Lower Eastern Shore
Agriculture Newsletter
AGNR - AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
May/June 2013
Inside this issue:
POULTRY & RABBIT
PROCESSING
CERTIFICATION
1
SCHOLARSHIP
OPPORTUNITY
1
DPI GOLF
TOURNAMENT
2
SIGN UP FOR
CHESAPEAKE BAY
FUNDS
2
2013 CUSTOM RATE
SURVEY AVALIABLE
3
FED RULES REGULATING 3
INTERSTATE MOVEMENT
OF LIVESTOCK
MPT SHOWCASE
AGRICULTURE
4
IMPORTANT DATES
6
Poultry and Rabbit Processing Certification Training
May 7, 2013 in Cambridge, MD
The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the University of Maryland (UMD) will
conduct training for on-farm poultry and rabbit slaughter and processing. This one-day
workshop is mandatory for producers who want to become certified to slaughter their poultry
and\or rabbits for sales at farmers’ markets and to retailers and restaurants in Maryland.
Producers selling their poultry and\or rabbits directly to consumers on the farm are not
required to take this training or be certified by MDA. Workshop participants will learn how to
recognize diseases of public health concern, basic biosecurity measures, how to write and
implement basic Standard Sanitary Operating Procedures, Good Manufacturing Practices and
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point plans, and waste water disposal. To become
certified, producers must:
Complete the training
Pass a brief test at the training
Submit an application for certification along with a $75.00 annual fee
Be inspected by MDA
The training fee is $20 per person which includes lunch and training materials. Space is limited
so register early. Registration deadline is May 1, 2013! For more information contact Sherry
Weygant
at
410-841-5769
or
UME AGRICULTURE CONTACTS
sherry.weygant@maryland.gov
To be held at the Eastern Shore Hospital Center,
Sudeep Mathew, Ag Educator
5262 Woods Rd. Cambridge, MD 21613
Vegetables, Grain Crops
Dorchester Office, 410-228-8800
Beekeepers Monthly Info Meetings
The Lower Eastern Shore Bee Keepers hold monthly
meetings at 7pm on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at
the Wicomico Extension Office. May meeting will cover
honey flow management, June will cover Swarm capture
techniques and July Pest Management IPM. Contact Dean
at nectar22@verizon.net.
Scholarship Opportunity from Wicomico
Young Farmers
Richard Nottingham, Ag Educator
Conventional Ag & Poultry
Somerset Office, 410-651-1350
Jessica Renshaw, Ag FEA
Livestock, Equine & Poultry
Worcester Office, 410-632-1972
Ginny Rosenkranz, Horticulture FEA
Commercial Horticulture
Wicomico Office, 410-749-6141
With the end of the school year drawing near, many students entering college next fall are looking ahead to purchases
that will need to be made. Here is your chance to have some help with purchasing books or helping pay for a class!
Wicomico Young Farmers is offering a scholarship for undergraduate students entering the fall 2013 semester. Must
be a Wicomico County resident majoring in a agriculture related degree.
Visit http://extension.umd.edu/wicomico-county/agriculture/additional-agriculture-links for requirements along with the
complete scholarship application. Be sure to complete it soon. Applications must be postmarked by May 31, 2013.
“University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all people and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, or national origin, marital status, genetic information, or political affiliation, or gender identity and expression .”
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Lower Eastern Shore Agriculture Newsletter
You can now find Somerset, Wicomico, and
Worcester County Extension Offices on Facebook.
Visit https://www.facebook.com/WicoExtension
and like us to keep updated with programs,
workshops and happenings with Extension!
DPI College Scholarship Golf Tournament - Nassawango Golf Course
Annually DPI awards thousands of dollars to local college students as scholarships. To raise money to invest
in these students who have an interest in the chicken industry, DPI holds a College Scholarship Golf
Tournament. Registration is underway for this June 19, 2013 outing at Nassawango Golf Course near Snow
Hill. This is the single annual fund raising effort for the scholarship program.
If you are a golfer, good or bad, and want to have a day of fun and satisfaction knowing that you are
helping to educate young people, we invite you to be part of this event. We’ll have two flights…one starting at 7:30 a.m. and the second at 1:00 p.m. Teams will compete for prizes of best gross and best net team
score. We’ll have a closest to the pin content and the longest drive.
Players have the chance to improve their game through the purchase of mulligans and
Red Tee Drive coupons. All golfers will use the white tees. Handicaps will be used to
determine winning teams.
The $90 per golfer charge includes greens fees, carts, on -the-course
beverages, lunch, and prizes.
Sponsorships of $90 or more in addition to the per golfer charge are being
sought to help us provide more scholarship money.
Door prizes for awarding at lunch are being sought as well.
Each golfer will receive a goodie bag at the start of play. You can register and pay
on-line through the DPI website http://www.dpichicken.org/sprogram/scholarships.cfm
Questions? Just contact Bill Satterfield at 302-856-9037. Hope you can be part of
this fun and important outing.
Sign Up Underway for Chesapeake Bay Funds
Annapolis, MD, April 18, 2013– The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service announced today that Maryland
farmers can now apply for funds to implement conservation practices under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative
(CBWI). First authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, CBWI was recently extended until September 30, 2013, under the
Taxpayer Relief Act. “Nearly all of Maryland lies in the Bay watershed, making CBWI one of our largest conservation
programs,” said Mikel Williams-Hawkins, NRCS Program Specialist. “Last year, we obligated more than $7 million to
help agricultural producers improve Chesapeake Bay water quality.” Eligible producers operating in the Chesapeake
Bay Watershed can sign up for specific practices under the CBWI and receive additional consideration in the ranking
process. While we accept applications throughout the year, it is important to remember that funding selections are made
at specific times. For CBWI, those dates are March 15, April 19, and May 17. Separate fund pools have been
established for socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers. Applications from high priority watersheds will also
receive additional consideration in the ranking process.
These funds will be used to provide technical and financial assistance to farmers to accelerate efforts to reduce nutrient
and sediment runoff and improve water quality within the Bay. CBWI addresses animal waste, cropland and
pastureland. NRCS will administer the initiative as part of its Environmental Quality Incentives Program. If you are
interested in Farm Bill programs, contact your local NRCS office to identify and plan the conservation measures you
would like to implement on your land. The conservationist can help you develop a plan, identify recommended practices,
and pursue funding through one of the many Farm Bill program options available. USDA service center locations are
listed online at http://offices.usda.gov or in the phone book under Federal Government, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
General program information is available on the NRCS Maryland website at www.md.nrcs.usda.gov.
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Lower Eastern Shore Agriculture Newsletter
2013 Custom Rate Survey Results Available
Financial and economic considerations such as limited capital, untimely cash flow, insufficient labor, small acreage or
other reasons require farmers to hire custom service for field operations. Custom work charges are determined by
demand and supply and are negotiated between farmers and custom operators. The purpose of Fact Sheet 683 is to
provide information on custom work charges in Maryland and to provide data to assist in decision making regarding
purchasing equipment.
Custom rates in this publication may not suit all custom operators and those hiring custom work. It is important that
operators calculate their own custom costs. It is also important that farmers create their own budgets which include their
variable costs and fixed costs and do not rely only on custom rates to determine their cost of production. FS 683 can be
accessed online at: www.mdgrainmarketing.ume.edu . Paper copies can be picked up at any University of Maryland
Extension office.
DID YOU
KNOW THAT…
LAWN
FERTILIZER
ACCOUNTS
FOR 44% OF
THE FERTILIZER
SOLD IN THE
Commercial 2013
Vegetable Production
Recommendations
Maryland EB 236
On-Line at:
http://mdvegetables.umd.edu/files/
EB- 236_2013RecGuide.pdf
Also available in a new very interactive
format at the Delaware Extension site at:
http://extension.udel.edu/ag/
vegetable-fruit-resources/
commercial-vegetable-productionrecommendations/
STATE OF MD?
Federal Rules Regulating Interstate Movement of Livestock
Took Effect Feb. 26, 2013
All livestock moving in or out of Maryland will be subject to the USDA’s newly adopted Animal Disease Traceability
regulations that take effect on Feb. 26. The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), the lead agency responsible for
implementing the rule in the state, is currently contacting producers, veterinarians and other concerned parties who are
involved with the interstate movement of cattle to make sure they are aware of the upcoming changes and to help them
comply.
“The best way to prevent the spread of an animal disease is to quickly locate animals involved in a disease outbreak and
just as quickly release unaffected animals from the outbreak investigation,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Guy Hohenhaus.
“The new traceability rules are designed to help us minimize the adverse impact a disease investigation has on livestock
industries by identifying and releasing healthy animals that do not pose a threat and allowing them to remain in
commerce.”
The new regulations which primarily affect cattle operators, require most livestock moving interstate to be identified with
official ear tags. Maryland does not accept brands or tattoos as official identification for livestock entering or leaving the
state. Beef cattle under 18 months of age are exempt from the identification requirement for interstate movement unless
they are moved for shows, exhibitions, rodeos, or recreational events. Livestock moving interstate directly to slaughter are
also exempt. MDA will allow livestock without official identification to enter the state for delivery to an auction market or
other approved tagging facility as long as those animals have an interstate certificate of veterinary inspection (ICVI).
Generally, all livestock entering Maryland from another state must be accompanied by an ICVI even if they are tagged
with an official identification device. Exceptions are: 1.) Livestock entering Maryland for delivery to an auction market or
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Lower Eastern Shore Agriculture Newsletter
other official tagging station provided the livestock are tagged with official identification and are accompanied by an
owner-shipper statement specifying the address where the shipment originated and the official identification number of
each animal in the shipment; and 2.) Livestock entering the state and moving directly to slaughter.
Livestock moving out of Maryland that are not exempt from the federal rule must be tagged with official identification
and be accompanied by an ICVI unless the receiving state accepts alternative movement documents and/or will accept
the shipment without official identification tags applied. Maryland producers moving livestock to another state should
contact the receiving state about its requirements.
To facilitate the process MDA will provide livestock producers with 100 free metal ear tags to promote producer tagging
and establish state location numbers necessary for the tags. After a producer uses the 100 tags, he/she will need to
order official Maryland tags from authorized manufacturers.
The new federal regulations also affect the interstate movement of horses and poultry; however, no change to current
movement requirements is anticipated for either group. Generally, horses moving interstate to and from Maryland are
now required – and will continue to be required – to carry an ICVI. Horses entering Maryland from Delaware, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, or Virginia to attend an event for less than 72 hours, or to a Maryland exhibition,
are exempt from the ICVI requirement and may enter with a current Equine Infectious Anemia Test Report. Maryland
horses entering another state must meet the requirements of that state.
State Department of Agriculture Joins with Maryland Public Television
to Showcase Maryland Agriculture
Thirteen-Part Television Series to Air this Fall
ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 8, 2013) – The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) in cooperation with Maryland Public Television (MPT) is co-producing a 13-part television series showcasing many facets of Maryland farming. The series
of half-hour shows tentatively titled “The Maryland Farmer” will report on challenges facing today’s farmers and help to
bridge the widening “understanding gap” between farmers and the Maryland consumer. Funded with private
contributions,
production is now underway. The series will air this fall featuring diverse agricultural operations all
across the state.
“We want this series to help people understand how diverse farming is, even in a small state like Maryland, and for
viewers to learn about the process of farming,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. “The series aims to put a human
face on Maryland agriculture, and tell the stories of the industry that built this nation and continues to feed the world. We
are very excited about the ideas MPT has presented and look forward to seeing this series take shape over the summer.”
MPT Executive Producer Michael English, former editor of Maryland Farmer newspaper, writer of Public Television’s Farm
Day series, and producer of MPT’s long-running Outdoors Maryland series, is leading the project with Series Producer
Robert Neustadt who has produced television for A&E, Fox, NBC, Discovery and other public television affiliates.
Most Americans once lived or worked on farms or had family and friends who did. With each generation, the nation has
grown further away from its agricultural roots. The goal of the MPT series is to bring residents back to the farm and show
them how their food is grown and harvested. The program will take viewers from the mountains of Western Maryland, to
the rolling hills of the Piedmont, to the broad, flat fields of the Eastern Shore – to explain the complex story of growing
food and fiber in Maryland. Each episode will include a series of short magazine-style segments about Maryland
farmers, farms and agribusiness. Episodes will be produced on location at farms and agribusinesses throughout the state.
Crews are on location now.
When the series is complete, it will be broadcast several times on MPT and available for viewing on several websites
(including MPT, MDA and YouTube). It will also be distributed through libraries, schools and community groups.
Program sponsors include: Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, Maryland Agricultural & Resource-Based Industry
Development Corporation, Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit, Maryland Farm Bureau, Maryland Soybean Board, Maryland
Department of Agriculture/Maryland’s Best, Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Maryland Nursery and
Landscape Association, Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, Maryland Association of Soil
Conservation Districts (MASCD), Maryland Grape Growers Association, Harford County Government, MAR-DEL
Watermelon Association and the Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.
A Comment About Reflex Herbicide
Written by Mark VanGessel, Extension Weed Specialist; mjv@udel.edu
Published in UDEL Weekly Crop Update Volume 21, Issue 4 4
All winter I have been talking about Reflex as a tool for managing Palmer amaranth and
other problem weeds. Farm articles from the southern US often discuss this product as
well. It is commonly used for snap beans and soybeans. But it is one of those products
with unique regional restrictions. On Delmarva, we are limited to one application every
two years, and a maximum use of 1.5 pts. South into the Carolinas and Georgia, they
can use higher rates and use it every year. North of Delaware (Pennsylvania and New
Jersey) it is limited to one application in alternate years with a maximum use rate of 1.25
pts. So be sure to plan your herbicide rotation accordingly.
May 4
May 7-9
May 7
June 2
June 14
June 17-21
June 20-21
July 22-28
Aug 9-11
Aug 15-17
NT DATES Snow Hill
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Eastern Shore 4-H
Festival
Delmarva Chicken
Fair
Somerset County
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Worcester Count
Home Show
Wicomico Farm &
Mardela Springs
Cambridge
Snow Hill
Queenstown
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Thendara 4-H Cen
Snow Hill
Princess Anne
Snow Hill
Salisbury
Somerset Ext. Office ~ 30730 Park Drive ~ Princess Anne, MD 21853 ~ 410-651-1350 ~ Fax 410-651-0806
Wicomico Ext. Office ~ P.O.Box 1836 ~ Salisbury, MD 21802 ~ 410-749-6141 ~ Fax 410-548-5126
Worcester Ext. Office ~ P.O.Box 219~ Snow Hill, MD 21863 ~ 410-632-1972 ~ Fax 410-632-3023
Want to receive this newsletter electronically? E-mail jrenshaw@umd.edu and type LES AG Newsletter into the subject line.
University of MD Extension
Worcester County
POB 219 - 100 River Street
Snow Hill, MD 21863