MDA Urges all Maryland Farmers to Complete the 2012 Agricultural Census by the Feb. 4 Deadline

By responding to the Census, producers are helping themselves, their communities and all of U.S. agriculture. For more information.

Photo Exhibit Featuring Maryland Farmers Debuts in the State Capital; Will Move to MDA at End of Year

Edwin Remsberg by remsberg.com

Visitors to the Miller Senate Office Building in Annapolis will be able to view a series of portraits of Maryland farmers taken by award-winning photographer Edwin Remsberg and commissioned by MDA. The series, Maryland Farmers: The Faces of the Land, highlights the diversity of people, places and practices involved with food production in our state. Twelve archival 20″ by 30″ photographic prints will be on display in the second floor lobby near the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs hearing room. The display will move to MDA at the end of the year. For more information.

MDA Proposes Four Regulatory Changes;

All Open for Public Comment through Feb. 25

MDA to Host 2013 Farmers Market Conference 

Registration Deadline Feb. 15

Last year’s Farmers Market Conference was a full house.

MDA will host the annual Maryland Farmers’ Market Conference on February 28 at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center to provide information on state regulations to farmers’ market stakeholders. This year the conference will feature three tracks: one for experienced farmers’ market managers, one for farmers and vendors, and one for new farmers’ market managers.

The deadline to register for the conference is February 15. For more information.

To help farmers meet growing consumer demand for local meats, MDA in partnership with the University of Maryland will conduct a training workshop for on-farm poultry and rabbit slaughter and processing on Monday, Feb. 11, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at MDA, 50 Harry S Truman Parkway, Annapolis. Registration check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. The training fee is $20 which includes lunch and materials. Click here to download the registration form. Additional training sessions are being planned for Western Maryland and Cambridge. For more information. 

Sign Up Now for Farm-Fresh Local Produce through Community Supported Agriculture Farms  

MDA encourages Marylanders to consider joining a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm this year to support local farmers while receiving healthy, fresh produce all summer long. CSA members pay an upfront subscription fee to farmers in return for a share of the season’s harvest, which is usually provided weekly.  For convenience, many CSAs deliver to central locations for pick up closer to subscriber’s home or work on a certain day of the week.  Still others have special rates if the subscriber helps with the harvest on the farm. To find a CSA near you.  

Governor’s Commission Seeking Input from Farmers through Online Survey by Feb. 28 

The Governor’s Intergovernmental Commission for Agriculture (GICA), responding to concerns expressed by farmers, has launched an online survey to find out how Maryland farmers’ experiences with county zoning and permitting and health regulations have impacted their businesses. Farmers are encouraged to take the survey by Feb. 28. For more information.

2012 Annual Implementation Forms Due by March 1

The 2012 Annual Implementation Reporting forms (AIRs) and instructions have been mailed to about 5,500 Maryland farmers who are regulated under the Nutrient Management Program. These farmers are required to manage their farms using nutrient management plans and submit AIRs to MDA by March 1, 2013 describing how they utilized nutrients during the previous calendar year. The forms are also available on MDA’s web site. The 2012 AIR requests information on ways farmers manage nutrients from all sources, including commercial fertilizers, manures, biosolids and other organic materials.  It includes a section where farmers report changes in property parcels reported on last year’s AIR. For more information.

Cost-Share Grants for Manure Incorporation and Injection Now Available from MDA 

Sign-Up Ongoing at Local Soil Conservation Districts

Financial assistance is now available to help farmers cover the cost of injecting or incorporating manure, sludge, food waste and other organic products into cropland. Governor Martin O’Malley has earmarked $2 million in cost-share funds to assist farmers as they begin implementing the new requirements of Maryland’s recently revised nutrient management regulations, which took effect Oct. 15. Applications are accepting on an on-going basis. For more information.

Maryland Horse Industry Board Awards $25,000 in Small Grants to Equine-Related Nonprofits 

An equine outreach group that provides horsemanship opportunities to inner city school children, therapeutic and youth riding activities, and programs to help rehabilitate rescue horses were among the 22 organizations to receive more than $25,000 in grants from the Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) last month. The grants help to strengthen the industry by building awareness and involvement in the horse industry through research, education and promotional activities. For more information. 

MDA Welcomed the 150 Horses that Marched in the Inaugural Parade and Stabled in Maryland

MHIB Executive Director Ross Peddicord welcomes Toronto’s Finest, who rode in the Inaugural Parade with the Michigan Multi-Jurisdictional Mounted Police Unit.

An informal delegation from MDA’s Maryland Horse Industry Board officially welcomed the equine units from across the country that marched in the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C. this month. All 150 horses that marched in the parade were stabled at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center. The MHIB brought carrots for the horses and Maryland State Flags for the riders. The MHIB and the Maryland Horse Council also provided pizza and drinks after the official military briefing the night before the parade. To see photos of the visit. 

MDA Collects 18 Tons of Empty Pesticide Containers 

Recycling Program Celebrates 20 Years of Proper Disposal to Protect the Chesapeake Bay

MDA Pesticide Regulation section has recycled 743,000 plastic pesticide containers – 42,242 of them this year – through its pesticide container recycling programs for farmers, golf courses, government agencies and commercial applicators. This program, in its 20th year of operation, helps prevent pesticide residues from entering the soil and local waterways and saves valuable landfill space. This recycling service is free and paid for with money collected from licensing and certification fees and pesticide product registration fees.  Each year since 1993, MDA has operated an empty pesticide plastic container inspection and collection program open to the public in at least six locations from June through September. For more information.

More than 340 Attend Annual Buyer Grower Expo   

Expo helps producers show off their products.

MDA’s Annual Buyer Grower Expo attracted more than 340 participants, including a record 100 buyers from across the state this month. The event provides Maryland growers, producers, and processors with an opportunity to connect with buyers from grocery retailers, restaurants, schools, institutions, and other venues. The event, now in its tenth year, is geared toward Maryland growers, producers, or processors interested in finding new markets; buyers from grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals, schools, or other venues; and service providers or others interested in local food, such as county extension agents, food writers, etc. To see photos of the event. 

Residents Urged to Take Care When Buying, Transporting Wood

As Marylanders stock up on firewood during cooler weather, MDA’s Weights and Measures section urges residents to make sure they get what they pay for. Maryland regulations require that firewood sold in the state only be sold by the cord, or fractional parts of a cord. Any other term, such as truckload, rack, face cord, or pile, is illegal. MDA also reminds residents that it is illegal to move ash wood materials and all hardwood firewood from the 14 counties west of the Chesapeake Bay and Susquehanna River to the Eastern Shore. This restriction is an attempt to prevent the emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive species that kills ash trees, from invading the Eastern Shore. For more information.

Inside MDA:
Turf & Seed Analysts Obtain National Certification

Turf & Seed’s Kim MacFarland and Kumara Kadawedduwa

Turf & Seed’s Kim MacFarland and Kumara Kadawedduwa have passed the purity portion of the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) certification exam. AOSA is the national organization that sets the rules for seed tests and certifies analysts. They took the exam in Harrisburg, PA this month. Both Kim and Kumara passed the germination testing portion of their certification in 2011 – which was the soonest they were able to take it and both passed on the first try. Their latest accomplishment means all six of MDA’s seed analysts, as well as the Turf and Seed Laboratory Manager and Section Chief, are now AOSA certified analysts in both purity and germination testing. Analysts are certified by passing both written and practical examinations. Congratulations to Kim and Kumara for this important achievement and to the entire section for maintaining such high standards! 

Inside MDA: Bettie McCaffrey Named MDA’s Employee of the Quarter 

Bettie McCaffrey (center) receives Employee of the Quarter Award from Secretary Buddy Hance and Deputy Secretary Mary Ellen Setting.

MDA named Bettie McCaffrey, an Anne Arundel County resident, the Employee of the Quarter and was presented with a plaque of appreciation by Secretary Buddy Hance and Deputy Secretary Mary Ellen Setting during a department-wide staff meeting. McCaffrey is an Executive Associate to Pat McMillan, the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Marketing, Animal Industries and Consumer Services. Bettie has worked for the State of Maryland for more than 40 years. For more information

Featured Recipe: Sweet Potato Biscuits 

Quick and delicious, these biscuits go well with just about anything, from local honey and preserves to ham. They’re especially good with soups and stews on a cold winter’s night.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup boiled, strained, and mashed sweet potato
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
2. Mix the mashed sweet potato with the melted butter and the orange zest, and then gradually stir in the milk. Add the sweet potato mixture to the dry ingredients, incorporating it and kneading the dough until it becomes pliable. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1 inch on a floured surface and cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter. Bake the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve the biscuits hot.

Makes 12 biscuits.

Recipe courtesy of Dishing Up Maryland, by Lucie Snodgrass.