Advance Agricultural Production Systems

Commercial Vegetable Growers throughout the region are invited to the 2024 Eastern Shore Vegetable Growers Meeting offered by the University of Maryland Extension.

Speakers will present on crop variety trials, weed management, tomato variety survey, watermelon spacing trial, pumpkin research, sweet corn IPM, MDA updates, and more!

2024 Poultry Grower Expo!

This event will include a tradeshow and educational sessions throughout the day, including generator maintenance, controller training, energy savings, summer readiness, and more.

Enjoy a free lunch and fellowship.

MD and DE Nutrient Management Credits Offered

Biosecurity is essential!  Take all precautions with clothes and footwear.

Please contact with any questions: Jon Moyle, jmoyle@umd.edu, Jenny Rhodes, jrhodes@umd.edu, Maegan Perdue, mperdue@umd.edu, Jennifer Timmons, jtimmons1@umes.edu, Georgie Cartanza, cartanza@udel.edu, and/or Holly Porter at porter@dcachicken.com

Date:  Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Time:  9 AM - 2 PM
Location:  Somerset County Civic Center, Crisfield Lane, Princess Anne, MD 21853
Registration to attend:  https://bit.ly/42vnpyj
For Sponsorship Opportunities:  http://tinyurl.com/2024growerexpo

Hosted by The Delmarva Poultry Team, UME, UMES, UDEL, DCA

The 2024 Maryland 4-H Livestock Skillathon will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, 501 Perry Pkwy, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. 

Contest rules: Contest rules are available on the Maryland 4-H website at https://extension.umd.edu/programs/4-h-youth-development/program-areas/animal-sciences  (under Animal Science Events and Animal Science Resources sections). 

Eligibility/fees: The Livestock Skillathon is a contest where individuals compete. There are NO team entries. There will be a $5.00 entry fee for each contestant. There is no limit to the number of individuals each UME unit may enter in this contest.

LUNCH will be on your own. After completing all stations of their respective age divisions, contestants will be released for lunch (on your own) immediately. Awards will be presented beginning at approximately 2:00 pm. 

Youth do not need to own livestock to compete in this contest; to find out more, contact your local 4-H office.

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟰-𝗛 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗹

• ·Date: 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰
• ·Start Time: Registration begins at 9:00 am, and the contest begins at 10:00 am
• ·Location: Plant Sciences building, room 1140, Regents Drive, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
• ·Registration Closes: February 19, 2024

𝗘𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

Youth contestants and teen or adult coaches must have an approved enrollment in 4-H Online for the 2024 4-H program year. Youth Contestants must have yet to compete in the Horse Bowl contest at the Eastern National 4-H Horse Roundup (Louisville, KY) or Western National 4-H Horse Roundup.

Complete information and rules can be found on the Maryland 4-H website at https://go.umd.edu/HorseBowl

Feb 27 - Starting seeds inside
It's time to start seeding your transplants and we'll have our seed starting experts discuss how to do it

March 12 - Cool weather crops
This class will focus on spring and fall leafy greens and cole crops

March 26 - Cover crops and composting
We'll discuss beneficial gardening practices that can increase your soil health and fertility

April 9 - Intro to Gardening
This class will focus on the basics of gardening to kick off the season

April 23 - Cane Berries
We'll talk about blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and which cane berries make sense for you

May 7 - Everything Tomatoes
Everyone loves tomatoes, but there are so many types and varieties how do you choose? We'll also talk about best management practices, insect and disease.

This event is for professionals in the turf, nursery, and landscape industries. Pesticide and turf nutrient management credits will be available. Topics include controlling troublesome weeds, insect updates, pesticide safety, ornamental and turf disease reviews, equipment calibration, spill control, and updates from the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

This is a free half-day seminar from 8 am to 2 pm. The agenda for the day includes presentations covering key topics such as the direction and future of organic production, insights into organic grain markets, and navigating certification, regulations, and requirements. Additionally, there will be a farmer roundtable discussion featuring panelists representing various aspects of organic farming, including grain, vegetable, animal, and research. Light breakfast refreshments and lunch will be served.

The showcase aims to highlight our students' work and experiences through posters and/or physical displays. Guests, which will include industry partners, faculty, alumni, VIPs from around campus, and UMD students, will be able to walk through the showcase to see their projects.

Please join us on National Ag Day for a FREE film screening of this documentary film on soil health and climate change, hosted by UMD Extension and Talbot County in conjunction with the University of Delaware. The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion with conservation and farming experts who will discuss the film and answer audience questions.

When: Tuesday, March 19, 2024, from 6pm-8pm

Where: Avalon Theatre (40 E Dover St, Easton, MD 21601)

Register: Register at: https://forms.gle/d9xzaMkTvPqYFudp9

Farmers around the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays are leaders in environmental stewardship. Many of the practices are used to protect
and promote healthy soils while also safeguarding working lands against extremes posed by climate change. This film follows three
family-owned farming operations on the Delmarva Peninsula who all care about and depend on soil.

View the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J095-ClDT-k

Registration Includes:
• Course Materials (PowerPoint Slides & Handouts)

• Light breakfast & Lunch (covered by registration fee)

Who Should Attend?
Fruit and vegetable growers and others interested in learning about produce safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), and co-management of natural resources and food safety.

What to Expect at this Lab & Lecture?
The trainers will cover content related to Postharvest Handling and Sanitation.

The Lab & Lecture format involves a combination of traditional lecture-style learning (presentations with question & answer and discussion) and hands-on learning (expsoure to equipment, tools, faciities that provide practical knowledge for implementation of the lecture principles).

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn and discuss their questions with experienced professionals in the food safety realm from the University of Maryland Plant Science & Food Safety Lab, Univeristy of Maryland Extension, Virginia Tech Food Lab, the Acheson Group, Produce Safety Alliance, Food & Drug Administation, Maryland Department of Agriculture, and the Agriculture Law Education Initiaitve.

Agenda
7:30 – 8:00 am - Check-in & Breakfast

8:00 – 8:20 am - Welcome & Introduction

8:20 – 8:35 am - Regulatory Overview (Margaret Todd, Esq., ALEI)

8:35 – 9:15 am - Sanitation: Cleaning vs Sanitizing (Carol Allen, UMCP)

9:15- 9:45 am - Case Study: Harvest Equipment Outbreak (Dr. Meg Kirchner, FDA)

9:45- 10:15 am - Sanitary Design - Equipment and Tools Evaluation

10:15-10:20 am Break

10:20 -11:15 pm

11:15 - 12:00 pm - Break Out Session: Pack House Design Tour (UDC FIrebird Farm)

12:00 – 1:00 pm Lunch, provided

1:00 - 2:00 pm - Cleaning Chemistry (Dr. Laura Strawn, VTech)

2:00 – 3:00 pm - Sanitizer Chemistry (Dr. Laura Strawn, VTech)

3:00 – 3:15 pm Trivia Time

3:15 – 3:45 pm - Sanitation Verification

3:45 – 4:15 pm - Recordkeeping (UMCP/ALEI/FDA)

4:15 -4:30 pm - Developing your plan (Personal Notetaking time)

4:30- 5:00 pm - Open Discussion and Questions

Participation requirements for in-person attendees include:
• Participants are expected to complete and return course evaluations within one week of completing the course.

Funding for this series of work described in this article is supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award U2FFD007444 totaling $523,497 with 100 percent funded by FDA/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by FDA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.