{"id":21069,"date":"2017-03-02T11:47:54","date_gmt":"2017-03-02T16:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=21069"},"modified":"2017-03-02T11:47:54","modified_gmt":"2017-03-02T16:47:54","slug":"department-launches-new-manure-happens-public-education-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2017\/03\/02\/department-launches-new-manure-happens-public-education-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Department Launches New \u201cManure Happens\u201d Public Education Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

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ANNAPOLIS, MD <\/strong>\u2013 With planting season just around the corner, the Maryland Department of Agriculture has unveiled an updated public education campaign to help citizens understand how and why farmers recycle manure as an organic crop fertilizer and soil conditioner. The \u201cManure Happens\u201d campaign also includes information on the steps farmers must take to protect water quality in local streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. The ads will run in local newspapers, websites, and social media throughout the month of March.<\/p>\n

\u201cFarmers have used manure for hundreds of years to raise healthy crops to feed a growing population,\u201d said Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. \u201cToday\u2019s farmers use the latest best management practices to protect waterways from runoff and safeguard our state\u2019s valuable natural resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nMaryland\u2019s Nutrient Management Regulations prohibit farmers from spreading manure on their fields in winter or when the ground is frozen. March 1 is the first opportunity for farmers to recycle manure generated over the winter as a crop fertilizer. To further protect water resources, Maryland farmers are required to incorporate manure into the soil within 48 hours if they are not using a no-till farming system. Manure incorporation reduces surface runoff, improves nutrient retention, and cuts down on odors. In addition, Maryland\u2019s Phosphorus Management Tool (PMT)<\/a> regulations are being phased in over the next several years to help farmers protect waterways from phosphorus runoff.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn upcoming weeks, people who live near working farms will begin to notice the unmistakable smell of manure,\u201d said Secretary Bartenfelder. \u201cWhen driving in farm country, please watch out for slow moving farm equipment on local roads.\u00a0 Be considerate and share the road with Maryland\u2019s working farm families.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nThe public education ads direct visitors to the department\u2019s \u201cManure Happens\u201d website at mda.maryland.gov\/manure<\/a>.\u00a0 In addition to providing citizens with information on how farmers recycle manure resources, the website offers resources for farmers who currently use commercial fertilizers and are considering making the switch to manure and farmers who sell manure resources as part of their farm\u2019s business model. The page provides links to additional resources available for farmers, including grants, tax credits, technical guidance and scientific research on the benefits of manure as a crop fertilizer and soil amendment. In addition, the website includes links to Maryland\u2019s nutrient management regulations and phosphorus management initiative.<\/p>\n

The department\u2019s 2017 educational advertising campaign includes a series of three ads with different themes.\u00a0 The Best Selfie Ever<\/i><\/a> ad advises folks to watch their step in cow country and know which way the wind is blowing.\u00a0 <\/i>The new King of the Shore<\/i><\/a> ad educates citizens on how chicken farmers manage manure resources.\u00a0 In addition, the campaign\u2019s namesake ad, Manure Happens<\/i><\/a> has been updated with new photography.\u00a0 For a look at all the education ads developed over the years, visit mda.maryland.gov\/manure<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Follow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Twitter @MdAgDept<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ANNAPOLIS, MD \u2013 With planting season just around the corner, the Maryland Department of Agriculture has unveiled an updated public education campaign to help citizens understand how and why farmers recycle manure as an organic crop fertilizer and soil conditioner. The \u201cManure Happens\u201d campaign also includes information on the steps farmers must take to protect  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21069"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21070,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21069\/revisions\/21070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}