. The case involves claims that one farmer was forced out of business by his neighbor, while the neighbor was the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture. The farmer was forced out of business when the EPA sued him for repeated discharges into a nearby creek. The farmer claimed that his neighbor/Commissioner of Ag conspired with other officials to force him out of business over a dispute federal crop subsidies. The full story is available here https://bangordailynews.com/2015/11/12/news/bangor/lawsuit-against-former-agriculture-commissioner-settled-for-40000/.
Panel Discussion on Food Production and Health of Chesapeake Bay On Thursday, November 19th, Washington College is hosting a public panel discussion about finding a balance between environmental quality and food production. The agricultural perspective will be presented by producers and the environmental perspective will be presented by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and scientists. The goal of this event is to generate thoughtful, lively discussion between those most closely invested in these critical issues. The event is at 6:30 pm, followed by a reception at 8:30 pm. For event details, please visit http://www.washcoll.edu/centers/ces/details/events_centers.php?id=9403.
Register Today for the 2015 Agricultural Policy and Outlook Conference on Dec. 16 The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics will host their annual Policy and Outlook Conference on Dec. 16th in Annapolis MD. The conference will feature a grain marketing outlook, dairy market outlook, and an overview of regulations impacting the usage of drones. The cost to attend is $30/person. To see the complete agenda and to register, please see http://www.http://go.umd.edu/AREC2015. Recent Webinar Is Available Online For those that missed the recent webinar focusing on the recent federal court ruling involving Idaho’s “ag gag” law, it is available online. The webinar featured Prof. Erin Hawley of the University of Missouri and Ashley Newhall discussing what ag gag laws, the court ruling, and trying to put the ruling into perspective. A recording of the webinar is available at http://go.umd.edu/AgGagVideo. Ag Risk Management Update: Searching this Site A year and a half into this site and there is a lot of content on it. We now have a Google search available just for this site to better help you find content on the site. To access the Google search bar for this site go to http://go.umd.edu/MRMESearch.