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 Maryland Department of Agriculture News
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| Celebrating Maryland Agriculture |
April 2011 |
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Secretary’s Corner
Greetings!
While April’s wet weather and severe storms have delayed planting for many farmers across Maryland, I have high hopes that our farmers are poised for another great growing season. The O’Malley Administration continues to support our state’s leading industry – agriculture – to maintain sustainable, profitable operation that provide a safe, local food source and preserves open space.
Be sure to check out the legislative update story in this month’s issue. On an additional legislative note, this session proved successful in making the permit milk haulers will use permanent and extended the exceptional hauling permit to all farm products in all Maryland counties, at a reduced fee. The conditions include an increase in truck hauling weight, requires a sixth axle and inspection every 180 days. Click here for more details.
MDA recently republished proposed regulations to define “local” products. Depending on public comments, these regulations will become law on June 27.
There is good news for seafood lovers who enjoy striped bass, also known as rockfish. The Maryland Department of the Environment has revised fish consumption advisories to show that a healthy diet can include more rockfish than previously recommended. The new recommendations stem from recent test results that showed a significant decline in contaminant levels in the fish from Maryland waters.
The Maryland Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service recently reported that Maryland farmers lost an estimated $9.3 million in potential crop production income due to wildlife damage in 2010. The majority of damage statewide was attributed to deer (76 percent, followed by resident geese 7 percent, migrant geese, 7 percent; and groundhogs, 8 percent. This was a slight decrease from the previous year, which estimated a $9.9 million crop loss due to wildlife in 2009.
Finally, congratulations to Arthur Meilhammer, Dickie Insley and Paul Newcomb who received MDA’s Employee Team Award this month for their teamwork to create a safer and more healthful environment for co-workers.
Sincerely,
Buddy Hance
Secretary |
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 Legislative Wrap Up
The 2011 General Assembly session ended on April 11, with a flurry of activity until the very last minute.
MDA’s legislative agenda was largely successful. MDA submitted 5 departmental bills. Three of them (Critical Farms, Vet Board Licensing and Vet Board legislation dealing with veterinary technicians) passed without amendments. One bill, MDA’s weights and measures fee bill, was amended to raise the fees to help the program through an additional year. MDA and the industry agreed, along with Senator Conway, Chair of the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, to meet during the interim to come up with a more long-term funding solution for the program. The last bill, HB 209 — Allowable Residential Uses did not get out of committee, because time ran out.
Other bills of note, MDA’s responsibilities will increase through several pieces of legislation that passed, including the invasive plants bill (HB 831, which was signed by the Governor), the Fertilizer Use Act (HB 573/SB 487) which focuses on lawn fertilizer, and legislation that will require the Department to register vehicles that transport kitchen grease for the purpose of converting into biofuels. Finally, the Governor also signed legislation (HB 751) requiring local school systems that participate in the Jane Lawton Farm to School program to report purchases from Maryland farms to MDA.
Of equal significance are the bills that did not pass: HB 660/SB 785, Agriculture — Pesticides — Use, Release, Sale and Purchase Reporting. This bill was put forward for the third year in a row and failed to get enough votes to pass. The biggest concern was the impact on farmers, small businesses, and MDA. The funding mechanism would have sigificantly increased product registration fees, which are currently used to fund the State Chemist Lab. In addition, the bill would have required the addition of up to 10 new staff members. Finally, the Administration put forward legislation to consolidate MDA’s aquaculture and seafood sections into DNR, which passed both the House and Senate.
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 Study Shows Bay Farmers’ Progress, Commitment to Environment
Farmers have been “going green” for eons by taking steps to protect their soil and water quality, which serves as the basis of their livelihood. Maryland farmers are a national model for implementing effective best management practices (BMPs), like planting cover crops and fencing off streams to keep out livestock.The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service released a study last month that highlighted the progress that’s been made in protecting water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Maryland farmers are making tremendous strides in reducing the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment entering the Chesapeake Bay. In 2010, the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share (MACS) Program provided Maryland farmers with $17.7 million in grants to install 1,800 capital and special projects on their farms to control soil erosion, manage nutrients and protect water quality in streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland farmers contributed roughly $950,000 toward these projects in 2010 and will shoulder maintenance and upkeep expenses of the BMPs for years to come.
Farmers’ voluntary conservation programs are having a major impact in protecting water quality, but they are only one piece of the puzzle. To restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay, everyone in all sectors will have to do more. Maryland and other Bay states have developed special Watershed Implementation Plants outlining very specific actions needed to improve the Bay’s health. Click here to learn more. |
 Md. Ag Commission Tours Dorchester, Wicomico
During its annual spring tour, the Maryland Agricultural Commissionvisited agricultural operations in Dorchester and Wicomico counties on April 14.The commission started the day at Perdue Hatchery #3 in Salisbury, where chicks are separated by sex (determined by their feather pattern). They toured Eastern Shore Forest Product color-enhanced mulch plant in Salisbury. The group then visited Bordeleau Vineyards, in Eden, which is Wicomico County’s first licensed winery and tasting room. In the afternoon, the commission toured Marshalls Riverbank Nursery, a 35-acre container nursery in Salisbury that specializes in evergreen and flowering shrubs, perennials and ornamental grasses. The group also toured Marvesta Shrimp Farms in Hurlock, which is currently one of the largest and only indoor commercial shrimp farms. Next, the commission visited Cornerstone Farm in Hurlock where Jeff & Terri Wolf-King grow produce and chickens. The final stop of the tour was FoodSwing, Inc., a food manufacturing and packing plant in Cambridge.
Local University of Maryland Extension agents Sudeep Mathew, John Nottingham, Karen Reddersen, Ginny Rosenkranz, Jennifer Timmons and MDA Aquaculture Coordinator Karl Roscher assisted in planning the tours.
To conclude the day, the Commission held a public meeting in Cambridge where participants discussed issues impacting the agricultural community, exchanged ideas, and became better acquainted with the role the Commission plays in Maryland’s leading industry. |
 First Maryland Horses Exported to China
The first horses from Maryland have been exported to China. Two of the horses were bred and foaled in Maryland, with a third purchased in Maryland. The horses were selected and shipped to Asia by Sharon Clark, who was contacted to serve as agent for the sale by an official of the Chinese equine group through a previous referral she had received from the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA).
“We are thrilled to expand our international equine sales to China. Maryland is building a strong reputation as our horses and genetics have proven their value oversees,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance.
Clark’s Rigbie Farm in Darlington (Harford County) is an approved Maryland Department of Agriculture CEM (Contagious Equine Metritis) import quarantine facility. “We are hopeful that this sale might help open up a new market for us,” said Sharon Clark, owner/manager, Rigbie Farm. “Having the quarantine facility here helped us attract this business.”
Two of the Quarter Horses, both 4 year-olds broken to ride, named TMF Barlinks Model (“Scooter”) and TMF Sharpe Barlink (“Cody”), were born and raised in Carroll County at the Tall Maples Farm of Ed and Dixie Hughes in Hampstead. The Shetland pony, Dunkin Donut, came from the farm of Jenn Fox in Fair Hill, Cecil County. The recently sold horses will be used in a Western-style riding exhibition at the Heilan facility.
PHOTO: “Dunkin Donut,” a 4 year-old Shetland pony, at Rigbie Farm before shipment to his new owner in Shanghai. The Chinese owners purchased him from Jenn Fox, of Fair Hill in Cecil County. Photo courtesy of Sharon Clark.
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 Sec. Hance Celebrates “Read Across Maryland” Month
Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance read to third graders at Lothian Elementary School in Anne Arundel County on March 30, as part of “Read Across Maryland” month. A Calvert County farmer, Secretary Hance selected “Seed, Soil, Sun: Earth’s Recipe for Food” by Cris Peterson. It is a straightforward book about how seeds become food that is accompanied by beautiful, vibrant photos.”I’m happy to be here with the third grade students from Lothian Elementary School and to share my passion for agriculture and the environment with them,” said Secretary Hance. “The ‘Read Across Maryland’ campaign encourages children to read and learn not just this month, but all year long. Working together with educators, our public libraries, and families across Maryland, we can prepare the future leaders of Maryland to live and learn with excitement.” |
 MDA Developing New Pesticide Drift Tool
MDA is developing a new online tool to protect sensitive crops from unintended herbicide exposure. Growers of grapes, tomatoes, tobacco, fruit trees, ornamentals and other specialty vegetable crops are encouraged to register their crops and field locations with the Maryland Department of Agriculture to ensure they are included in the database.
Crop and field location information will be included in the new voluntary statewide Sensitive Crop Locator database to assist pesticide applicators in identifying locations where sensitive crops are grown in order to take extra precautions for preventing the potential exposure of these crops to spray drift from neighboring fields. Applicators can search, identify and locate sensitive crops adjacent to areas where they intend to spray pesticides. The database, developed with Maryland Specialty Crop Block Grant funding, will also offer pesticide applicators access to maps and aerial photographs.
The off target movement of herbicides from the site of application, referred to as drift, may cause injury to desirable plants located in adjacent fields, or property. Click here to download the registration form or for more information.
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 Draft Regs to Define “Local” Re-Published
Revised proposed rules regulating the advertising of “local” foods were published in the April 22 Maryland Register for public comment announced Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. Public comments will be accepted through May 23. A “Frequently Asked Questions” document is available online.
After reviewing initial comments, MDA redrafted the regulations.The redrafted regulations require businesses that advertise raw meat, eggs, fish, fruits, vegetables, shellfish and processed dairy products as local or being locally grown, regionally grown or produced, or otherwise represented as having originated close by, must have point-of-sale signage indicating the state of its origin.
The regulations were drafted by the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) as part of a law signed by Governor Martin O’Malley last year that seeks to bring clarity to consumers as to what constitutes local.
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 More Acres Going to Soybeans
Farmers in Maryland plan to sow more acres to soybeans this spring. Wheat acreage in Maryland increased last fall to levels not seen in more than 60 years, according to the results of a recent survey published by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Maryland grain producers report that they will plant 480,000 acres of soybeans this year, up 10,000 acres from 470,000 acres planted in 2010. Producers plan to plant 480,000 acres of corn, down 20,000 acres from the 500,000 acres planted in 2010. In addition, producers reported planting an estimated 300,000 acres of winter wheat last fall, up 120,000 acres from the 180,000 acres planted last year and the largest acreage estimate since the 1949 planting of 343,000 acres. Harvested hay acreage increased, whereas barley planted followed wheat in its upward trend. Barley acreage is up 10,000 acres from last year, to 55,000 acres. Growers also expect to harvest hay from 220,000 acres, up 5,000 acres from 2010.
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Featured Recipe: Boneless Spring Lamb Roast
Recipe courtesy of: Dishing Up Maryland
Photo Credit: tastefood.info
1 lemon
3/4 cup olive oil
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons, dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (3-3 1/2 pound) boneless leg of lamb
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1.) Zest and juice the lemon. Combine the lemon zest and juice with the olive oil, 3 of the garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of the oregano, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, the paprika, and the salt in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Place the leg of lamb in a large ziplock bag and add the marinade. Put the ziplock bag into a larger plastic bag or large container to ensure there is no leakage and place it in the refrigerator to marinate overnight, or for at least 4 hours.
2.) Remove the lamb from the refrigerator and allow the contents to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Remove the lamb from the bag and pat dry. Combine the remaining 1 teaspoon oregano and 1 teaspoon rosemary with the sea salt and pepper. Rub this mixture all over the lamb. Cut small incisions into the lamb and insert the remaining 7 garlic cloves into the incisions. Insert a meat thermometer into the roast.
3.) Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan, fattiest side up. Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven to 325°F and roast an additional 10 to 15 minutes per pound, 30 to 45 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads 140 degrees for medium rare to 150 degrees for medium. Remove the lamb from the oven, cover it with foil or a lid, and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. Cut the strings from the lamb and transfer the roast to a serving platter. Cut the lamb into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Strain the pan dripping and pour them over the lamb.
Serves 6
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Thank you for reading our latest publication. We are always looking for ways to improve how we serve our constituents. Please send your comments, suggestions and ideas to [email protected] or call 410-841-5881.
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Contact Info
Julie Oberg, Communications Director, 410-841-5888, [email protected] |
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Maryland’s Best Promotes Locally Grown Asparagus
Support Maryland Farmers, Buy Local
After a brief delay in harvest due to rainy weather conditions, asparagus season is now in full swing. Stop by your local farmers’ market, farm stand, or grocery store for some fresh, local asparagus today! Click here for a list of farms and markets near you.
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