{"id":23117,"date":"2019-03-12T10:48:47","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T14:48:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=23117"},"modified":"2019-03-12T10:50:53","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T14:50:53","slug":"department-launches-2019-manure-happens-public-education-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2019\/03\/12\/department-launches-2019-manure-happens-public-education-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Department Launches 2019 \u2018Manure Happens\u2019 Public Education Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>ANNAPOLIS, MD<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013The Maryland Department of Agriculture has launched its 2019\u00a0Manure Happens<\/em>\u00a0public education campaign to help citizens understand why farmers recycle manure as a natural crop fertilizer and soil conditioner, and how they work to protect local waterways from runoff. The 2019 campaign focuses on the soil health benefits of using manure as a crop fertilizer and soil amendment along with the rules farmers must follow 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

\u201cMarylanders are passionate about where their food comes from and how it is produced,\u201d said Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. \u201cThe\u00a0Manure Happens<\/em>\u00a0campaign helps Marylanders understand why farmers use manure as a crop fertilizer and the practices they follow to protect the health of nearby waterways. In upcoming weeks, people will begin to see\u2014and smell\u2014manure being applied to fields by farmers as they prepare the soil for spring planting. Please be considerate to our hardworking farmers, and remember to share the road when driving in farm country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Maryland farmers are required to follow nutrient management plans when fertilizing crops and managing animal manure. These science-based plans specify how much fertilizer, manure, or other nutrient sources may be safely applied to crops to achieve yields and prevent excess nutrients from impacting waterways. Farmers are prohibited from spreading manure on their fields in winter or when the ground is frozen. March 1 was the first opportunity for most farmers to recycle manure generated over the winter as a crop fertilizer.<\/p>\n

To further protect water resources, Maryland farmers are required to have stream setbacks and livestock exclusion measures in place. Farmers using certain tillage systems are required to incorporate manure into fields within 48 hours of application. In addition, Maryland\u2019s\u00a0Phosphorus Management Tool (PMT)<\/a>\u00a0regulations are being phased in over the next several years to help farmers who use manure as a crop fertilizer protect waterways from phosphorus runoff.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The public education ads direct visitors to the department\u2019s\u00a0Manure Happens\u00a0<\/em>website at\u00a0mda.maryland.gov\/manure<\/a>.
\nIn 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 to transport poultry litter and livestock manure, 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 spotlights farmers who use manure as a valuable resource.<\/p>\n

The department\u2019s 2019 educational advertising campaign includes three ads with different themes. The\u00a0Walk This Way<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0ad focuses on how the organic matter in chicken manure helps the soil store nutrients and ward off erosion. The\u00a0Singing the Praises of Manure\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>ad focuses on the soil health benefits of livestock manure.\u00a0In addition, the campaign\u2019s namesake ad,\u00a0Manure Happens\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>has been updated with fun new imagery. To see all of the department\u2019s manure education ads developed over the years, visit\u00a0mda.maryland.gov\/manure<\/a>.<\/p>\n

# # #<\/p>\n

Follow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Twitter\u00a0@MdAgDept<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ANNAPOLIS, MD\u00a0\u2013The Maryland Department of Agriculture has launched its 2019\u00a0Manure Happens\u00a0public education campaign to help citizens understand why farmers recycle manure as a natural crop fertilizer and soil conditioner, and how they work to protect local waterways from runoff. The 2019 campaign focuses on the soil health benefits of using manure as a crop fertilizer  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-23117","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\/23117","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=23117"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23119,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23117\/revisions\/23119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}