Farmers

A bill that would give Maryland farmers a 10-year break from new state and local environmental regulations related to water quality if they agree to take part in a state program to reduce nutrient and sediment discharges into the water was heard Tuesday before a House committee. The bill, introduced by state Sen. Thomas M. Middleton, D-Charles, has cleared the Senate and has the support of Gov. Martin O'Malley. Del. Andrew A. Serafini, chairman of the Washington County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly, also supports the bill.

Celebrate commitment of farmers, ranchers every day To the editor: On March 19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture joined millions of Americans in celebrating National Agriculture Day. National Agriculture Day provides an important opportunity each year to say “thank you” to America's farmers, ranchers and growers. It's a time to recognize their productivity and to celebrate their abilities. Their work has real impact for every American. Our abundant food supply means that we spend a lower portion of our income on food than the people of any other developed nation.

The Longmeadow Volunteer Fire Department will now be able to better serve the community thanks to the support of local farmer Ben Flaherty and America's Farmers Grow Communities. Sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, which is the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Co., Grow Communities provides eligible farmers the chance to win a $2,500 donation for a local nonprofit organization of their choice.  Flaherty selected the Longmeadow Volunteer Fire Department to receive the $2,500 donation.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture celebrated National Agriculture Week March 17 to 23 by hosting a reception to honor farmers featured in award-winning photographer Edwin Remsberg's exhibit titled “Maryland Farmers: Faces of the Land,” which is on display in the Miller Senate Office Building in Annapolis. Some 200 people - many of them lawmakers and policy experts who work in Annapolis - viewed the exhibit during the reception. The exhibit features various types of farming from across the state.

I was troubled by misinformation in Art Callaham's column (Feb. 17) promoting the blogs of Rabbi Pruzansky. It is simply untrue to state that President Obama didn't defend his first-term record or put forward a second-term agenda. He frequently detailed his accomplishments while defining his second-term goals - on camera, in print and online. Mr. Callaham and some others portray those of us who voted for President Obama as uninformed or freeloaders. Perhaps the majority of Americans re-elected President Obama because they were informed voters.

Owners of even one horse, sheep, cow or pig in Pennsylvania are now required to maintain a written manure management plan, and that's no bull. The conservation district offices in Franklin and Fulton counties have workbooks to aid backyard farmers and owners of larger-scale operations in developing their manure management plans. The planning requirement from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection went into effect last October. DEP inspectors could request record-keeping associated with the written plan when investigating complaints.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced a new microloan program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency designed to help small and family operations, beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers secure loans of less than $35,000. The program is aimed at bolstering the progress of producers through their start-up years by providing resources and helping to increase equity so that farmers might eventually graduate to commercial credit and expand their operations.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture announced that financial assistance is available to help farmers cover the cost of injecting or incorporating manure, sludge, food waste and other organic products into cropland. Gov. Martin O'Malley has earmarked $2 million in cost-share funds to assist farmers as they begin implementing the new requirements of Maryland's recently revised nutrient management regulations. Maryland's revised nutrient management regulations took effect Oct. 15. A major provision requires farmers to inject or incorporate manure and other organic nutrient sources into the soil within 48 hours of application in order to achieve maximum water quality benefits for streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Farmers who incorporate or inject all types of animal manure, food waste, sludge or other organic waste products into cropland can apply for cost-share grants from MDA.  Participation is limited to operators who have not used eligible equipment for incorporation or injection of manure during the past five years.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is mailing the 2012 Census of Agriculture to Maryland farmers, and the Maryland Department of Agriculture urges all Maryland farmers to complete the Census by the Feb. 4 deadline. The Census can be taken online or mailed in. For the first time, the 2012 Census contains questions asking for the number of acres under conservation tillage practices, acres planted to cover crops and acres under conservation easements. This information will be critical in documenting the work farmers are doing collectively to be good stewards of the environment.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture will host the annual Maryland Farmers Market Conference on Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Beltsville (Md.) Agricultural Research Center. The conference provides information on state regulations to farmers market managers. This year, the conference will feature three tracks - one for experienced farmers market managers, one for farmers and vendors, and one for new farmers market managers. The conference will provide opportunities for networking and connecting with experts on farmers market issues in Maryland and nationally.