Agricultural Highlights – April 2013

SSCC Meeting Set For April 18, 2013

The State Soil Conservation Committee will meet Thursday, April 18, at 9:30 a.m. at the Maryland Department of Agriculture, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis. The meeting is open to the public and will focus on soil conservation and water quality program implementation and policy development. Established in 1938, the State Soil Conservation Committee coordinates the activities of Maryland’s 24 soil conservation districts, while advising the Secretary of Agriculture on matters relating to soil and water conservation.  For more information, contact Louise Lawrence, Executive Secretary, 410.841.5863.

Innovations in Manure Application Field Day Set for April 24

An on-farm manure application field day featuring demonstrations of the latest technology in vertical tillage equipment used to incorporate manure into the soil will be held Wednesday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cove Run Farm and the Hickory Environmental Center in Accident (Garrett County). The event will feature field demonstrations of minimum disturbance tillage equipment, manure incorporation and no till manure injection. Maryland Department of Agriculture and University of Maryland Extension experts will be on hand to discuss strategies that maximize nutrient utilization, the economic benefits of conserving nitrogen on dairy farms, ammonia loss management, GPS technology and Maryland’s revised nutrient management regulations. The field day is sponsored by the Garrett Soil Conservation District, Maryland Department of Agriculture, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the University of Maryland Extension. This program is offered free of charge and includes lunch. Advance registration is required. Continuing education credits will be awarded by the Maryland Nutrient Management Program. To register, contact Carrie Colebank at the Garret Soil Conservation District at 301.334.6951 by April 15.

Nutrient Management Training and Certification for Nursery Operations Offered

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) and University of Maryland Extension (UME) will offer two workshops this spring and summer for producers who want to become certified to write nutrient management plans for nursery operations. The first workshop will be held April 17 at the Wye Research and Education Center, and the second will be held July 10 at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center. For details contact Mike Webster at 410.841.5959 or visit www.mda.maryland.gov.  Scroll down the Quick Links to Nutrient Management and click on Nutrient Management Training Classes for registration information.

Fundamentals of Nutrient Management Training Course Set for June 17 and 18, 2013

A two-day Fundamentals of Nutrient Management Pre-Certification Training Class will be held Monday and Tuesday, June 17 and 18, 2013 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the lower level conference rooms at the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) headquarters, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis.  The course provides participants with an overview of areas covered by the Maryland Nutrient Management Certification Exam scheduled for August 2.  Topics covered include state nutrient management regulations, nutrient management principles, basic soil science, and soil fertility recommendations.  Register by mail by May 18. For an application, call MDA at 410.841.5959 or visit www.mda.maryland.gov.  Click on Nutrient Management and follow the links to “training classes.”

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The Maryland Agricultural Awareness Alliance, a coalition of federal, state and local agricultural

 agencies and commodity groups dedicated to educating Marylanders on agricultural issues.