Advance Agricultural Production Systems

Farmer Training & Certification (FTC)

For Agronomic Crop and Animal Operations

Winter/Spring 2025 Sessions

Description: An opportunity for producers with cropland and pastures in Maryland who meet the minimum requirements ($2,500 gross agricultural income or 8 animal units) to learn how to write their own nutrient management plan (NMP). Interested producers may attend one of four sessions, see registration information below. Upon completion of this course producers will become certified to write their operation’s plan and will also fulfill the nutrient applicator voucher training requirements.
Time and Certification: This course requires a significant time commitment. Larger, more complicated farm operations and those with high phosphorus soil test levels and multiple sources of organic amendments may require additional training. Additional optional opportunities will be announced for each session during training. Farmers are required to have current soil and manure/organic tests prior to the training. To become certified, farmers must complete all coursework, pass the certification exam, and have their first nutrient management plan approved by MDA.

Before registering, ensure you have the required materials and skills:

• Required Materials/Technology
  • Reliable internet connection
  • Email address
  • Computer with Windows 7 or later (NuMan Pro software is not compatible with Mac)
  • Printer (provided for in-person courses)
  • Microsoft Word and Excel
  • PDF reader software
  • Webcam (for online course)
• Required Skills
  • Competency in high school math
  • Intermediate computer skills including:
    • Web browsing
    • MS Office programs (Word, Excel), PDF readers
    • Ability to download/open/save computer files
    • Ability to learn a new software program (NuMan Pro)

Cost and Accommodation:

• Space is limited, register early. Registration will close one week prior to the course date or when capacity is reached.
• Cost for the course is a $20 exam fee (to be paid directly to MDA following registration, no later than 2 weeks before the start of the course) and $25 for NuMan Pro software.
• If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this training, please contact Kayla Griffith (kmgriffi@umd.edu) no later than two weeks prior to the start of the course.

Registration: Below are the four sessions that will be available during the winter and spring 2025. Register for one session only. Please pay particular attention to location, sessions are in-person or online only, there is no hybrid option. Registration is first come, first serve for those who have updated soil tests and manure tests (if applicable). Instructors reserve the right to cancel sessions that do not meet minimum registration requirements. Lunch will not be provided for in-person sessions, please plan accordingly.

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.

University of Maryland Extension, the Maryland-Delaware Forage Council, Penn State Extension, and the Pennsylvania Forage and Grasslands Council invite forage producers, grazers, livestock owners, and associated industry personnel to attend the upcoming Tri-State Forage Conference in Grantsville, MD on January 22, 2025.

Topics for the conference will include:

• Mineral Nutrition and Practical Feeding Considerations
• Matching Mineral Nutrition to Livestock Needs
• Integrating Annual Forages as a Drought Management Strategy
• and more!

Morning refreshments will be available, and lunch is included in the price of the ticket. Doors will open at 8:30 am, and the meeting will start at 9 am.

Participants will be able to earn nutrient management certification credits and private and commercial pesticide applicator credits (amounts will be updated once credits are approved).

Registration is required to attend. Early bird pricing is available through January 13th. Attendees also have the option to renew or become a member of the Maryland-Delaware Forage Council with the purchase of a ticket to the forage conference (and receive a $5 discount off the cost of membership!). Payment is accepted by credit card or check payable to the Maryland-Delaware Forage Council.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. If you have questions or need a reasonable accommodation to participate in any event or activity, please contact us at 301-334-6960.

University of Maryland Extension and the Maryland-Delaware Forage Council invite forage producers, grazers, livestock owners, and associated industry personnel to attend the upcoming Central Maryland Forage Conference in Mt. Airy, MD on January 23, 2025.

Topics for the conference will include:

• Mineral Nutrition and Practical Feeding Considerations
• Matching Mineral Nutrition to Livestock Needs
• Integrating Annual Forages as a Drought Management Strategy
• and more!

Morning refreshments will be available, and lunch is included in the price of the ticket. Doors will open at 8:30 am, and the meeting will start at 9 am.

Participants will be able to earn nutrient management certification credits and private and commercial pesticide applicator credits (amounts will be updated once credits are approved).

Registration is required to attend. Early bird pricing is available through January 14th. Attendees also have the option to renew or become a member of the Maryland-Delaware Forage Council with the purchase of a ticket to the forage conference (and receive a $5 discount off the cost of membership!). Payment is accepted by credit card or check payable to the Maryland-Delaware Forage Council.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. If you have questions or need a reasonable accommodation to participate in any event or activity, please contact us at 301-600-3576.

University of Maryland Extension and the Maryland-Delaware Forage Council invite forage producers, grazers, livestock owners, and associated industry personnel to attend the upcoming Southern Maryland Forage Conference in Prince Frederick, MD on January 21, 2025.

Topics for the conference will include:

• Mineral Nutrition and Practical Feeding Considerations
• Matching Mineral Nutrition to Livestock Needs
• Integrating Annual Forages as a Drought Management Strategy
• Reestablishing Forages after Drought-BMP's for Success
• Digging a Little Deeper-Understanding Soil Fertility Recs for Forages
• Pests and Diseases in Forage Crops-What to Watch For

Morning refreshments will be available, and lunch is included in the price of the ticket. Doors will open at 8:30 am, and the meeting will start at 9 am.

Participants will be able to earn nutrient management certification credits and private and commercial pesticide applicator credits (amounts will be updated once credits are approved).

Registration is required to attend. Early bird pricing is available through January 12th. Attendees also have the option to renew or become a member of the Maryland-Delaware Forage Council with the purchase of a ticket to the forage conference (and receive a $5 discount off the cost of membership!). Payment is accepted by credit card or check payable to the Maryland-Delaware Forage Council.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. If you have questions or need a reasonable accommodation to participate in any event or activity, please contact us at 301-475-4484.

Grain farmers and ag professionals are encouraged to join University of Maryland Extension for this educational program focusing on production agronomy. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. and the program starts at 9:30 a.m. Guest speakers include regional experts and University of Maryland faculty covering topics such as: Ag law and regulatory update; PFAS in farmland; Weed management updates; Tar spot update and pest management strategies; Regional ag agency and agribusiness updates; and MDA pesticide and nutrient management update

You're invited to the 8th Annual Urban Farmer Winter Meeting, organized by UMD Extension.
Attend this annual professional development event to be updated on the latest local issues and research results.

This year we will meet at Allen AME Church, in Baltimore, MD. A big thank you to them for allowing us to meet in their space this year.

Draft agenda:
- Panel on land access
- Allen AME's experiences with community development through gardening
- Updates from new Urban Agriculture Extension Specialists
- Preliminary results of rainwater harvesting and treatment research
- Dinner and networking
More to be announced soon!

Registration and attendance options
In person attendance is capped at 60. This event will also be broadcast online. In the event of inclement weather, we will move the event fully online.

Registration is $15, plus eventbrite fees. This registration fee enables us to pay for dinner for in-person attendees and for the broadcast equipment to enable online attendance.

If this cost is a financial barrier to your participation, please fill out this scholarship application: https://ume.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5BwkBtD8wSdTNdQ

Learning sessions in weed control, grain production, cover cropping, drone spraying and carbon in Maryland soils.

MD and DE continuing education credits in nutrient management, private and commercial pesticide applicator and CCA.

Free event! Light Breakfast starting at 8:00am and a hot lunch.

For questions or to request special accommodations email Sarah Hirsh at shirsh@umd.edu by Jan 8, 2025

This course is designed for people in Maryland who are considering or in the beginning stages of starting a farm as a business.
A 10 week online course covering the foundational topics an aspiring farmer in Maryland should know.
Classes will meet on Thursday evenings, from 7 to 8:30 pm, from February 13 through April 17, 2025 online.
Course registration is $60 plus eventbrite fees of $5.87. Two people from the same family/couple may attend the course under one registration. If the registration fee is is a financial barrier, please fill out the scholarship application available through the registration link.

Welcome to the Maryland Beginning Farmer Success Online Course.

The course starts February 13, 2025 and ends April 17, 2025.

Each week there will be some required material, and some optional electives. Required material will be on core topics necessary for all kinds of aspiring farmers to have some knowledge about. Electives will offer you the opportunity to explore your unique interests and dig into more advanced material.

To incentivize completing the course,
students who complete the week's required material by noon on Thursday will be entered into a drawing to be mailed a book on a farming related topic.
Students who complete all the required material by 5 pm EST April 24, 2025 will get a certificate of completion.
Each Thursday night, from 7 to 8:30 pm, we will have a live class. All classes will be held online via the software Zoom.

At this field day you will get to see a rainwater harvesting system built onto a high tunnel (hoop house), which uses gutters, IBC totes, and rain barrels to collect and store rainwater. A drip irrigation system then waters crops in the high tunnel with the collected rainwater. The system also tests two different water treatment technologies to reduce the risk of human pathogens affecting the crops being irrigated with the rainwater.

This demonstration and research project is funded by USDA-NIFA and has been implemented by a multi-organization team led by Dr. Rachel Rosenberg Goldstein's Water Quality, Outreach, and Wellness Lab: https://sph.umd.edu/research-impact/laboratories-projects-and-programs/…