Maryland Agricultural Commission Schedules

Public Meeting and Ag Tour for April 9th

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 18, 2014) – The Maryland Agricultural Commission

will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, April 9, at 7:00 p.m. at Ruthsburg

Community Club. (105 Damsontown Road, Queen Anne, Md., 21657). The

hearing will be held after the commission’s Spring agricultural tour of Kent

and Queen Anne’s counties. Anyone interested in farming and rural topics is

encouraged to attend. The public meeting is designed to give citizens an oppor-

tunity to share their opinions and discuss issues and policies affecting agricul-

ture and rural communities, exchange ideas, get better acquainted with the

role of the Maryland Agricultural Commission, and meet the commission

members. The Maryland Agricultural Commission is made up of 26 members,

appointed by the Governor, who represent commodities and organizations

across the state and serve as an advisory body to the Agriculture Secretary.

As a group, the members address legislative and policy issues that

affect Maryland agribusiness.

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This Issue

Public Mtg. & Ag Tour P. 1

Winter Wheat Stand P. 1

Scab Management P. 2

Calendar of Events P. 3

Sponsor Thank You P. 4

Ag Day Video Links P. 5

Agricultural Act of 2014 P. 5

Small Farm Workshop P. 5

Ag Bill Expenditures P. 6

Tri-County Newsletter—Cecil, Kent, and Queen Anne’s Counties

A P R I L 2 0 1 4

AGLINE V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4

Evaluating Winter Wheat Stand

From: The Ohio State University Extension

C.O.R.N. Newsletter - Laura Lindsey, Ed Lentz & Pierce Paul

This year, many areas of Ohio experienced extremely low temperatures

for several days. (-20° as I was driving to an Extension meeting in Coshocton County on January 28.) Snow-

fall was also above average in many areas causing standing water as the snow melted. Where does this

leave our winter wheat crop?

Winter wheat is a cold season grass that can tolerate fairly harsh weather conditions. Wheat “hardens” in

the fall to acclimate to cold conditions. Cold acclimation is variety-dependent and requires a period of

growth when temperatures are between 30° and 60°F followed by slowly declining soil temperatures. After

hardening, wheat can tolerate temperatures between 0 and 10°F especially when there is good snow cover.

The growing point of wheat is below ground until conditions are warm in the spring, but extremely cold con-

ditions can still cause damage to the plant. However, plants are only killed by low temperatures if the crown

(lower stem) is damaged. Although, there were negative air temperatures, soil temperatures remained in

the upper 20s to low 30s. Some fields may have had damaged from areas where melting snow left standing

water that later became ice. Standing water and especially ice on plants for several days may lead to

“suffocation” of the crowns which may cause weakening of the stand in those areas or complete loss of plants.

Fields should not be evaluated until completely green from warmer temperatures for at least 10 to 14 days.

Stand evaluations will be more accurate when made during weather periods that promote growth. Yield po-

tential is reduced if tiller numbers fall below 25 per square foot after green up. Pick about 10 to 15 spots in

the field and count the number of plants per foot of row. A stand with an average of about 12 plants per foot

of row may still result in a good population of head-bearing tillers per acre. For those fields with tillers, 15

tillers per square foot is considered minimum for an economic crop. The number of tillers per square foot is

equal to the number of tillers in 19.2 inches of 7.5-inch wide rows. Our studies have shown that under ade-

quate weather conditions, tillering may compensate for relatively poor initial stand establishment.

P A G E 2

Scab Management .

Winter 2013-2014 Update

Check the scab risk on the web at:

www.wheatscab.psu.edu.

Scab Risk Map from May 12, 2013 Risk was low on 5/9/13

then increased peaking on Mothers day (5/12) then de-

clined to low by 5/15. Secondary period of disease favorable

weather occurred between 5/22 and 5/26 for bay coastal

areas and MD northern tier.

PA southern tier. Some flowering coincided with brief pe-

riods of moderate risk, much of the crop developed between

these periods of raised risk. Wheat not yet in flower is not

susceptible to this disease.

Resistance to scab and to toxin development is incomplete

and many available varieties are quite susceptible. All

wheat varieties benefit from fungicide applications when

scab risk is high to reduce toxin development and yield

losses due to the disease. Scab does not develop every year

so fungicides for scab management are only needed if risk

is high. Wheat is only susceptible when in flower to about 10- 14 days after and is most susceptible at the begin-

ning of flowering.

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4

Artificial

Inoculation

Scab Infected

Heads (5)

Scab Infected

Spikelets (%)

Yield

(bu/A)

DON

(ppm)

None 5.3 0.7 101.0 0.2

IF + 1d 29.3 15.2 88.5 2.2

IF + 8d 6.0 1.2 95.9 1.4

IF + 16d 3.3 1.1 102.2 0.3

IF = Initial Flower (anthers apparent on 10‐15% of main tillers). Cultivar ‘Merl’ without fungicide. Data from A. Grybauskas and E. Reed, University of Maryland, 2012.

Fungicide and Timing DON (ppm) Yield (bu/A

Untreated 2.2 88.5

Prosaro 6.5 fl oz/A at IF 0.9 97.0

Caramba 13.5 fl oz/A at IF 1.6 94.8

Prosaro 6.5 fl oz/A at IF + 7d 1.6 97.1

Caramba 13.5 fl oz/A at IF + 7d 1.6 95.0

Scab Fungicide “application window”

All above inoculated one day after initial flower (IF). Sign up for e‐mails or text messages that warn you of changes in scab risk assessment and commentary at: www.scabusa.org. Go to: Attention Growers: Important Tools for

FHB and click on link: Sign up for FHB Alerts.

Wheat Scab Management Trial 2012‐ University of Maryland Moderate disease risk site as forecast by Scab Risk Tool (Keedysville, MD 2012)

Prepared by: Dr. Arv Grybauskas, Emeritus Field Crops Pathologist, University of Maryland.

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 P A G E 3

.APRIL 2014:

Apr. 5, 2014

36th Wye Angus Sale,12 Noon-4 p.m., Wye Research & Educa-tion Center, 2016 Carmichael Road, Queenstown, MD 21658. 2014 Sale catalog will be available on line March 1, 2014

Apr. 5, 2014 Grafting Tomatoes, 10:00 a.m. until 1 p.m. Agriculture Research Building, University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Toma-to Grafting..it’s easier than you think. If you grow varieties of tomatoes that are not resistant to air and soil borne diseases, you should attend this work-shop. In the hands-on session at the greenhouse, you will graft plants to take home. Preregistration is strongly suggested. For more information, contact: University of Maryland Extension at (410) 651-6070 or email: kjpar-mar@umes.edu or mce@umes.edu. Pre-register online at www.umes.edu/1890-mce

Apr. 8, 2014 Grain Marketing, 6:30 a.m., Sudlersville Methodist Church Hall, 103 N. Church Street, Sudlersville, MD. $10 breakfast.

Apr. 9, 2014 MD Agricultural Commission Schedules Public Meeting and Ag Tour, 7:00 p.m. at Ruthsburg Community Club. (105 Damsontown Road, Queen Anne, Md., 21657). See details Pg. 1

Apr. 11, 2014 So. MD Region Poultry and Rabbit Slaughter/Processing Train-ing Workshop, Calvert County Economic Development building

meeting room at: 205 Main Street, Prince Frederick. Contact: Jeanne Herbert at 301-274-1922 ext. 1 or jherbert@smadc.com.

Apr. 12, 2014

Small Ruminant Integrated Parasite Management, 9:00 a.m.—

4:00 p.m. Be Smart… Drench Smart…Food Science and Tech-

nology Building, University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

the 3 hour morning session will serve as the introduction for the

afternoon hands-on training session which will allow partici-

pants to get certified on the use of the FAMACHA© score card

and learn how to conduct fecal egg count. For more information,

contact: University of Maryland Extension at (410) 651-6070 or

email: kjparmar@umes.edu or mce@umes.edu.

Pre-register online at www.umes.edu/1890-mce

Apr. 12, 2014

Mid- Shore DHIA & Holstein Assoc. Annual Banquet

Meeting Call Donnie Skinner 410 490 9974 to register.

Ingleside Community Center 7:00 p.m.

Apr. 16, 2014

Delmarva Poultry Booster Banquet

Wicomico Youth and Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland for

more information contact DPI office at 302-856-9037

Apr. 18-19, 2014 MD-DE Sheep Shearing School For Beginning Shearers,9:30 a.m.—3:30 p.m., Ridgely Thompson Farm 1942 Uniontown Rd., Westminster, MD 21857

Apt. 22, 2014 Grain Marketing, 6:30 a.m., Sudlersville Methodist Church Hall,

103 N. Church Street, Sudlersville, MD. $10 breakfast.

Apr. 26, 2014 Growing High Tunnel Spring Crops, 10:00 a.m. until 12 p.m. Pereyra Farm, 6182 Worcester Hwy., Newark, MD 21841 Participants can expect to learn the basics of high tunnel systems to include: site preparation, set-up, pricing, types of crops that can be grown, and financial assistance programs available from USDA. For more information, contact: University of Maryland Extension at (410) 651-6070 or email: kjparmar@umes.edu or mce@umes.edu.

Pre-register online at www.umes.edu/1890-mce

Apr. 29, 2014 Understanding Sustainable Forestry, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Talbot County Community Center, Wye Room. University of Mary-land Extension in partnership with the Talbot County Office of Eco-nomic Development will host an evening workshop on sustainable

forestry at the Talbot County Community Center in Easton. For-ests today are managed using sustainable forestry practices, which include a toolbox of techniques and management decisions to help ensure we retain the forest resource opportunities we have today for the future. This workshop will discuss how our present forests developed and the principles and practices of forest and wildlife ecology that underlie the management practices that are used to ensure a healthy and productive forest ecosystem. The workshop is free and open to all. For more information or to register please call 410-822-1244 or sdill@umd.edu.

UPCOMING EVENTS

MARYLAND SHEEP &

WOOL FESTIVAL May 3 & 4, 2014.

9am - 6pm on Saturday

9am - 5pm on Sunday

(Always the first full weekend in

May) Come join us for a fun-

filled weekend of live animals,

crafts and supplies, entertain-

ment and more. Check out our

schedule and events pages for

more details about the Festival.

Howard County Fairgrounds,

2210 Fairground Rd., West

Friendship, MD 21794- 9604 No

dogs - Please leave your pets at

home. Contact us at:

office@sheepandwool.org or

leave message at 410-531-3647. Contact Gwen Handler,

chaiman, e-mail: chairman@sheepandwool.org.

COMMERCIAL POULTRY

GROWERS MEETING Tilghman Terrace, Centreville, MD

May 13, 2014, 11:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m.

Light Lunch

Call 410-758-0166 or email

jrhodes@umd.edu to register. Top-

ics: Legal Issues—Paul Goeringer ,

Research Associate

Center for Agricultural & Natural

Resource Policy

Management of Bird Welfare—Jon Moyle, Poultry Specialist

UME & Jenny Rhodes, Extension Educator UME

June 2014

Dates To Remember

14—MD Ag Education Foundation celebrates 25 years.

www.maefonline.com/25

18—DPI College Scholarship Golf Tournament, Green Hill

Country Club, Quantico http://www.dpichicken.org/events/

20-21—Delmarva Chicken Festival, Q.A.’s Co. 4-H Park,

Centreville, MD http://www.dpichicken.org/festival/visitor/

P A G E 4

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4

to 2014 Queen Anne’s County Agronomy Day Sponsors!

Ag Concepts – Jason Bradley

University of Maryland Agriculture Law Education Initiative Ag. Technology Group - Wm. Starkey & Scott Quinn

AgroLab, Inc. - Bill Rohrer Allen Chorman & Son, Inc. – Paul L. Gunther

Asgrow – Brick Veirs Atlantic Tractor, LLC

AXIS Seed – Billy Simmons Baker Ag-Lime – Steve Morrison

BASF – The Chemical Company – Greg Samis Boyle Bros., Inc.

CNB – Dennis Walters Crow Insurance Agency – Buddy Cahall Daisey Insurance, Inc. – Harry Daisey

Delmarva Aerial Crop Service – Eric Paniere Delmarva Farm Management – Bob Rich Doebler’s PA Hybrids, Inc. – Peter Bell

DuPont – Karen Hartman DuPont Pioneer – Jonathan King

Farm Credit – Kathi Levan Farmsite Technology – Scott Quinn

Growmark FS, LLC.–Preston Greenwalt & Bobby Yeager, Jr. Helena Chemical Company – Greg Hawn

Hoffman Irrigation King Crop Insurance, Inc. – Donna & Nancy King

Martin Limestone, Inc. – Jeff Hall Maryland Department of Ag. - Crop Insurance

MARBIDCO—Steve McHenry Mountaire Farms – Lee Sproull

Nagel Crop Insurance - Chad Nagel Paradise Energy Solutions – Jason Beiler Perdue Agri-Business – April Cheesman

PNC Bank – Andrew McClean Queen Anne’s Soil Conservation District

Queenstown Bank of Maryland Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants – Alan Bradley,CLS

Southern States – Q.A. Co. Service – David Conley Syngenta - Mark Whalen

Triton Wealth Management LLC–Karen Baer & Ryan Wolfe USDA NASS – Dale P. Hawks

Willard Agri. Service – Berl Jastram

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V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 P A G E 5

The Agricultural Act of 2014 was signed into law on February 7.

The United States addresses agricultural and food policy through a variety of programs, including commodity

support, nutrition assistance, and conservation. The primary legal framework for agricultural policy is set

through a legislative process that occurs approximately every 5 years.

A new farm law, the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Act), was signed on February 7, 2014, and will remain

in force through 2018—and in the case of some provisions, beyond 2018. The 2014 Farm Act makes major chang-

es in commodity programs, adds new crop insurance options, streamlines conservation programs,

modifies some provisions of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and expands programs for

specialty crops, organic farmers, bioenergy, rural development, and beginning farmers and ranchers.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that 80 percent of outlays under the 2014 Farm Act will fund

nutrition programs, 8 percent will fund crop insurance programs, 6 percent will fund conservation programs, 5

percent will fund commodity programs, and the remaining 1 percent will fund all other programs, including

trade, credit, rural development, research and extension, forestry, energy, horticulture, and miscellaneous pro-

grams.

2014 Agronomy Day Video Links (copy and paste into URL window)

http://vp.telvue.com/preview?id=affiliate1&video=188748 (AGRONOMY DAY 2014 Dr Josh McGrath)

http://vp.telvue.com/preview?id=affiliate1&video=188066 (AGRONOMY DAY 2014 Dr. Ron Ritter)

http://vp.telvue.com/preview?id=affiliate1&video=188055 (AGRONOMY DAY 2014 Dr.Arvydas Grybauskas)

Small Farm Workshop series geared toward area farmers

The Small Farm Workshop series kicks off with "Be Smart . . . Drench Smart: Small Ruminant Integrated Para-

site Management" Sat., March 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Central Mary-

land Research and Education Center in Upper Marlboro. Participants will learn

about gastrointestinal parasites that badger sheep and goats as well as anthel-

mintic resistance and practices to mitigate or manage parasite burdens. A sub-

sequent workshop will be held in the Food Science and Technology Building on

the University of Maryland Eastern Shore campus Sat., April 12, from 9 a.m. to

4 p.m.

A "Grafting Tomatoes" workshop scheduled for Sat., April 5, offers pertinent

information for anyone who is currently growing a variety of tomatoes that are

not resistant to air and soil borne diseases. The workshop includes a hands-on

session at the greenhouse where participants will graft plants to take home.

Registration is limited to 20, and preregistration is strongly suggested.

The series culminates with "Growing High Tunnel Spring Crops" Sat., April 26,

from 10 a.m. until noon. The event will be held at the Pereyra Farm, located at

6182 Worcester Highway in Newark, Md. Participants will be taught the basics

of high tunnel systems, including site preparation, site set-up, pricing, types of

crops that can be grown and financial assistance programs available from the

USDA.

Workshop fees, which cover handout materials and lunch, are $10 per person for the High Tunnel Spring Crops

workshop and at $20 per person for the remaining workshops.

University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against any 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.

In the interest of conserving our environmental resources, we would like to send our monthly newsletter via email. If you are able to receive our email

electronically, please contact your county office and share your email address. Thank you for helping to preserve our environment.

Contact your local UME Agriculture Educator:

Cecil County ~ Doris Behnke at 410-996-5280 or dbehnke@umd.edu

Kent County ~ Emily M. Joyce at 410-778-1661 or ejoyce@umd.edu

Queen Anne’s County ~ Jennifer Rhodes at 410-758-0166 or jrhodes@umd.edu

NONPROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE PD

PERMIT NO 16

ELKTON, MD

University of Maryland Extension,

Cecil County

County Administration Building

200 Chesapeake Blvd., Suite 1500

Elkton, MD 21921