Maryland Agriculture on Track to Meet Bay Goals

To be published Saturday, June 25, 2016 in Lancaster Farming

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its evaluations of how well the five Chesapeake Bay states and related federal agencies are progressing toward meeting their 2014-2015 milestones and 2016-2017 milestone commitments for restoring the Chesapeake Bay. The milestones are key check-in points on the way to meeting all Bay pollution reduction measures by 2025.

We are pleased that the EPA recognized the significant progress that has been made already and that Maryland agriculture is on track to meet its 2017 goals.

Maryland farmers continue to plant record cover crop acreage, which is one of the most cost-effective ways to keep nitrogen out of ground water and the Chesapeake Bay. In addition, the State invested $31.2 million in grants last year for farmers to install 2,440 conservation projects (including cover crops) that control soil erosion, reduce nutrient runoff and protect water quality in streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. These grants helped Maryland farmers meet or exceed most of the 2014-2015 Bay restoration milestones.

Governor Larry Hogan’s Maryland Agriculture Phosphorus Initiative has also been instrumental in helping farmers reduce agricultural phosphorus and improve water quality. Last year alone, Maryland farmers moved 167,237 tons of manure away from farm fields with high soil phosphorus levels—a 40 percent increase over last year’s transport figures. And since 2014, the State has issued $3.7 million in grants through the Animal Waste Technology Fund to support new on-farm manure management technologies.

Clearly, Maryland farmers are continuing to do more than their part, and I congratulate everyone for their outstanding efforts.

Cover Crop Sign Up June 24-July 15

Let’s keep up the great work on cover crops! The Maryland Department of Agriculture’s 2016-2017 Cover Crop Sign-Up will take place June 24 through July 15 at soil conservation district offices statewide. This popular grant program helps farmers offset seed, labor and equipment costs associate with planting cover crops to control soil erosion, reduce nutrient runoff and protect water quality in streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Governor Hogan has allocated $22.5 million for Maryland’s 2016-2017 Cover Crop Program.

Workshops Planned for Dairy Farmers

Because this has been a financially challenging year for the dairy sector, Maryland is hosting three workshops in July to provide dairy farmers with financial risk management information and updates on manure management requirements that take effect this winter.

I encourage all dairy farmers to take advantage of the information being provided at these workshops and to learn more about the tools available to help them.

Critical information will be provided by presenters from the University of Maryland, Penn State University, Maryland Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Credit, and the Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corp.

All meetings will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Lunch is included. The workshops will be held:

• July 11 – Cecil County Extension, 200 Chesapeake Blvd., Suite 1500, Elkton (registration: 410-996-5280)
• July 12 – Washington County Extension, 7303 Sharpsburg Pike, Boonsboro (registration: 301-405-1293)
• July 14 – Garrett County Extension (registration: 301-405-1293).

For more information, call Mark Powell at the department, 410-841-5775, or Paul Goeringer at the University of Maryland, 301-405-3541.

New Pollinator Protection Plan

The department released its Maryland Pollinator Protection Plan last week, which is designed to help various bee-loving populations improve and strengthen pollinator health and habitat. In Maryland, honey bees pollinate crops valued at more than $40 million a year, yet in recent years, honey bee colonies have been experiencing winter losses at a rate of about 30 percent. The plan provides specific information and technical advice to homeowners, beekeepers, farmers, and non-agricultural landowners about how to improve and increase areas where bees can live safely and eat well.  The plan is available online. Public comments will be accepted through July 25, 2016 and can be emailed to pollinator.protection@maryland.gov or call 410-841-5710.

Fight the Bite!

Mosquito season is underway. Mosquitoes that could potentially carry the Zika virus breed in containers. All residents should regularly survey their properties and their communities and eliminate or treat mosquito breeding sites. This includes emptying all containers of water around the home and yard every three or four days.  These mosquitoes fly about 150 yards in their entire lives. If we eliminate all locations where they could breed, the threat of disease transmission and nuisance complaints can be cut substantially.

For more information, including frequently asked questions, 30-second videos about how to control mosquitoes around the home, tips on how to rid your community of mosquito breeding sites, and tips on how to avoid mosquito bites, visit: www.mda.maryland.gov/zika

I encourage all Marylanders to follow the department’s new Twitter feed @MdAgMosquito for information about unscheduled spray events and other timely information about mosquito control and Zika prevention in Maryland.

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