Summer Fun on the Farm

By Joe Bartenfelder, Secretary Maryland Department of Agriculture

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the summer fun season. What better way is there to enjoy it than with friends and family on one of Maryland’s 12,300 farms?  There are several different ways you can visit a farm or enjoy new agricultural experiences.

Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail

June is National Dairy Month and visiting one of Maryland’s on-farm creameries is a great way to celebrate. We launched the Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail three years ago to promote our dairy farmers and encourage Marylanders to visit a working farm. The trail is made up of eight dairy farms across the state that produce and sell ice cream directly to consumer. If you are traveling around Maryland this summer, you have an opportunity to visit at least one stop on the trail.

You will be able to pick up an Ice Cream Trail Passport at any of the creameries (or online at www.marylandsbest.net) by June 15. Completes the Ice Cream Trail passport by visiting every stop on the trail and answering a question from each creamery  by September 23. Send it in to us and you will be entered into a drawing to be named the 2015 Ice Cream Trail Blazer.

We will make an official announcement once the passports are available. In the meantime, you can practice by eating ice cream (and other local products) from Maryland farms now!

Maryland Horse Chase

In April, MDA launched the Maryland Horse Chase, the first-of-its-kind, statewide, equine scavenger hunt sponsored by the Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB), a program within MDA. The chase helped introduce people to the joy of horses and to showcase the state’s new network of 35 Horse Discovery Centers.

More than 130 contestants trotted all across Maryland, completing challenges and earning points that were entered and geo-tracked on their cell phones. At stake, more than $10,000 worth of horse-related prizes and unforgettable experiences visiting some of Maryland’s most beautiful stables and getting to know their owners, trainers and handlers.

Top prize winners Alexandra and Russ Robinson of Anne Arundel County traveled 1,463 miles and visited 33 of the 35 stables and equine businesses to amass 4,980 and 4,840 points, out of a possible 5,000. (Alexandra completed more bonus points to edge out her husband.)

If you have always wanted to be around horses but don’t know enough about them, visit one of the new Horse Discovery Centers this summer. They’re waiting to introduce you to the wonderful world of horses.

Preakness and “Racing with Times”

Earlier this month, I had the honor of attending the sold-out world premier of “Racing the Times,” a Maryland Public Television documentary that tells the epic story of Maryland’s 300-year history with thoroughbred horses. It captures the exciting insights of historians, trainers, owners, jockeys and everyday people on Maryland’s horse racing heritage.  If you missed the show when it aired, you can watch the 90-minute documentary online at: http://video.mpt.tv/video/2365489079/

The 140th running of The Preakness Stakes was one for the history books! Not only did it draw a record crowd of more than 131,000, but by post time, a thunderstorm turned the racing surface into a sea of slop. At one point, the rain was coming down so hard we couldn’t see the horses and their jockeys. But the rain and thunder did not deter a drenched American Pharoah and jockey Victor Espinoza from trouncing the field with a seven-length victory. Now it’s on to the Belmont Stakes and a chance for American Pharoah to become the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Once again, the Preakness lived up to its hype as one of America’s greatest horse races and a true Maryland spectacle.

Revamping Maryland’s Best

 This month we revamped the state agriculture branding program, Maryland’s Best. The program started in 2001 to help consumers identify (and purchase) local agricultural products. Clearly, consumers want more local products, and we are stepping up our efforts to emphasize that agricultural products labeled ‘Maryland’s Best’ are local.

MDA has created a family of Maryland’s Best logos, including a new version that adds the words “Fresh” and “Local.” The current Maryland’s Best logo will remain available for use. All are available in color and black and white.

We hope that farmers see the value in using these logos on their produce boxes and in farm stands, and that grocery store chains and other food distributors will ask to use the logos for their Maryland products. There are tremendous opportunities for our farmers to benefit from the growing consumer demand for local agricultural products. We need to do all we can at MDA to help our farmers capture those opportunities.

Farmers, grocery stores, restaurants and food distributors who would like to use the Maryland’s Best logo and work with MDA to promote their Maryland products should contact our Marketing office at (410) 841-5779.

New Fair & Show Policy

 Many Marylanders are preparing to participate in agricultural fairs and shows across the state.  Because of the unprecedented incidences of High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) currently in the U.S., we have revised the 2015 Fair and Show Requirements for Poultry. As of May 8, waterfowl will be not allowed to enter Maryland Fairs and Shows. All poultry, both in state and out of state poultry, must be tested for Avian Influenza within 10 days prior to entry, or they must originate from a NPIP Avian Influenza Clean or Monitored flock.

At this time, we are not closing Maryland Fairs and Shows to poultry other than for waterfowl. However, we are constantly monitoring the situation. If HPAI enters our region, we will cancel all poultry fairs and shows in the state.

The AI virus does not survive well in heat so let us all keep our fingers crossed that the dog days of summer will help keep our poultry healthy. And may all of us have a happy and safe summer.