Farmers

An unidentified farmer rescued a motorist from his flooded car Tuesday by having the man, who had gotten up on his car roof, climb into a bucket attached to his farm tractor, said Robert Myerly, deputy chief for the Leitersburg Volunteer Fire Company. The driver was taken to Meritus Medical Center on Tuesday to be checked out, although he hadn't been complaining of anything, Myerly said Wednesday. The man, who is not familiar with the area, was driving on Leiters Mill Road around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and did not see the high water signs or the high water on the road near the Antietam Creek bridge, Myerly said.

When the dust settled and the smoke cleared after the Sept. 17, 1862, Battle of Antietam, thousands of soldiers lay dead or wounded on the rolling fields near Sharpsburg. "For one day of battle, there would be really long, long, long lasting impacts," said Alann Schmidt, a park ranger at Antietam National Battlefield. "A lot of folks focus on the troop movements from the battle, but it doesn't take long until the glory and rush of battle give way to the harsh reality of what you're faced with in a practical and logistical sense afterward," Schmidt said.

Robert Gerald Farmer, 76, of Kearneysville, W.Va., died Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. The family will receive friends Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Jefferson Funeral Chapel, Ranson, W.Va. The service will be Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the funeral chapel. Burial will be in Pleasant View Memory Gardens.

About 40 people attended a hearing Thursday afternoon about a farmer's proposal to draw up to a little more than 1 million gallons of water per day from Antietam Creek, and the discussion at times focused on overall concerns about management of the stream besides the farmer's request. The Maryland Department of Environment's Water Management Administration is considering allowing dairy farmer Dean Lehman to draw an annual average of 123,000 gallons of water per day from the creek and a maximum daily withdrawal of 1,152,000 gallons from the stream.

Jesse Michael Farmer, 25, of Martinsburg, W.Va., died Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012, at Winchester (Va.) Medical Center. Born Nov. 24, 1986, at City Hospital in Martinsburg, he was the son of Michael Wilson and Carolyn Lynn Stuller Farmer of Blythewood, S.C. He had attended Martinsburg Seventh-day Adventist Church and Hedgesville (W.Va.) High School. He worked as a welder with Grove Manufacturing in Shady Grove, Pa. Jesse enjoyed dirt bikes, four-wheeling and camping, and was a gun collector.

The deadline for nominating farmers and farm families for the Governor's Agriculture Hall of Fame has been extended to Aug. 31 to give Maryland residents more time to prepare nominations. The hall honors the leaders of Maryland's thriving agricultural community and pays tribute to those who have dedicated their lives to Maryland agriculture. Any farm family that derives its income principally from farming is eligible for the award. Since 1991, when the Hall of Fame was established, 42 farm families from 22 counties have been honored for their high standards of conduct; personal values; contributions to their community; and performance, leadership, innovation and achievement in agriculture.

Washington County is in the midst of an abnormally dry period, even though it has had more rainy days during July than average, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Carrie Suffern. “Abnormally dry means drier than normal, and a drought means a lot drier than normal,” Suffern said. “A bunch of different things go into the classification of a drought, including precipitation and stream flow. Washington County is not in a drought, and water levels are pretty close to normal.” As of July 27, Suffern said, 2.14 inches of rain had fallen in the area during the month.

Months of hard work by dozens of local youths culminated Thursday night in the Washington County 4-H and Future Farmers of America Market Animal Sale at the county Ag Expo. Hundreds attended the event inside the AC&T Arena on the expo grounds, where about 180 animals, including market lambs, goats, hogs, rabbits, and beef and dairy steers, were sold to the highest bidder. Curtis Uzellac, president of the Market Sale, said each participant picks a young animal or raises one from birth as their project before selling it at market value.

About 100 farmers - some delivering heated remarks to state agriculture officials - attended a public hearing Wednesday night at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center regarding new proposed regulations they might have to follow to protect the Chesapeake Bay from pollution. The proposed changes are to Maryland's Nutrient Management Regulations and include proposed laws that govern how nutrients are applied to soil. One proposal that drew criticism is that farmers will have to establish a 35-foot setback from perennial and intermittent streams when applying nutrients.

The 2012 Maryland Farmers Market Directory listing locations and hours of each of the state's markets is available through the Maryland Department of Agriculture website.  This year, some 138 markets will be open with at least one in every county and Baltimore City. Many of the markets are open and offering produce and plants such as salad greens, spinach, asparagus, strawberries, blueberries and bedding plants. Farmers market locations, hours and producer/vendor and product listings are available at www.marylandsbest.net.