MDA Extends Deadline for Manure Application to December 6

Chapel’s Country Creamery Dairy Cow, by Edwin Remsberg

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Due to a late harvest, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has extended the deadline for the fall application of organic waste on dairy farms and other livestock operations from November 15 to December 6.  This extension does not apply to poultry farmers.

“Due to heavy rains, spring planting was delayed by as much as four weeks in many areas of the state. As a result, farmers will be harvesting their corn and soybean crops for another month or even longer. We have enjoyed a long, warm fall this year, which makes a deadline extension both practical and reasonable,” said MDA Secretary Buddy Hance. “The extra time will allow farmers to empty their waste storage structures in preparation for winter. This, in turn, will reduce the number of farmers who exceed their manure storage capacity over the winter and need to request emergency spreading. We want to avoid application of nutrients in the winter when they are most subject to runoff.”

Maryland’s Nutrient Management Regulations allow livestock (non-poultry) farmers to apply manure to fields in fall on either an existing crop or a crop that will be planted later in the fall or next spring.  Certain requirements apply. Farmers should consult their Nutrient Management Plans or contact MDA’s Nutrient Management Program at 410-841-5959 or www.mda.maryland.gov for more information.

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