This year's theme is "Harvesting Partnerships: Connecting Agriculture, Business, and Community". The conversation will explore how agriculture strengthens food security, supports the local economy, and improves quality of life.

Individual tickets to the event are $10.

Sponsorship for the event is $150 and includes 2 tickets to the event and we will recognize you in the program. If you would like, you may bring a door prize with your name on it.

The morning of the breakfast, we will be accepting monetary donations for the Maryland Food Bank - Eastern Shore.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event, please contact Caroline Welch at University of Maryland Extension - Queen Anne's County at 410-758-0166 or cwelch13@umd.edu by October 30, 2026

UMD Extension Specialists, Agents and USDA-NRCS technicians will present during this full day of seminars on pasture and horse management with a Q & A session on how to get financial assistance for establishing best management practices to close out the day.  This event is presented in partnership with the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Horse Outreach Workgroup.  

This six-week course will primarily focus on five areas of risk management: production, marketing and pricing, financial management, human and personal, and legal risk.  You will learn from experts in the agriculture industry, gain knowledge and confidence in farm management and develop friendships with other women in agriculture.

Registration closes January 12, 2027.

For more information contact Nate Bruce at nsbruce@udel.edu or 302-362-7619.

“University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, in accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.”

Participants will learn from private forest landowners how they have managed their properties for different goals over time. Participants will also learn about conservation cost-sharing opportunities from DNR Foresters and UMD Extension Personnel. Lunch and travel between stops allow for plenty of fellowship and opportunities to learn from other participants and natural resource professionals.

You will get the chance to see the following:

-A recent timber harvest

-Effects of invasive plant controls (mechanical and chemical)

-A state-led tree planting project

-A working sawmill and wood processing operation

This is a van-pool event! Participants will park at the Urbana Park and Ride, then join others in a passenger van to travel between sites.

Registration includes: snacks, drinks, lunch, and a spot in a van. New and beginning forest landowners (owned land for less than 10 years) are eligible for 50% off the registration cost! Email dpratson@umd.edu for discount information.

Registration is limited to 28 people, so make sure to sign up soon!

Other questions? Contact Daniel Pratson, Natural Resources Specialist, at dpratson@umd.edu with questions or accommodation requests 2 weeks prior to the event.

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

This program consists of a Training Day and an Exam/Signoff Day.  This training day, Thursday, October 1^st 2026, will consist of learning the plan-writing process. After the training day, you will have about 5 weeks, during which time you will study the Nursery Nutrient Management Training Manual and develop your plan. The Exam/Signoff Day will be at a location and on a date “to be announced”. This date will also be for reviewing your newly developed plan (or renewing your old plan). You must write a plan for Maryland Dept of Agriculture (MDA) to become certified. 

The process is relatively simple for small (or low-risk) operations, so if your operation size is less than 5 acres, we would strongly encourage you to think about becoming a certified operator.  If your operation is larger than 5 acres or you run a controlled environment, we would still encourage you to become a certified operator, even though the nutrient management process may be a little more complicated. For nutrient management consultants who wish to learn more about the process for developing nutrient management plans for greenhouses and container crop production, this workshop will offer 6 hours of continuing education credits. 

The cost for this program is $40.00 and includes program costs (including lunch) and the MDA exam fee ($20). For consultants not taking the exam, the cost is $20. Payment will be required at the beginning of the program. A check can be made out to University of Maryland. A receipt will be available. 

If you wish to register, please do so before September 25^th, 2026 by using this link HERE. If you have questions, please send an email to me or call me at 301-226-7835.  If you need any accommodations for this program, please contact me by September 21st.

Wye Research and Education Center is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, about 20 minutes from the Bay Bridge. A map to WyeREC can be found HERE. Note the circled area on the map; we will be at the WyeREC Office and Lab location.

Join University of Maryland Extension for a two-hour webinar evaluating capitalization versus expense decisions using current IRS guidance and court precedent. Determining whether a business cost should be expensed or capitalized is one of the most judgment-intensive and frequently challenged areas of tax compliance. The classification of expenditures directly affects taxable income, financial statements, audit risk, and long-term planning strategies—making it a critical issue for tax and accounting professionals. Presented by former IRS Technical Advisor and Certified Fraud Examiner Susan Harper. 

Join University of Maryland Extension for a two-hour webinar evaluating capitalization versus expense decisions using current IRS guidance and court precedent. Determining whether a business cost should be expensed or capitalized is one of the most judgment-intensive and frequently challenged areas of tax compliance. The classification of expenditures directly affects taxable income, financial statements, audit risk, and long-term planning strategies—making it a critical issue for tax and accounting professionals. Presented by former IRS Technical Advisor and Certified Fraud Examiner Susan Harper. 

The annual Advanced Landscape IPM PHC Short Course is a recertification short course for arborists, landscapers, IPM consultants, horticulturalists, professional gardeners, and others responsible for urban plant management. The course lectures will be in-person this year. In addition, there will be an in-person hands-on lab (available to a limited number of course attendees). Coordinators: Drs. Paula Shrewsbury and Mike Raupp, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland.​

Practical Experiences in Nutrient Management is a workshop conducted by the University of Maryland Extension Agricultural Nutrient Management Program that provides participants with hands-on farming and nutrient management related activities including yield and moisture estimates of grain crops, harvest machinery overview and demonstration, and compost and cover crop application to fields.

9:00-9:30 -     Registration

9:30-12:00 - This session will provide a practical overview of key post-season grain crop management and harvest evaluation activities. Participants will review common grain crop yield estimate procedures, examine a combine and its major components, and observe the machine harvesting a grain crop in the field. The program will also include a comparison of moisture readings taken with a hand test moisture meter and those recorded by the combine yield monitor to highlight accuracy and calibration considerations. In addition, attendees will see post-harvest field operations including compost application, broadcast seeding of a cover crop, and vertical tillage used to incorporate the compost and cover crop seed into the soil. 

12:00-12:30- Lunch

12:30-1:00-   MDA Nutrient Management Update

1:00-3:30-     This session will provide participants with an overview of vegetable production and harvest, and view the vegetable harvesting conveyor.  The program will end with an overview of the production of compost on the farm and the planning process for fall applications.

CEUs: 5.5 hours of credit toward consultants’ or operators’ continuing education requirement will be earned from full participation in this event.

Dining with Diabetes is a diabetes education program for adults with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes and their families. Dining with Diabetes teaches healthy meal planning and other self-management skills.  The Dining with Diabetes program is offered as a series of four weekly classes and one follow-up class after three months.  Each in-person session includes diabetes education and food tastings.