Hot News

6.17.2008

By STEPHANIE JORDAN
Associate Editor

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Farm Bill and the 2008-09 Winter Cover Crop Program were the two main items discussed by the Maryland Ag Commission at its monthly meeting on June 11.
Also on the agenda was a special meeting next month, in place of its monthly meeting, that will be a review of the implementation of “A Statewide Plan for Agricultural Policy and Resource Management,” a plan that was put together as a result of the Governor’s Ag Forum in 2006.
The plan, which was presented to then-Secretary of Agriculture Lew Riley by the commission, detailed more than 100 recommendations to help the agricultural industry remain viable in the state of Maryland.
On July 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the commission will take a look at the report and examine the progress of those recommendations.
For more information about the event or to register, participants are urged to contact MDA at 410-841-5700.
The commission heard two presentations on the Farm Bill, from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and American Farmland Trust (AFT).
Charles Ingram, director of legislative and regulatory affairs for NASDA, gave the commission an update of the status of the Farm Bill and an overview of several titles in the more-than-1,500-page document.
Because of a clerical error, only 14 out of 15 titles in the bill were passed by Congress, vetoed by President George W. Bush and then the veto overridden by Congress; those 14 will become law.
The trade title, which was left out, was passed by both houses of Congress and is expected to be vetoed by the president.
Ingram said he expects the override vote to be taken within the next week or so.
The Farm Bill expands and adds a variety of programs, including first-time horticultural and organic and energy titles, more money for farmland protection, a permanent disaster program and more money for schoolchildren and seniors for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Ingram said there is some speculation in Washington, D.C., that the new Congress to be elected in November could begin work on a new Farm Bill, but he said that is unlikely it will start this early.
“Congress never does anything in a hurry,” he said. “People are worn out from this one. We all have a lot of bruises.”
Ingram did say he is concerned about a possible overhaul of USDA, as suggested by U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, who has said that the agency needs to be moved into the 21st Century.
Dennis Nuxoll, director of government relations for AFT, talked to the commission about funding from the Farm Bill that will be funneled directly to the Chesapeake Bay region.
Priority watersheds that will receive funding first are the Susquehanna, Shenandoah, Potomac and Patuxent.
He also spoke of increased funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which is administered by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
USDA, through the Farm Bill, also gets authority to explore possibilities in carbon and water quality trading.
Royden Powell, MDA assistant secretary of resource conservation, updated members of the commission on the department’s cover crop program.
Sign-up for the program begins on Monday, June 23 and ends Tuesday, July 8.
There were some changes to the program this year, partly due to increased funding; the program has $18 million available to farmers, which is double the funds from last year (monies are available from the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund, Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund and general and reimbursement funds).
“We don’t want to give this money back,” Powell said. “We want to demonstrate farmers’ commitment.”
For the Traditional Cover Crop Program, there are no acreage limits, and qualified participants can receive up to $85 per acre enrolled
There is a 300-acre limit in the Commodity Cover Crop Program, although standby acreage will be accepted at the time of sign-up, and participants can receive up to $30 per acre.
Farmers receive more incentives from the cover crop program by following practices that science has shown to work best.
“We’re getting the most bang for our buck,” Powell said.
Participants in the Traditional Cover Crop Program will receive $45 per acre as a base; if located in a targeted watershed, $10 per acre is added to the base.
Farmers receive another $5 per acre if they plant a cover crop after corn, vegetables and tobacco, and another $5 per acre if they plant rye as their cover crop.
Managing manure also can grant farmers $5 per acre on top of the other funding, bringing the total up to $70 an acre.
To get up to the $85 per acre, farmers receive additional money for planting by Oct. 15, and even more money if they plant by Oct. 1.
Luke Howard, who represents organics on the commission, presided over his last meeting as chairman.
Gene Roberts, the current vice-chairman who represents turf, will become chairman.
Roberts presented him with a proclamation on behalf of Secretary of Agriculture Roger Richardson.