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11.09.04

By LINDA SIEMON

The Kent County Chamber of Commerce held its annual agricultural breakfast Nov. 4 at Great Oak Landing in Chestertown honoring the Steffy family, which was named the 2003 4-H Family of the Year for the state of Maryland. The Millington family of four was recognized for its contributions to the community through almost every area of 4-H including the most recent endeavor of livestock leasing. The Steffys were the first family in Kent County to receive the statewide honor.
Several members of agricultural organizations were also in attendance at the breakfast and spoke about how they are serving the farming community.
Sally Van Schaik, case manager for Delaware-Maryland AgrAbility, spoke about a program which helps the disabled farmer by adding features to farm equipment such as attaching extra steps or lifts to farm vehicles for those who can not get around as easily or incorporating hand controls for those who have had a spinal chord injury. The program which serves Maryland and Delaware began in 1998 and has helped more than 50 farmers with the help of grants from Easter Seals.
Two Kent County school teachers reported on the benefits of the Maryland agricultural license plates which are prevalent in the farming community. Cindy Briden and Judy Linn spoke about a workshop they attended in Westminster where they were able to tour farms and bring back agricultural books, DVDs and other classroom materials for their students as part of the Ag in the Classroom program funded by the sales of the license plates.
“Even though the children may live in an agricultural community, so many of the children are just not aware of what it’s all about,” said Cindy Briden.
Maryland State Conservationist David Doss of the U.S. Department of Agriculture spoke about several voluntary programs that are available for the farmer to take advantage of including EQUIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) which helps with nutrient management, animal waste systems, and pest management. The Agricultural Land Preservation Program is an easement program that allows farmers to protect their land by putting it into agricultural preservation. The Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program, Wetland Reserve Program and Grassland Reserve Program protects and restores wetlands and grasslands. The Conservation Security Program is a new program that was not funded nationally until last year. It awards farmers who have done well in conservation over the years. Awards can be granted in an annual payment amount up to $50,000 depending on the size of the farm.
Doss said the program is intended to “reward the best and motivate the rest.”