Partnership Press is published quarterly by Maryland’s Conservation Partners: MD Department of Agriculture, MD Association of Soil Conservation Districts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency, University of Maryland Extension, and the State Soil Conservation Committee.
Summer 2013 Volume 20 Issue 3
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
—
HANS SCHMIDT
First, I’d like to introduce myself to those who don’t know me. I farm in Sudlersville, with my brother Alan and my wife Jennie, both LEAD alumnae, sister-in-law Brenda, and my parents. We own and operate a 2,000 acre diversified farming operation growing corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, hay, green beans, tomatoes, and wine grapes. We also operate a vineyard management company servicing a little over 100 acres of vineyards on the eastern shore. I have been on the Queen Anne’s Soil Conservation District Board since 1991, served as MASCD’s most recent representative to NACD and served as Chairman of the USDA Upper Chester River Showcase Watershed Project.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank R. Calvert Steuart for his four years of strong and committed leadership. MASCD has been better for his guidance and wisdom. I shall be calling on him for advice as I learn the ropes. Cal will remain involved serving as our NACD delegate. His first opportunity in this new role will be at the NACD North-east Regional Meeting, which is being held in Dover, Delaware, September 15-17. If you haven’t signed up already, I encourage you to attend. It is too close to miss. As with all my predecessors, I have hit the ground running. There are so many impor-tant issues on the horizon for districts. These include Certainty, FSCAP, nutrient manage-ment regulations, stream fencing, stream buffers and the new Phosphorus Manage-ment Tool. As conservation leaders in our respective counties, farmers are coming to us for advice and solutions. It behooves us to keep current and informed so we can con-tinue in our role giving sound conservation advice.
My plan is to be available and accessible, so please feel free to call me on my cell, 410-490-7294.
With the adoption of new nutrient man-agement requirements scheduled to go into effect January1, 2014, folks have been seeking more guidance to under-stand how these new rules apply to them. Farmers, nutrient management plan writ-ers, and technical professionals have asked for more details to help them un-derstand how the new requirements will affect them in their day-to-day opera-tions. MDA has developed a guidance document we believe will clearly explain how nutrient application setbacks apply in specific situations. As this document completes final review and editing, we thought it would be helpful to provide an overview. More specific details will be available locally as we provide training to nutrient management plan writers and soil conservation districts.
Perhaps the most important question is, “Where do the setbacks apply?” The setback requirements will apply to streams, but not to ditches, as defined by the table below. So the simple approach is to determine whether you have a “stream,” or a “ditch”. While the concept of stream is generally well understood, the term “ditch” or “field ditch” can mean different things to different people. To determine whether you have a stream or a ditch, we refer to the watercourse or drainage way as either “natural” or “channelized”. Natural watercourses are those meandering drainage ways that occur generally based on topography and water table. They may contain water and flow all the time (perennial) or they may only flow at certain times of the year (intermittent). If you have a natural wa-tercourse that has flow that is either per-ennial or intermittent, then you have a “stream” and the crop land or pasture adjacent to it requires a setback.
SORTING OUT NUTRIENT APPLICATION SETBACKS,
BY ROYDEN POWELL, ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR RESOURCE CONSERVATION, MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
For our purposes here, a “channelized” watercourse is defined man-made drain-age way and may include constructed drainage systems or a natural water-course that has been channelized. A channelized watercourse that is peren-nial may be subject to setbacks depend-ing on the soil map unit (USDA-NRCS soil type) and adjacent landscape. A channelized watercourse is considered a “stream” and subject to setbacks if it is perennial and it lies within either (a) a floodplain soil map unit, (b) a hydric soil map unit “mapped as a narrow, elongated feature in a fluvial (stream-like)/floodplain position”, or (c) a “B” slope or greater soil. Lists of hydric and floodplain soils have been prepared for each county and will be part of the guid-ance document MDA is preparing. If the man-made or channelized water-course contains water only at certain times of the year, it is considered a “ditch” and the area surrounding it is not subject to setback requirements.
If you have a watercourse - whether it is a stream or a drainage channel - that only flows when it rains (ephemeral), the setback requirements do not apply. Drainage ways such as a temporary field lead, a spinner ditch, a grassed water-way, and in many cases, road ditches are ephemeral and land adjacent will not be subject to nutrient application setback requirements.
The determination of a stream vs. a ditch used here is based on and taken directly from the technical standards developed for the Maryland Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).
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2ITEMS OF INTEREST
Do you have a farm story to tell? The Smithsonian National Museum of American History is seeking farmers' stories for its "American Enterprise" exhibit, which focuses on telling stories of the innovation and experiences of farming and ranching across the United States.
The museum officially announced the launch of the Agricul-tural Innovation and Heritage Archive this spring, a program that works to build a collection of stories and memorabilia that reflect modern agricultural practices.
Curators also visited the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting this winter to introduce the project to farmers and ranchers.
SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM SEEKING FARMERS'
STORIES
PERSONNEL NOTES
Mike Dryden, PDA Coordinator
MDA BIDS FAREWELL TO...
Charles Bradford, Technician, Dorchester SCD
MDA WELCOMES...
NRCS BIDS FAREWELL TO...
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) hosts a monthly webinar series where natural resource professionals, land use planners, private landowners and others hear from experts about current issues fac-ing forestlands – both public and private - and learn about opportu-nities and strategies to conserve open space. For more information and to register, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/openspace/webinars.html.
USFS WEBINAR: CONSERVATION PLANNING TOOLS
AND RESOURCES
Pedro Ramos, Jr. as the acting State Conservationist to NRCS Maryland. Ramos began his 120 day temporary assign-ment on August 12, 2013.
Ramos is the NRCS Assistant State Conservationist for Pro-grams in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has served in several posi-tions in NRCS throughout the United States. During his ser-vice, Ramos has completed detail assignments to National Headquarters in the Civil Rights Division, Financial Assis-tance Programs Division, and Easements Programs Division. He has also detailed with the US Agency for International De-velopment in Honduras to work on recovery efforts after Hur-ricane Mitch.
A native of Bakersfield, California, Ramos graduated from Fresno State in 1996. It was in college where Pedro developed an interest in public service. After graduating from Fresno State, he began working for NRCS as a Soil Conservationist in Bakersfield, California, later working as a District Conserva-tionist, Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations, and Assistant State Conservationist for Operations. Ramos has worked for NRCS in California, Iowa, Washington State, Vermont, Oregon, Utah and now Maryland.
NRCS WELCOMES...
Deena Wheby, who completed her 120 day temporary assign-ment as the acting State Conservationist at the end of July. Wheby returned to her position as the Assistant State Conser-vationist for Programs for NRCS in Lexington, Kentucky.
Have a good story to share? Hop online to Smithsonian's site to get started. Farmers still have time to submit their stories to the mu-seum at www.americanhistory.si.edu.
"Agriculture continually evolves and has become extremely efficient and sustainable with the help of new technologies," says Sharon Covert, a farmer-leader on the United Soybean Board, which re-cently committed a $1 million investment in support of the exhibi-tion.
"Sharing your stories and artifacts of agriculture's transformations will allow the public to see incredible strides the industry has made in order to provide food, feed, fuel and fiber for the rest of the world," Covert said.
Submitted stories could be included in the exhibition or featured on the museum's blog and social media sites. A few suggested themes include personal experiences, the effects of technology, or the roles of finance, competition, safety, animals, water or labor.
The development of American agriculture will be demonstrated through objects such as road signs related to no-till production and organic farming, a 1920s Fordson tractor and a computer cow tag and reader unit to show the change in dairy farming from an inten-sive hand-labor process to a modern computer-run operation. The exhibit is scheduled to open in May 2015.
With summer in full swing, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) urges homeowners to allow established lawns to go dormant during the hot dry weather. Applying fertilizer to force a lawn to turn green during its dormancy period can damage the grass and contribute to nutrient pollution in streams, rivers and the Chesa-peake Bay. Dormant lawns will green up when cooler temperatures arrive and rainfall increases.
To help shade grass and conserve moisture, raise the mower’s cut-ting height by 1/2 to 1 inch during periods of hot dry weather and leave grass clippings on the lawn as a source of free fertilizer. For more tips and information on Maryland’s new Lawn Fertilizer Law, call the University of Maryland’s Home and Garden Informa-tion Center at 1.800.342.2507 or visit www.mda.maryland.gov/ fertilizer.
HOMEOWNERS URGED TO USE RESPONSIBLE LAWN
CARE PRACTICES DURING SUMMER MONTHS
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3SSCC
Report
Information from the State Soil Conservation Committee
NEW MACS BMPS
In May, Louise Lawrence briefed the SSCC on the background of adding pasture establishment for management intensive graz-ing to the list of BMPs eligible for MACS program. Chesapeake Bay Foundation lobbied MDA to provide cost-share for conver-sion of dairy farms to management intensive grazing and legisla-tion was proposed in the 2013 session requiring MDA to allocate $500,000 from cover crop funding to support management inten-sive grazing (MIG). MDA agreed to consider MACS support for pasture establishment and the bill was withdrawn.
Pasture establishment must be consistent with NRCS 512 stan-dards as it relates to plant materials, planting dates and other technical specifications. Since MACS does not make forage pro-duction or biomass planting or pasture establishment unless in conjunction with MIG eligible, a different practice name is em-ployed.
The practice maintenance life is 10 years and practice cost share limit $50,000. Eligibility for full 87.5% cost share requires a minimum of 15 animal units and the imminent start up require-ments apply for those who don’t yet have animals on the farm. Farmers may renovate a continuous grazing system to MIG at a 50% cost share rate.
Since MACS is authorized to support BMPs that address poten-tial of existing water quality concerns, a number of practices are excluded such as perimeter fencing. Fencing to protect streams is eligible.
Charles Rice moved that SSCC recommend to Secretary Hance the inclusion of BMP Pasture Establishment for Management Intensive Grazing for MACS eligibility. Swaine seconded the
Norman Astle, MACS Administrator, presented information pro-posing to make bridges an eligible cost share practice as part of the stream crossing standard (578). He noted that MDE water-way permit reviewers preferred bridges and were discouraging fords and culverts. Astle said bridge eligibility was requested by some western Maryland SCDs.
The eligibility criteria includes animal numbers, pasture sizes and animal density. It limits the size of the decking and decking is not eligible for repair applications.
Frank Richardson asked if pre-fab bridges met NRCS specifica-tions? Astle said they could.
Royden Powell asked about whether bridges were eligible for cost share to repair when natural disasters damage them. Astle said other than decking, they were.
Lynne Hoot questioned whether 12’ width could address a large operation’s needs. Astle said it was consistent w/HUAs and op-eration and maintenance for equipment.
Richardson moved that SSCC endorse bridges for MACS eligi-bility and recommend it’s inclusion in MACS program to Secre-tary Hance. Sachs seconded the motion and it was voted favora-bly.
BRIDGES
ACCOUNTING FOR GROWTH (AfT)
John Rhoderick, RC Operations, discussed nutrient trading in the context of “Accounting for Growth” (AfT) deliberations in May. He distributed handouts of the AfT meeting schedule noting the objective was to resolve a number of controversial topics sur-rounding how Maryland will establish offsets for growth. Originally offsets or trading was to be available for addressing new growth. Counties are now interested in using trading to meet their baseline TMDL nutrient reduction goals for urban sector. Rhoderick reviewed information projecting limitation of trades available from the agricultural sector. Bay Cabinet suggested that trading to meet urban TMDL goals be allowed following 2017 re-evaluation.
Since Maryland has set a high baseline for agricultural operations before they can trade nutrient credits, it limits available nutrient credits. Any regulatory requirements that result in BMPS are not tradable. Also EPA requires 2:1 ration of credits when they come from NPS sectors.
Rhoderick had some examples of credits that might be available based on analyzing over 140 farms with the nutrient trading tool. He projected about 1 million pounds of nitrogen credits might be available and since trades would be 2:1 there were agricultural credits that could be used for 500,000 nitrogen pounds needed by others as offsets. MD Department of Planning projects 2 million pounds of nitrogen reduction will be needed for urban growth offsets.
Hoot asked if buyers could “pay” for farmers to meet baseline nutrient reductions? Rhoderick said it would be part of the dis-cussion but there were complications related to whose “credit” the reduction became-agriculture or urban.
Bill Giese thought we need to assure agricultural sector met its TMDL obligation prior to trading nutrient credits.
There was discussion about longevity of traded credits. At pre-sent contracts are thought to be a minimum of 30 years. SSCC also discused contractual arrangements and the processes being used to set growth offset policies.
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4SUPERVISOR APPOINTMENTS
NOTES
Zene Wolfe, Catoctin SCD
Andrea McGuirk-Rigdon, Harford SCD Ken Clement, Howard SCD
Robert Cooper, St. Mary’s SCD Lemmie Swann, Talbot SCD Steve White, Wicomico SCD
SSCC Report
Information from the State Soil Conservation Committee, continued
Lawrence referenced a list of nutrient management topic areas that could be addressed during the SSCC sponsored Supervisor Workshop held in conjunction with MASCD. She asked for feedback and prioritization of the most useful information that could be provided.
McAfee suggested that NRCS could provide information related to treatment of resource concerns but advised avoiding program eligibility discussion because a new Farm Bill could change programs. Raynor said he could address differences between a CNMP and NMP, resource concerns, and the “4Rs” in about 30 minutes.
Giese said setback requirements need to be better understood. Cal Steuart noted the ties to Chesapeake Bay model may be po-litically driven but they influence outcomes from implementing new BMPs and it is important this be part of discussion. Lawrence then distributed preliminary results from the Supervi-sor Survey used for feedback about topic areas SCD SuperviSupervi-sors wanted more information about. Although everyone indicated an interest in nutrient management, other topic areas might be used to establish regional training in the fall. 47 people re-sponded, all but 2 were SCD supervisors. 26 were from the Southern MD area. Topics of most interest Sediment & Erosion control program, stormwater management, working with the Legislature, Nutrient Trading, Farm Bill and EQIP.
SUPERVISOR TRAINING
BAY MODEL
Beth Horsey, MDA, provided an update on activities to make recommendations about agricultural BMPs and their treatment in the Chesapeake Bay model. She reviewed the four expert panels comprised of representative from Land Grant Universi-ties, NRCS, ARS and state agencies.
The nutrient management panel will review and make recom-mendation on both N and P based nutrient management planning for inclusion in current model and in the future will also make recommendations related to enhanced nutrient management and precision/decision agriculture efficiency “credits.” There is a conservation tillage panel looking at definitions and reduction values for conservation tillage, conventional tillage. Strip tillage, annual no till, and continuous no till. The cover crop panel is reviewing efficiencies based on planting dates, physiographic regions and considering inclusion of additional plants and the poultry litter panel is looking at nutrient content and production values. Recent newspaper articles have highlighted discrepan-cies between the old data EPA is using and current information research has verified.
There is a lengthy process and committee structure that any recommendations need to pass through this fall. The goal is to have them completed in November so the modelers can make changes prior to December progress run.
Horsey noted there is a “Building a Better Bay Model” confer-ence being held at University of Maryland next week. The par-ticulars of the Bay Model related to accounting for agricultural inputs and implementation progress is the goal of the invitation only sessions.
There is also a process underway to develop protocols for BMP verification. There is a complex matrix for consideration but the agricultural stakeholders want to assure any standards estab-lished apply to all sectors, not just agriculture. There is interest in having 3rd party verification regardless of whether program participation or cost share is involved.
Smokey Stanton asked if all BMPs were being viewed through lens of physiographic region or just cover crops. He noted the need to cross check BMPs within a region. Horsey wasn’t sure of the status of nutrient management or conservation tillage in regards to regional considerations.
Hoot made the point that in Maryland nutrient management requirements go far beyond other jurisdiction’s programs and need to be addressed. If they are not recognized as exceeding other standards there is no justification for regulatory changes. Hoot also asked if panels were looking at incorporation and impacts to conservation tillage systems. In her opinion there would be more nutrient losses not less from implementing this without regard to technologies employed.
Horsey summarized by noting complexity of Bay model and its treatment of different BMPs in various ways. Factors such as land use changes, cropland available to apply particular BMPs, and BMP treatment trains or BMP stacking all influence out-comes sometimes unpredictably.
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5MASCD AWARDS
At the recent MASCD meeting, President, Cal Steuart announced the MASCD award winners to the following individuals:
Outstanding Cooperator - Tom Hartsock, Montgomery
Outstanding Employee - Cindy Nieland, Calvert
Employee Special Achievement - Denny Remsburg, Catoctin/ Frederick
Outstanding Associate - Tim McGrath, Montgomery
Outstanding Leadership - William Barnes, Howard
Outstanding Contribution - Howie Feaga, Howard
Outstanding Contribution by a New Supervisor - Joe Rutter,
Howard
AWARDS
MIDATLANTIC FARM CREDIT OUTSTANDING
DISTRICT AWARD
Bruce Yerkes, from the MidAtlantic Farm Credit (MAFC), pre-sented the MAFC Outstanding District Award plaques and mone-tary awards of $700 for 1st place; $400 for 2nd place; and $200 for third place, to the following districts: 1st Place - Prince George’s SCD; 2nd Place - Howard SCD; 3rd Place - Calvert SCD
COLORING CONTEST WINNERS
Bruce Young announced the following students as the winners of the coloring contest:
Class A (K & 1st grade): Allie Borucke, Caroline Class B (Grades 2-3): Lauren Long, St. Mary’s Class C (Grades 4-5): Isaiah Schulties, Caroline
POSTER WINNERS
Dee Price, Washington Co. SCD, announced the following poster competition 1st place winners:
Class I (K & 1st Grade): Jake Jacobs, Talbot Class II (Grades 2-3): Jadon Cook, Talbot Class III (Grades 4-6): Zoe Phillips, Talbot
Class IV (Grades 7-9): Kaitlyn Wassel, Washington Co. Class V (Grades 10-12): Yekaterina Widell, Talbot
Results of the Environmental Endowment Auction held Tues-day, July 18th at the MASCD Annual Awards Banquet had a total of 46 items for the live auction that were donated by ei-ther the Districts or individuals. A special thank you goes out to Richard Menard and Rodney Thompson for volunteering their time to be the guest auctioneers. Total pledges for auc-tion items came to $5,455. The MASCD would like to thank the St. Mary’s SCD and many other helpers for organizing the Auction, and of course thanks to all of the supervisors, MDA personnel and district staff that bid on these fine selection of items.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENDOWMENT AUCTION
CONSERVATION EDUCATION AWARDS
Conservation Education District Award - Calvert SCDThe District Attendance Award was presented to the Catoctin SCD.
DISTRICT ATTENDANCE AWARD
SUPERVISOR PINS
At the MASCD Awards Banquet, President, Cal Steuart, presented the following individuals with service pins. He thanked each of them for their commitment to soil conservation districts.
5 Year
Lillian Griffith, Anne Arundel
Richard Bradenburg, Catoctin
John Brinsfield, Dorchester
Bobby Rakestraw, Frederick
Charles Miller, Kent
Rantz Purcell, Somerset
Lee Richardson, Wicomico
10 Year
Richard Enfield, Harford
Robert Slade, Prince George’s
Anthony DiPaulo, Worcester
15 Year
Zene Wolf, Catoctin
Jeff Bossart, Charles
James Parraco, Prince George’s
20 Year
Stephen Smith, Baltimore Co.
William Giese, Jr., Dorchester
Wayne Brooks Hamilton, Jr., Garrett
Delvin Mast, Garrett
William Barnes, Howard
S. Taylor Spies, Talbot
Fred Moore, Wicomico
25 Year
Walter Wells, Calvert
David Hudson, Worcester
35 Year
Lee Heavner, Allegany
Wheatley Neal, Caroline
Calvert Steuart, Prince George’s
40 Year
Frederick Nelson, Somerset
President Cal Steuart (left) awarded George Lechlider for his ongoing and dedi-cated service of nearly 45 years to Maryland Associa-tion of Soil Conser-vation Districts. George is a farmer, with experience working in state government, who knows how to get the job done. He is known as well in the halls of Washington DC as he is down on the farm. A dedicated district supervisor who has served as Chairman for decades at the same time he has held leadership positions with other agricultural organiza-tions. A former President of MASCD, serving from 1992 to 1997.
Among his numerous achievements, he was responsible for creating the Maryland Wholesome Meat Inspection Program and was a director of the Federal Land Bank of Maryland. He also served as chairman and worked tirelessly for the Mary-land Vocational Technical Education Council. He was a pio-neer of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, purchasing the property in Gaithersburg for the fairgrounds with two oth-ers. He worked to build barns and membership, directed the 4-H programs and supervised the swine department.
Along with his wife, Carolyn, he owns and operates The Lech’s Farm, a grain and livestock operation in Laytonsville that he purchased in 1946.
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6NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
MARYLAND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
UPDATE
As of June 30, 2013, Annual Implementation Reports (AIR) for 2012 have been received for 98 percent of the state’s approxi-mately 5,300 active eligible farms. Operators are required to sub-mit their annual implementation reports by March 1, 2013. During this reporting period, there were about 160 operators who reported that they are no longer farming. At the same time, MDA identified about 50 new farmers who need to submit their first nutrient man-agement plan.
Currently, the Department is refining the “Guidance on the Nutri-ent Application Setbacks” required by the new regulations adopted in October 15, 2012. This document will provide guidance to help farm operators, plan writers and other technical professionals on how to apply the nutrient application setbacks requirements. Nu-trient application setback is a vegetated area of a prescribed width where nutrient-containing material may not be applied, as meas-ured from the edge of surface water, including perennial and inter-mittent streams as well as some channelized waterways. The set-back requirements will become effective on January 1, 2014. The implementation of the new Phosphorus Management Tool (PMT) developed by the University of Maryland after almost two decades of studies was scheduled for July 1, 2013. However there were some technical issues that needed to be corrected. The tenta-tive implementation has been extended to late August 2013. Uni-versity of Maryland has updated NuMan Pro 4.0, and it includes the PMT. A freestanding version of the PMT software is antici-pated to be available for download by the end of August. Current NuMan Pro users may update their software from the University Web site at extension.umd.edu/anmp/software. The freestanding PMT software will also be available from a link on the same page in the future. The PMT has made specific improvement on the old Phosphorus Site Index (PSI) that uses readily available informa-tion to evaluate the relative risk of P transport from agricultural fields including vegetable and row crop production, and pasture-based systems where P may be applied either as inorganic or or-ganic fertilizer. It can also be used within all physiographic areas in Maryland and includes the new science relative to site and source factors. The PMT better accounts for management deci-sions in those critical source areas that protect water quality. The Department is confident that the PMT will provide a more practi-cal impact on producers in managing phosphorus in those fields that have high phosphorus level where there has been a historical application of poultry litter, dairy manure or sewage sludge. The Nutrient Management Program continues to focus on plan implementation reviews by farmers and in the process also looking into the technical adequacies of plans developed by certified con-sultants. By the end of FY13, the Program has conducted around 740 site inspections and plan reviews. With the new regulations in place, the Program is also devoting considerable time to outreach activities in cooperation with University of Maryland through we-binars and actual field training sessions. As of this writing the
(Continued on page 8)
FSCAP UPDATE
As of July 31, 2013, there have been 98 evaluation reviews on 80 farms, resulting in 64 certified conservation stewards (five are district supervisors) doing a great job in protecting 17,389 acres in 16 counties across the state. Although the program pro-vided 64 FSCAP farm signs with installed signposts, there are 103 signs displayed because many of the stewards believe that the recognition is also good for business. Twenty of the 64 stewards have had free baseline assessments conducted that de-termine compliance with the TMDL plan and the number of nitrogen and phosphorus credits. FSCAP brochures now has versions focusing on horse farms, poultry operations as well as traditional farming operations.
Combining efforts with MASCD’s Translation Outreach Project, the FSCAP brochure for poultry growers was translated into Korean and Vietnamese with a cover letter inviting those who have fully implemented their CNMP to volunteer to be evalu-ated. Sung Park, Sun Sang Kim and Howard Jeon (with the help of our Korean translator attending the review) have been certi-fied as our first three Korean stewards. Certicerti-fied agricultural crop operations include: 23 traditional crops; 15 hay; 3 orchard; 4 vegetable; 2 Christmas tree; and one vineyard. Animal opera-tions include: 11 beef; 8 dairy; 11 horse; 9 poultry; 3 sheep; 1 swine, 1 bison, 1 llama and 1 alpaca.
Eco-Trading Project – The project will end at the end of this year and activity has greatly increased to use our grant funds. The project will pay districts $500 to conduct original baseline assessments (or upgrade existing assessments to the 2013 ver-sion) for their farmers. The project will also pay farmers $100 to respond to a short telephone survey. The SCDs will be paid $100 to conduct the telephone survey, which will explain the baseline assessment results and potential ways to improve the score. The project is also cost-sharing a part-time position with MDA to serve as a Nutrient Trading Coordinator to conduct baseline assessments for farmers upon request and assist MDA in the certification process to register farmers who want to sell nutrient credits. As of July 31st, 60 baseline assesssments have been conducted and training has been requested by four districts. Translation Outreach Project – The second quarter newsletter has been translated in Korean and Vietnamese and mailed in July. All translated material is sent to the Delaware Extension Office and the NRCS state and national Civil Rights Commit-tees that distribute it across the country and territories. The FSCAP brochures with a cover letter have been mailed to the two communities. FSCAP reviews will include the attendance of translators. As noted above, three Korean growers have been certified.
Pollinator Habitat Project – Pollinator habitat sites have been planted on 24.2 acres in May on 29 farms in 14 counties. The project was offered first exclusively to certified conservation stewards until February 6th, who signed up for 22 acres, after which remaining acres were offered across the state. The proc-ess will be run through the local district as a 327, Conservation Cover, to be added to the farm conservation plan. A fall plant-ing is beplant-ing planned.
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7TEAM UPDATES
INTERNET
PARTNERSHIP PRESS ELECTRONICALLY
In an effort to conserve, if you prefer to receive the quarterly newsletter by email, as opposed to a mailed hard copy, please email [email protected] to be added to the email list. The Partnership Press newsletter is posted on the www.mascd.net website.
Over the past two years, USDA has undergone a major redesign of USDA.gov and most Agency and Office websites. While we’ve taken major steps to improve the user experience and usability through a streamlined and modern look and feel, we continue to learn and expand on these improvements as we progress through our redesign processes. Browse through www.usda.gov to see the new features! As part of this redesign, we focused on further opti-mizing the homepage for ease of use and to maxi-mize resource exposure for USDA.gov users based on Federal best practices and lessons learned from prior USDA Agency website redesigns. Web and social media analytics also provided key insights to popular content and user preferences, which we con-tinuously evaluate and to make adjustments to our digital content. Enhancements to USDA.gov in-clude:
Repositioning the homepage photo carousel to be on the left to optimize content flow and or-ganization
Placing social media icon links on the top right to maintain consistent navigation across USDA.gov subpages
A new TV and Radio Hub feature on the home-page to highlight USDA’s YouTube and Weekly Radio activities
Expanding our Popular Topics section across two columns for quick and direct access from the homepage
Two additional graphic badges on the homepage to highlight special programs and initiatives Modifications to the overall look and feel to provide a cleaner, less cluttered appearance Through these enhancements, USDA.gov further extends the OneUSDA vision by incorporating the USDA branding guidelines to our website. We will also work with USDA Agency and Offices to mod-ify their websites to consistently align with these visual standards in the coming weeks.
Improvements were also made to hundreds of pages which included accessibility and usability enhance-ments and a metrics assessment of all content on the site was conducted. New web measures and best practices have now been implemented to further optimize content and ensure federal guidelines and strategic plans are fully implemented across the site.
-- As reported by USDA Peter Rhee, Digital Media Director and Bernetta Reese, Web Project Manager, July 24, 2013
Agricultural Statistics has a long history of publication and is an important archive for researchers to study the history of U.S. farming.
Did you know that more than 11 million Americans worked on farms in 1930, of which 8.3 million were family workers? Compare that to the fewer than 1.5 million workers employed in agriculture during the peak harvest months of 2011.
Every year, the Department of Agriculture releases a reference book of major agricultural statistics for the United States and countries around the world. It is a one-stop location for annual production, consumption, trade, and price data for all sorts of crops and livestock, as well as spending for government pro-grams, farm economics, and lots of other statistics important to our country’s agricultural system.
Now anyone can download PDF files of Agricultural Statistics dating back to 1936, its first publication, for free on the National Agricultural Statistics Ser-vice website. These volumes detail U.S. agricultural production for much of the 20th century, including the Dust Bowl and World War II. They provide a small glimpse into our country’s past, how American farmers worked their fields, the fruits of their labor, and how that work shaped the world then and now. There are so many facts to be uncovered! For instance:
U.S. egg exports skyrocketed from 5 million dozen in 1940 to 153 million dozen in 1941, the same year the Lend-Lease policy was enacted to pro-vide food aid to Britain and other allies during World War II. By 1944, that number was nearly 700 million dozen!
In 1933, hybrid corn seeds made up only one-tenth of 1 percent of the national crop. Within ten years, that proportion reached 50 percent, and by 1956, more than 90 percent of the national corn crop was from hybrid seeds.
Iowa harvested 2.36 billion bushels of corn in 2011, more than the entire U.S. corn harvest of 1935.
Once staples of American farms, horse and mule populations fell from 18.7 million in 1930 to 3.1 million in 1960, after which the statistic was discontinued.
Agricultural Statistics is a compilation of data produced by multiple agencies within USDA. The volumes from 1936 to 2012 are available at
www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Ag_Statistics/index.asp in partnership with Cornell University’s Mann Library. Whether you need them for research or are just curious about our country’s farming history, the newly digitized his-toric volumes are a valuable addition to the statistical literature available to the public.
-- As reported by Ben Bellman, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, on July 16, 2013
USDA WEBSITE OFFERS STREAMLINED
DESIGN AND NEW FEATURES
DIGITIZING OUR AGRICULTURAL HISTORY; 77 YEARS OF
ANNUAL STATISTICS NOW ONLINE
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8If the watercourse is: It is defined
as a:
For crop and pasture land adjacent to the watercourse, the setbacks require-ments:
Natural and either perennial or intermittent Stream Apply
Channelized and perennial and; A. Lies within a floodplain soil map unit, or B. Lies within a hydric soil map unit “mapped as a narrow, elongated feature in a fluvial (stream-like)/ floodplain position, or
C. Lies within a “B” slope or greater soil
Stream Apply
Channelized and intermittent Ditch Do Not Apply
Ephemeral (natural or channelized) Ditch Do Not Apply
In the process of developing the new setback requirements, many people expressed concerns that “one size does not fit all”. This concern led to a provision that provides for site specific evalua-tion of farms to determine the most effective approach to protect-ing water quality in pasture settprotect-ings. While many people have interpreted the regulation to be a fencing requirement by default, other options may be available that can be equally protective of water quality and stream health.
Soil conservation districts are the technical experts and can deter-mine what Best Management Practices (BMPs) work best in any particular situation. At a farmer’s request, SCD staff have the responsibility to evaluate sites on a case by case basis and may recommend alternative BMPs that provide reasonable assurance of water quality protection similar to a fence and will work in a certain situation. SCD staff should consider the physical charac-teristics of the site, including soil type, slope, vegetative cover, animal type, animal density, patterns of animal movement that are evident and other factors that affect soil and water resources. In some situations, fencing may be the most effective approach to protect water quality in watercourses adjacent or in the pasture. Producers will make decisions about the type of fencing to use. The regulation only prohibits “direct application” by the animals in the 10 foot setback area. This simply means “exclusion”- it does not say “four-wire”, “electric” or any other fence standard. If the producer wants to use cost-share funding to assist in the installing the project, certain standards will apply. These deci-sions will be up to the individual farmer.
Stay tuned to MDA’s website (www.mda.maryland.gov) for the upcoming guidance document on nutrient application setbacks. We plan to post it in August.
Maryland farmers will continue to set the bar for being produc-tive, profitable stewards of the land with their innovation, creativ-ity and motivation to make the right management decisions for
SORTING OUT NUTRIENT APPLICATION SETBACKS
the right reasons. We as agricultural professionals need topro-vide the technical assistance and resources to have productive outcomes for the farmer while being protective of the environ-ment. MDA, in partnership with local soil conservation districts, and the University of Maryland will continue to support and pro-mote Maryland farmers in a smart, green and growing agricul-tural economy in Maryland and beyond.
2013 Progress Report on the Implementation of Nutrient Man-agement Program is being finalized and will be out very soon. This is an annual report submitted to the Governor and to the General Assembly by the Nutrient Management Advisory Com-mittee. During the period April 1 through June 30, 2013, the urban nutrient management specialist conducted follow up re-views of 2 regulated entities that were not previously in compli-ance. Both companies are now in complicompli-ance. Reviews have been temporarily curtailed while the focus has been on making prepa-rations to implement the requirements of the Fertilizer Use Act of 2011, which requires that individuals and companies hired to apply fertilizer to turf certified by MDA or work under the direct supervision of someone who is certified. The training manual has been posted to the MDA website and a test developed. Testing will begin at the end of July. The Fertilizer Use Act of 2011 takes effect on October 1, 2013.
(Continued from page 6)
MARYLAND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
TRAINING
PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES IN NUTRIENT
MANAGE-MENT WORKSHOP SEPTEMBER 12, 2013
The Maryland Department of Agriculture and University of Mary-land Extension will offer a one-day course titled Practical Experi-ences in Nutrient Management on Thursday, September 12, 2013 at the University of Maryland’s Western Maryland Research and Edu-cation Center in Keedysville. Topics include plan writing for peren-nial fruit operations, calibrating manure spreaders, soil nitrate test-ing, the new Phosphorus Management Tool, yield checks for corn grain and silage and features of NuMan Pro 4.0. The fee is $20 per person and covers learning materials, morning break and lunch. Par-ticipants receive six credit hours toward the Maryland Nutrient Man-agement Program’s continuing education requirement. Register by September 6 by calling 410.841.5959 or ww.mda.maryland.gov.
NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLAN WRITING
WORK-SHOPS OFFERED SEPTEMBER 20 AND 24, 2013
The Maryland Department of Agriculture and University of Mary-land Extension will offer two, one-day workshops titled How to Write a Nutrient Management Plan on Friday September 20, 2013 at the Wye Research and Education Center in Queenstown and Tues-day, September 24, 2013 at the Montgomery County Extension Of-fice in Derwood. The workshops are designed for people who are new to the nutrient management plan-writing process. Participants will learn how write a nutrient management plan using NuMan Pro, the nutrient management planning software program while earning six credit hours toward the Maryland Nutrient Management Pro-gram’s continuing education requirement. To register, call 410.841.5959 or visit www.mda.maryland.gov.ing used in developing the nutrient application setback require-ments is the same wording found in technical docurequire-ments used in our CREP program.
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9NATIONAL COMPETITION
ENVIROTHON
STATE ENVIROTHON RESULTS
The Mount Academy in Esopus, N.Y. is the winner of the 2013 Envi-rothon; Maryland placed 17th. The event was held at Montana State University from August 4-9, where 57 teams representing 47 U.S. states, nine Canadian provinces and one Canadian territory competed for a share of $175,000 in scholarships, host grants and Canon prod-ucts.
The North American Envirothon (NAE) Committee approved a merger plan, August 5, at its meeting Montana. NAE Chair Sandy Huey led the discussion, reviewing a proposal prepared by the part-nering organizations, including the NAE, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), the National Conservation District Employees Association, the NACD Presidents’ Association, the Na-tional Association of State Conservation Agencies and the NaNa-tional Conservation Foundation.
Last year, following the celebration of 25 successful years of the En-virothon, the NAE and partners came together to examine the current state of the program and to look at the best path forward to ensure another 25 years of success. Based upon those discussions as well as the results of a study committee project, the Board determined that a new structure would improve the opportunities to continue to grow and build upon the achievements of this popular educational program for the future. The proposal calls for the Envirothon to become an operating program of the National Conservation Foundation. It also provides for a new North American Envirothon Operating Committee within the National Conservation Foundation to provide continuing guidance for the operation of the Envirothon programs. While a vari-ety of details remain to be worked out, the six organizations have committed to preparing an implementation plan immediately to en-sure a smooth transition. Details will be provided as the plan is pre-pared and as implementation begins.
A five-member team of high school students from Harford County was the winner of the 23rd annual Maryland Envi-rothon—an outdoor natural resources competition that chal-lenges students to identify and categorize living resources, perform soil surveys and solve other complex natural re-source issues. More than 100 challengers from 17 counties across Maryland took part in this year’s competition. The event was held June 19-20 at the Western Maryland 4-H Edu-cation Center in Garrett County.
As winners of the Maryland Envirothon, Harford Christian School of Harford County team members Hunter Howell, Danielle Fiedler, Gracie Shannahan, Danielle Reifer, and Maddie Feustel represented the state at the 2013 North American Envirothon, held at Montana State University in Bozeman from August 4-August 9. The students were accom-panied by teacher/advisors Ada Stambaugh and Tim Gerber. More than 50 teams from the United States and Canada com-peted at the national event. During the past five years, Mary-land teams have consistently placed in the top 10 percent at national competitions.
The Maryland Envirothon is held once a year at an outdoor environmental education center. Students taking part in the competition study Maryland’s natural resources for a year in hopes of winning. Working in teams of five with one to two alternates, students are trained and tested in four natural re-source areas including soils, aquatics, forestry and wildlife plus an environmental issue that changes from year to year. This year’s special environmental issue was Sustainable Rangeland Management.
Each team’s knowledge is tested under the supervision of foresters, soil scientists and wildlife specialists. Teamwork and problem solving skills are evaluated as each team. The team with the highest cumulative total wins the competition and the opportunity to represent Maryland at the North American Envirothon.
Governor Martin O’Malley, a strong supporter of environ-mental literacy for young people, sent a proclamation to each student, advisor, and school participating in the 2013 Mary-land Envirothon.
At this year’s competition the Harford County Harford Chris-tian School scored 461 points out of a possible 500. They were followed by teams from Carroll (430 points), and Mont-gomery (429 points).
Members of the top three teams were awarded scholarships ranging from $200 to $500 through the Maryland Grain Pro-ducers Utilization Board Scholarship program. In addition, winning team members received a wildlife print, Maryland Envirothon shirt and other prizes.
The Carroll County team was the high scorer in the “soils” category of the competition with a score of 90 points out of a possible 100. The Mid-Atlantic Association of Professional Soil Scientists (MAPSS) presented each member of the team with a cash award of $50. In addition, the team received a print and gift cards.
Established in 1990, the objectives of the Maryland Envirothon are twofold—to test students’ environmental knowledge and understand-ing of state resource issues and to instill a desire to learn more about the natural world. Winning teams compete at the local, state and international levels. The first Envirothon competition was held in Pennsylvania in 1979. Since then more than 30 states, Canada and Australia have embraced the program and sent teams to the interna-tional competition.
The Maryland Envirothon is sponsored by the Maryland Grain Produc-ers Utilization Board, Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Dis-tricts and the State Soil Conservation Committee. Contributors and supporters include the Maryland Departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environment, the University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Garrett College, Maryland Agri-cultural Education Foundation, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
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10MASCD
53 Slam
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Edgewate
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410-956-5771, www.masc
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NONPROFIT U.S. PO STA GE PAID ANNA POL IS , M D PE RMIT NO. 18 8is a quarterly newsletter published for and about the members of Maryland’s Conservation Partnership: MD Department of Agriculture, MD Association of Soil Conservation Districts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency, MD Cooperative Extension, and the State Soil Conservation Committee.
The deadline for articles is January 30, April 30, July 30 and October 30. Please direct comments or questions to the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts at 410-956-5771.
The members of the Conservation Partnership prohibit discrimination in their programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA, Washington, D.C. 20250 or call 1-800-245-6340 (voice) or (202) 720-5964 (TDD). Agencies in the MD Conservation Partnership are equal employment opportunity employers. Sep. 19 SSCC Meeting, MDA
Oct. 17 SSCC Meeting, MDA
Oct. 22 MASCD Board Mtg., Location TBD Nov. 21 SSCC Meeting, MDA
Nov. 29 MACCA Exam Registration Deadline Feb. 7 MACCA Exam (DE, VA, and WV)
Future Dates to Remember
Farmers who are seeking ways to comply with Maryland’s new fertilizer setback requirements are encouraged to visit their local USDA Farm Ser-vice Agency by September 30, 2013 to guarantee funding for streamside buffers planted through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Beginning January 1, 2014, Maryland farmers will be required to establish setback areas next to waterways to further protect against nutrient losses from farm fields. CREP provides land rental income to farmers who plant 35-foot buffers of grasses or trees next to qualifying streams or ditches. Financial assistance is available to plant and maintain the buffers through the Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share (MACS) Program. CREP buffers meet all Maryland setback require-ments. For more information, farmers should contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency or visit www.mda.maryland.gov and type “CREP” in the search engine.
