MDA Secretary Buddy Hance kicked off Maryland Farmers’ Market Week (Aug. 1-7) during Governor Martin O’Malley’s “Capital for a Day” in Baltimore City on July 29. Governor O’Malley designated this special week to encourage consumers to support Maryland agriculture and visit a farmers’ market in their area.

As part of Governor O’Malley’s Capital for a Day Celebration, Secretary Hance and Deputy Secretary Mary Ellen Setting visited the farmers’ market at Johns Hopkins University; ate lunch at Faidley’s in Lexington Market, which is known for its award-winning crab cakes, with an editor of Zagat Survey, which released its Washington, DC/Baltimore Restaurant Survey earlier in the week; and toured Real Food Farm to learn more about its innovative urban agriculture enterprise.

Additionally, USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon visited the Park Heights Farmers’ Market in Baltimore City on August 4 to kick off National Farmers’ Market week.  Maryland’s farmers are now offering their freshest products at farmers’ markets across the State.  Click here for a list of farmers’ markets in Maryland.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture together with the Mar-Del Watermelon Association hosted an event on Friday, Aug. 6, at the Annapolis City Dock to highlight the watermelon industry and to promote increased sales of local watermelons. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Mary Ellen Setting, joined by the National Watermelon Queen Jessica Southard, the Mar-Del Watermelon Queen Parris Travers, and local watermelon farmers, handed out free slices of watermelon and giveaways including recipe cards. August is the prime season for Delmarva watermelons, a healthy summertime treat.  Maryland and Delaware are significant growers and suppliers of watermelons, a tradition that goes back well over a century. Click here for more information about where to buy local watermelon.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)  awarded a $600,000 grant to MDA to implement a cutting-edge remote sensing technology that will assess the effectiveness and use of cover crops.

Cover crops are the most cost-effective way for farmers to prevent soil erosion and take up any excess nutrients before they can reach the Chesapeake Bay.  This new GIS-based initiative will enhance the management of our cover crop program

The project being funded will create a web-based framework to support accurate and timely reporting of cover crop implementation and performance. In addition to a focused effort in Maryland, the project will foster a partnership with watershed management efforts in key priority watersheds in Pennsylvania and Virginia.  The partnership will facilitate the sharing of knowledge and support the expansion of sustainable agricultural management practices within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Click here for more details.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture has launched a YouTube video contest asking students what local food means to them. In a video lasting no longer than three minutes, students must thoughtfully and creatively answer the question, “What does ‘local food’ mean to you?” The first place winner(s) will receive an Apple iPod Touch, a Maryland State Park Pass, and a school lunchtime visit from MDA Secretary Buddy Hance.

Both public and private Maryland school students K-12, ages 5-18 are invited to participate. The contest will run until September 8, 2010, ending right before Maryland Homegrown School Lunch Week, which runs September 13-17, 2010. Click here for more details and the contest rules.

Two months after the Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week
was observed, the emerald ash borer task force is still working hard to stop the
beetle. The beetle is highly destructive and known to kill ash trees. This year
the EAB task force has aggressive goals to attain and they are on track to accomplish
them all.  The group’s plan includes
continued inventory and delimiting surveys, education and outreach, and various
management strategies for EAB in Maryland.
Currently there are 2,610 purple traps set and monitored statewide and at
high profile locations, such as campgrounds. The task force is assisting with
the development of new trapping methods and has provided more than 1,000 larvae
for the bio-control effort. One hundred and seventy five trees were sampled
from the 1,118 acres inventoried. The beetle has not been detected outside of
Charles and Prince George’s counties however extensive survey has been and will
continue in the immediate vicinity around outlier positive traps.

 

Click here to learn more about the emerald ash borer and ways to
help stop its spread. Marylanders can call the University of Maryland Home and
Garden Information center toll-free at 800-342-2507 or the MDA at 410-841-5920
to report dying ash trees or for help identifying a possible emerald ash borer
presence. Anyone can report suspect EAB through the Maryland Home and Garden
Information Center’s online reporting form.

 

MDA detected West Nile virus (WNV) in a Maryland mosquito pool last month. This finding serves as a reminder to all residents to continue protecting themselves against mosquito bites and to conduct backyard mosquito control activities in addition to MDA’s routine surveillance and spray activities. Click here for details.

MDA’s Mosquito Control Section, in cooperation with The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, is conducting state-wide surveillance activities to monitor mosquito populations and detect mosquito-borne viruses of public health concern. While a very small percent of mosquitoes carry the West Nile virus, and only 20 percent of those infected will actually become ill, it is still important to take measures to protect from mosquito bites. Wear long sleeves and insect repellant, and be sure to protect animals by vaccinating horses, mules, donkeys and ratites (flightless birds) according to veterinarian advice.

Unfortunately, only a few homeowners take advantage of the many benefits of composting. Luckily, Maryland farmers have jump started a homeowner education campaign known as “Take it from Maryland Farmers: Backyard Actions for a Cleaner Chesapeake Bay” to help gardeners by offering composting tips and online resources.  The campaign emphasizes different methods such as recycling leaves, grass clippings, and non-meat kitchen scraps for use in the garden.  It also highlights that composting stimulates root development in plants, thus helping the soil to stay in place and is one of the most effective ways to control soil erosion.  Additional topics include trying pesticide alternatives, using fertilizers wisely, conserving water, and controlling soil erosion and rainwater runoff.