GARRETT COUNTY AG NEWSLETTER

Farm workers and meat packers may be eligible to claim a $600 payment for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This $600 payment is being administered by the Pasa Sustainable Agriculture non-profit, which is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute these payments through the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program. In total, eligible farm workers in 13 states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia, along with the District of Columbia, can claim this payment.

Applications for this payment opened on March 1, and will remain open until the funds for this payment are depleted.

To be eligible for this payment, a claimant must provide photo identification and proof they were employed as either a farm worker or meatpacking worker in the United States between January 27, 2020, and April 11, 2023. For additional information or to apply go to the PASA website at https://farmworkers.com/

Maryland Department of Agriculture's new Small Farm Cover Crop Program is now accepting applications through May 26th. This new program is for small scale producers who do not qualify for other cover crop programs.

Growers who plant 10 or less acres of cover crops can receive up to $1500 in reimbursements for cover crops planted after a production crop. Both summer and winter cover crops are eligible.

Cover crops can be planted in fields, raised beds, or high tunnels following the harvest of vegetables, herbs, flowers, sorghum, soybeans, hemp, millet, or tobacco. In order to qualify, farms need to have a minimum of $1000 in sales annually.

For more information, please go to https://garrettscd.org/smallfarmcovercrops/. Applications should be made through the Garrett Soil Conservation District, 1916 Maryland Hwy, Ste C, Mt. Lake Park, MD 21550. 301-501-5886.

Join University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Educators as they address the difficult topic of farmer stress. This four-part webinar series will increase your knowledge about mental health, effective communication techniques, building resilience within your community, stress and stigma as they have impact on producers and their families.

Overview of the Four-Part Series:

June 7, 1-2pm EST Confident Conversations – Using Improv and Humor to Address Mental Wellbeing and Increase Confidence. This session will offer an overview of the educational resources and how to use them with your clientele. We will review the background of the development of these resources, ground the materials in communication and adult education theory and lay the ground work for the rest of this training series.

June 14, 1-2pm EST Conversations in the Cornfield – This session will introduce the humor and communication technique of “Yes and” and appreciative inquiry as tools to create safe environments for difficult conversations.

June 21, 1-2pm EST Super Farmer of Hope – This session will introduce the idea of character strengths and strength spotting as tools to validate and build on strengths to support communication and creative problem solving.

June 28, 1-2pm EST WFRSAN Emotional Weather Report – This session will review information about burnout, provide strategies for determining sources of burnout and offer techniques to address them.

Register Here (click here)

or go to: https://www.pcsreg.com/confident-conversations-june-2023)

To help your plan writer efficiently develop your plan, you will need to provide the following information:

• A recent soil test, less than three years old, for each field you manage (preferably from one of the labs in the soil lab comparison sheet)
• A recent manure analysis, less than one-year-old, if you plan to apply manure or organic nutrient-containing materials (e.g., compost or processing waste) (preferably from one of the labs in the manure lab comparison sheet)
• A map of your farm or come ready to show the advisor the boundaries of your farm and fields
• Management history for each field, including current/previous season's crop, tillage regime, manure/organic application rates for the previous two seasons, and yield history, if possible
• Plans for the upcoming growing season for each field, including what crops and nutrient applications are expected. Multiple scenarios can be built into the plan.
• Animal Information, if applicable, including weight, amount and type of bedding used, and turnout/confinement schedule
• Manure import/export information, if applicable, which should include the name and contact information of the export destination.

Feel free to contact Jill Hauser, Nutrient Management Advisor, at 301-334-6960 or email jhauser1@umd.edu for more information.

Cost-share funding is available to help transport and inject all types of liquid manure into fields. Injecting liquid manure lowers the potential for nutrient runoff to surface waters and reduces on-farm odors.

There is funding to pay for both spring and fall-planted crops. It may be used for:

• Transporting Manure
• Hiring Custom Operators
• Rent or Lease of Equipment
• Operating Costs for Manure Injection

Cost-share grants to transport dairy and livestock manure pay up to 87.5 % of all eligible costs. Eligible farmers receive up to $45 an acre in cost-share to inject liquid manure into the soil, based on a maximum application rate of 6,000 gallons per acre. Rates for manure transport are based on the distance between the manure source and the field. (Please note that manure injection may not be possible in some Garrett County soils.)

Applicants must be in good standing with the program and in compliance with Maryland’s Nutrient Management regulations.

Spring manure injection and transport must be completed by June 30, 2023.

Claims for payment must be received by the department’s Conservation Grants Office by July 31, 2023.

For more information and to apply, please contact our office at 301-501-5886 or sethmetheny1@maryland.gov.

Photo Credit: Melissa Miller/Penn State

Newsletters from UME offer informative, researched-based information that the reader can put into practice. Informative articles include crop production, disease information, animal science, and upcoming programs. Take a closer look at the newsletters listed below.

The Agronomy News is a statewide newsletter for farmers, consultants, researchers, and educators interested in grain and row crop forage production systems. This newsletter is published once a month during the growing season and will include topics pertinent to agronomic crop production. Subscribers will receive an email with the latest edition.

Agronomy News

The Fruit & Vegetable News is a timely publication for the commercial vegetable and fruit industry available electronically from April through October. Published by the University of Maryland Extension Agriculture and Food Systems team.

Fruit & Vegetable News

Please click here to update your contact information and to stay updated on everything agriculture-related in Garrett County and the tri-state area.

William Lantz, Principal Agent

Agriculture & Food System

wlantz@umd.edu

Jill Hauser, Advisor

Nutrient Management Program

jhauser1@umd.edu

Office Hours: Monday-Friday
8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Except for Observed Holidays

Faculty/Staff Directory

Email: rcvetnic@umd.edu

Website: https://extension.umd.edu/locations/garrett-county

Location: 1916 Maryland Hwy., Suite A, Mt. Lake Park, MD 21550

Phone: 301-334-6960

Office Hours: M-F 8:30 am-4:30 pm excluding holidays

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4HGarrettCoMD

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