Governor O’Malley Presents Agricultural Priorities for Federal Funding to the Maryland Congressional Delegation

Requests Support Conservation and Animal Health Programs

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 11, 2010) – Governor Martin O’Malley, joined by Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance formally presented Maryland’s FY2011 federal priorities to serve the agricultural industry to the State’s Congressional delegation.  Hosted by Senator Barbara Mikulski, Chair of the Delegation, the members heard a number of priorities for Maryland farmers including funding for conservation priorities such as cover crops and a $5 million request to replace the aging Eastern Shore Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory.

“We greatly appreciate Governor O’Malley’s support and willingness to bring before the Congressional Delegation the issues that are of greatest importance to the agricultural community for funding.  We also sincerely thank Senator Mikulski for hosting us today and all members of the delegation for their attention to these pressing matters,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance.  “These requests are critical not only to farmers but also to the health of our economy, environment and all citizens in the State. In these difficult economic times, we need this additional funding to continue important programs and to position ourselves strongly for the time when the economy recovers.”

•   $8 million for Cover Crops. Maryland’s Two Year Milestones for Chesapeake Bay restoration lay out 27 practices to accelerate the reduction of 3.75 million pounds of nitrogen loading to the Bay.  The reduction planned from cover crops is approximately one third of the total.  The requested funding as a dedicated block grant from USDA will provide the resources needed to more closely meet this goal.  Planting cover crops are valuable statewide but considered to be extremely valuable in the highly agricultural areas of the Eastern Shore and Central/Western area of Maryland.

•    $5 million for a new Eastern Shore Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory. This lab would focus on poultry health diagnostics for the commercial poultry industries, but will maintain basic service capacity for all species diagnostics.  The State’s fiscal constraints resulted in the recent closure of the only full time/full service livestock diagnostic laboratory on Delmarva.  The new laboratory will restore the State’s capacity to serve the other animal industries. The capability to handle all species at this facility is essential to support infectious disease regulatory and emergency operations of the agency as well as to support local animal control and law enforcement investigations involving animals.

In addition to these priorities, Congressman Kratovil is forwarding a request for funding through the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies’ Appropriations Bill for FY 2011 to enhance the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Tracker and Nutrient Management Program information management systems.  There is currently no source of data available to comprehensively characterize agricultural best management practice implementation in Maryland.  Accurate data derived such a system would lead to the most effective and equitable management and policy decisions related to agriculture and the Chesapeake Bay.

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