Did you know that 1/3 of Maryland’s land is in farms? On that two million acres, farmers produce 33 million pounds of apples, 1.6 billion pounds of chicken, and 3.7 million tons of peaches among many other fresh food products for citizens to eat.  Recognizing the role of agriculture as one of Maryland’s most important industries, Governor Martin O’Malley,  proclaimed the week of March 15-21, 2009, to be Maryland Agriculture Week.  The state designation coincides with National Ag Day on March 20, 2009.

“Maryland’s agriculture industry is vital to the long-term health of the State’s economy, environment and quality of life.  Maryland Agriculture Week promotes a continued effort to strengthen our family owned businesses and farms,” said Governor O’Malley. “The State of Maryland is committed to sustaining the beauty of our countryside, the health of our soil and water, the strength of our economy, the safety of our food, and meeting the energy needs of our shared future.”

Agriculture Week provides an opportunity to recognize the uniqueness of agriculture in each area of the State and the importance of farming. Indicating that Maryland residents understand the value of agriculture, the 2009 Policy Choices Survey by the University of Baltimore Schaefer Center for Public Policy reported that a full 77 percent of survey respondents want to buy locally-grown and made products and 94 percent want to preserve farmland for farming.  The survey also indicated that fewer Marylanders felt that farm runoff has a “major impact” on the health of the Chesapeake Bay than last year.

The connection between farmland and the availability of fresh, local fruit and vegetables is highlighted by National Nutrition Month.  MDA and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are promoting the inclusion of more fruits and vegetables as a key to a healthy and productive life.

“With obesity rates and health care costs increasing, the benefits of maintaining a healthy diet to improve health and quality of life can not be overstated,” said Governor Martin O’Malley.  “More than 184,000 kids in Maryland don’t have ready or reliable access to the food they need to lead healthy, active lives. National Nutrition Month gives us another opportunity to advance our efforts to be the first state to end childhood hunger within its borders, to share tips and resources to encourage healthy and informed decisions, and to remind residents to buy from our local farmers.”

Eating more friuts and vegetables can be affordable. Now is the time to look for specials in the store, find new, fun recipes, and learn where to find local produce when it’s available in Maryland.

A state court has ruled that the Maryland Department of Agriculture must release summaries of nutrient management plans from farms that describe how the farms manage fertilizer, animal waste, and other nutrients that could harm water quality if washed into streams, rivers, or the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland Farm Bureau Inc. v. Maryland Department of Agriculture, Md. Cir. Ct., No. 02-C-08-134331, 2/10/09).

However, the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County allowed exceptions that comport with privacy provisions under Maryland’s agricultural statute. Current law instructs the Agriculture Department to maintain a summary of each nutrient management plan “for three years in a manner that protects the identity of the individual” who filed the plan.

Accordingly, the court in a Feb. 10 ruling said the department must redact identifying information before disclosing nutrient management plan summaries held for three years or less. Click here to read more.

Hard times don’t have to mean poor diets.  The University of Maryland Cooperative Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) and the Maryland Master Gardener program are introducing a new initiative to help Marylanders improve their health and save money by growing fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs using sustainable practices.  Called “Grow It Eat It,” this campaign will kick off on March 27 with an invitation-only event at the Master Peace Community Garden in Riverdale, MD.

“Our goal is to help start hundreds of new food gardens in 2009 and create a network of enthusiastic growers that can learn from one another and tap into University of Maryland resources,” says Jon Traunfeld, state coordinator of the Maryland Master Gardener program.

The Grow It Eat It campaign will help increase food security and improve gardeners’ health and quality of life. Families who grow their own food can also save money while creating a new connection to the earth. Trained Master Gardeners will organize Grow It Eat It teams at the local level and teach basic food gardening classes to the public.  Their efforts will be supplemented by HGIC horticulture consultants who will answer food gardening questions via a toll-free hotline (1-800-342-2507) and e-mail Q&A service  and by a new Grow It Eat It website  and blog.

So shake off the winter blues and go green by planting a food garden this spring!

The gypsy moth is by far the most destructive pest of forest and shade trees in Maryland. The caterpillars eat the leaves of oaks and other hardwoods in May and June. Heavy populations of caterpillars will eat most or all leaves in a tree. Large outbreaks have affected hundreds of thousands of acres statewide.

The 2009 Gypsy Moth Suppression Program has proposed treating the trees on 38,454 acres in 14 counties, beginning in late April or early May.  Maps of the entire state and all counties with proposed spray blocks are available online.

There is one remaining public meeting remaining.  It will be held from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on March 19, 2009 at the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s field office at 317 Carter Avenue, Suite #100, Denton, MD 21639.

Over the past six years, the State of Maryland has had a tumultuous relationship with the emerald ash borer beetle.  This destructive pest was transported to Maryland on an illegal shipment of ash trees from Michigan in 2003, and has since become a problem in Maryland.  The only way to eliminate the emerald ash borer is to remove its food source – ash trees. Since 2003, the MDA, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and other partners, with federal funding support have cut more than 35,000 ash trees. This spring alone they will remove and chip about 5,000 trees on 3,600 acres in Prince George’s County and on the north side of Waldorf in Charles County, the only areas in Maryland where it has been found, to stop the spread of the beetle. Most of the trees are in forested areas, although some are street and neighborhood trees.  The work will be completed no later than April 1 which is the beetles’ earliest anticipated emergence date.  In 2009, the eradication battle will continue with limited tree removal and a promising new chemical treatment of ash trees in the arsenal.

This spring during Emerald Ash Borer Week, May 17-23, look for the launch of a campaign to raise public awareness about this insect and the damage it is inflicting on our state. The emerald ash borer can be transported by moving firewood from one location to another. In the coming months, you might see “Don’t move firewood! It Bugs Me!” bumper magnets, post cards in statewide hunting and fishing licensing outlets, and billboards along Southern Maryland Highways, yard signs in neighborhoods, and activities at both the Bowie Baysox and Maryland Blue Crab Baseball stadiums.

Surveys, which are continuous and ongoing, are crucial to understanding the emerald ash borer’s impact in Maryland and determining the best course of action.  The MDA will continue looking for the emerald ash borer in 2009 by deploying approximately 4,000 purple prism traps across the state.  MDA will conduct training programs and outreach activities to educate tree professionals, citizen scientists, and others about how to recognize the signs and symptoms of the emerald ash borer.  Anyone can report suspect emerald ash borer through the Maryland Home and Garden Information Center’s reporting form.

Please spread the word about this destructive beetle, and remind your family and friends not to move firewood when they travel or camp. For more information,  go to www.StopTheBeetle.com or call 410-841-5920.

The budget continues to drive the legislative session, as revenues projected are lower than expected.  MDA has 10 departmental bills this session of which seven have passed the Senate and have crossed over to the House.  One has passed the House and has crossed over to the Senate.  Two additional bills will be heard on March 18 in the House Environmental Matters Committee.  For more information about the following bills that MDA is following and their status, click on the links provided.
HB 290/SB 362 -Agricultural Preservation Easements – Renewable Energy Generation

HB 333/SB 291 – Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation – Easement Properties – Natural Gas.
HB 312/SB 217  – Aquaculture – Shellfish – Leasing
HB 491/SB 674 – MALPF – Easements – Inspection Requirements

HB 771/SB 549 – Sustainable Forestry Act of 2009.
HB 929/SB 917 – Agriculture – Fertilizers and Pesticides – Release Reporting
The House version received an unfavorable report in the House Environmental Matters Committee.  The Senate version is expected to be heard on March 24.
HB 1053/SB 824 – Community Environmental Protection Act of 2009
Several briefings have been held, along with a hearing on March 11.  The Senate bill is scheduled for a hearing on March 18.
SB 816/HB 1158 – Maryland Food and Hunger Policy Council – Dept of Agriculture.
The bill is scheduled to be heard March 18 in both the House and Senate.
SB 553 and HB 609 – Chesapeake Bay Phosphorous Reduction Act of 2009
The Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee voted SB 553 out on March 13.  No word on the House version.
HB 1015 Health General – Milk Products – Direct-to-Consumer Sale of Raw Milk
HB 1080 Health General – Milk Products – Consumer Owned Livestock
HJ 8 and SJ 8 – Federal Mandates Regarding Environmentally Damaging Corn Ethanol
SB 220 – State Government – Prohibition on Use of State Funds – Ethanol Derived from Corn.

Phyllis Kilby has a passion for agriculture and for finding ways to ensure a viable future for it and other natural resource based industries.  There are few people better equipped to understand the needs of family farms and to affect public policy to help them than Kilby.

She is a farmer, an active member of her community – serving as a two-term Cecil County commissioner for example, a former chair of the Rural Maryland Council, a member of the State Task Force to Study the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, and now incoming chairwoman of the Maryland Agriculture and Resource-Based Industry Corporation, better known as MARBIDCO.  She has served on the board since Governor O’Malley appointed her in 2007.

“MARBIDCO  is the realization of a long held dream.  Agriculture has long been ignored in the economic development world because it does not traditionally create a large number of jobs.  The reality is that agriculture in an area creates community benefits that are hard to quantify,” said Kilby.  “In its short existence, Steve McHenry and the MARBIDCO board have begun to fulfill the goals the legislature charged the organization to accomplish.  There are 69 businesses that are still operating or have begun operations due to the hard work of this organization.”   MARBIDCO is a publicly supported rural business development organization established by the Maryland General Assembly in 2004 to help agricultural and other rural industries to prosper.

Ms. Kilby, president of Kilby’s Inc., a family-owned and operated dairy farm and creamery in Cecil County, works with her husband Bill along with their son, Bradley and daughter-in-law, Lisa to see that the farm remains profitable and available for the next generation.  They grow corn and alfalfa on about 500 acres of their own preserved farmland and another 600 that they rent. They sell the milk from their 500 cows to the Maryland and Virginia Dairy Co-op and they are one of a growing number of dairy families diversifying their operations to include a value-added product. In the Kilby’s case, it’s Kilby Cream ice cream made from the milk of their own cows that provides a broader income base.  They make about 100 flavors, including Phyllis’ favorite, Maryland Madness, at their on-farm store and various restaurants and ice cream shops around the region.  They’ve even partnered with the Maryland Wineries Association to make a distinctly Maryland wine ice cream. Look for it in the spring.  Their future plans include bottling their own milk and making butter, yogurt, cheese etc.

“My hope is that the legislature will see the value of what MARBIDCO is doing for the long term stability of agriculture in Maryland,” said Kilby.  “My goal is to continue to do what we have been doing – provide needed capital for Maryland resource based industries.”

Exhibitors and organizers of fairs, shows, and competitions with livestock of all kinds, including equine, in Maryland need to comply with certain state animal health regulations (COMAR 15.11.12.01 forward) in order to hold and attend these events.  The requirements are in place to help ensure the health of animals at competitions and to prevent the outbreak or spread of disease.  Click here to learn what is required.

(www.allrecipes.com)
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into large chunks (optional)
4 cups water, or as needed
3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
1 cup coarsely chopped leeks
chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil over medium heat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add lamb pieces and cook, stirring gently, until evenly browned. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the onion, carrots, and parsnips and cook gently alongside the meat for a few minutes. Stir in the water. Cover and bring to a boil before turning the heat down to low. Simmer for 1 hour or longer, depending on the cut of meat you used and if it is tender yet.
Stir in potatoes, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, before adding leeks and rosemary. Continue to simmer uncovered, until potatoes are tender but still whole. Serve piping hot in bowls garnished with fresh parsley.