Maryland Grain Producers Association Vice President Lenny Evan Miles, Jr. was one of fifteen corn growers from around the country who gathered in Minneapolis, Minn. recently for the first session of the NCGA Leadership Academy, co-sponsored by Syngenta. Upon completion of the program in January, the participants will join more than 500 colleagues who have graduated from this program in the past 30 years.

 

The farmers attending took part in public speaking exercises and social media advocacy training as well as association management skill building. In addition, the class enjoyed a look at the future trends that will impact the industry and a comprehensive economic forecast given by futurist Bob Treadway. Also offering presentations focused on core communications, the training provided not only tools but insight into how they can be applied most effectively.

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Farmers, researchers, and other industry representatives from Maryland and Delaware gathered at Layton’s Chance Winery in Vienna, MD to learn more about advances in the region in 4R Nutrient Management: source, rate, time and place and how they are being used to improve the environment and social and economic returns.

The morning started off with a presentation by UMD’s Dr. Jarrod Miller on the right source and place, then a presentation by UDE’s Dr. James Adkins on the right rate and time which included his research funded by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board. Dr. James Adkins and Dave Wharry of Hoober, Inc. gave a demonstration on how drone technology can be used to analyze crop conditions. The field day concluded with a farmer panel where William Layton, Jonathon Quinn, Daniel Rayne, and Jason Scott shared how they are using precision agriculture and other tools to implement the 4Rs on their farm. 

The Mid-Atlantic Certified Crop Advisor Program will be presenting an “Excellence in Crop Advising Award” for a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) from one of their five participating states (DE, MD, NJ, VA, and WV) nominated by customers, colleagues or an appropriate organization. The purpose of this regional award is to increase the public’s awareness that farmers and their advisers strive to do their best in not only making economically sound cropping decisions but also ones that are environmentally sound. This award program is a great opportunity to recognize a Mid-Atlantic Certified Crop Adviser in the Mid-Atlantic for their outstanding work with their farm customers. Nomination deadline has been extended to September 15, 2017.

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The Soil Health Partnership has endorsed a set of 19 soil health measurements, encouraging the agriculture industry to quickly adopt them. Once widely adopted, the indicators are expected to help farming become more sustainable and precise in areas such as nutrient management. An initiative of NCGA, the Soil Health Partnership is a data-driven program working to quantify the benefits of practices that support soil health. Research shows that the benefits of improving soil health include: Improved crop yield, enhanced water quality, increased drought resilience and flood resistance, and decreased greenhouse gas emissions.

After three years of collaboration with scientific and agricultural partners, the Soil Health Institute has announced its endorsement of the “Tier 1” national soil health measurements. Examples of the specific Tier 1 measures include organic carbon, pH, and available water holding capacity. 

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