MARYLAND GRAIN PRODUCERS
Grain News & Updates
Visit Us at Maryland State Fair!
Are you headed to the Maryland State Fair this week? Be sure to stop by the Innovation Station, located next to the Farm and Garden Building, to see the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board exhibit. This year's exhibit focuses on the benefits of clean air that come from the use of ethanol. While there, children can participate in a hands-on activity and make their own kite, sponsored by Port Discovery. The Maryland State Fair will run through next Monday, September 3, 2018. We hope to see you there!
USDA Trade Aid Announced Today
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced details of actions the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will take to assist farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation by foreign nations. As announced last month, USDA will authorize up to $12 billion in programs, consistent with World Trade Organization obligations. Initial payment rates will be: Corn - $0.01/bu, Soybeans - $1.65/bu, Sorghum - $0.86/bu, Wheat - $0.14/bu. These initial payment rates will be based on 50% of production. A second payment rate may be announced later for the remaining 50%. Payments will be capped per person or legal entity at a combined $125,000 for corn, sorghum, soybeans and wheat.  

Interested producers can apply after harvest is 100 percent complete and they can report their total 2018 production. Beginning September 4th of this year, MFP applications will be available online or by contacting your local FSA office. Producers will be able to submit their MFP applications in person, by email, fax, or by mail.

Eligible applicants must have an ownership interest in the commodity, be actively engaged in farming, and have an average adjusted gross income (AGI) for tax years 2014, 2015, and 2016 of less than $900,000. Applicants must also comply with the provisions of the “Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation” regulations. On September 4, 2018, the first MFP payment periods will begin. The second payment period, if warranted, will be determined by the USDA.


Maryland Farmer Grows Leadership through Training Program
John Bruning of Snow Hill joined growers from around the nation who gathered in Raleigh, N.C. earlier this month for the first session of the NCGA Leadership Academy, co-sponsored by Syngenta. This year's class includes 21 aspiring leaders, one of the largest classes on record. Upon completion of the program in January, the participants will join more than 600 colleagues who have graduated from this program in the past 30 years.
 
This year's class represents a new approach to collaboration for the program, including up-and-coming leaders both from NCGA and the American Soybean Association.
 
At the meeting, participants got an up-close look at NCGA from President Kevin Skunes, a Leadership Academy alumnus. Skunes also provided an insightful examination of the main issues facing the association, and the nation's corn farmers, today.

4R Alliance Partners with Extension to Host Successful Field Day
The Delaware-Maryland 4R Alliance and University of Maryland Extension hosted over 135 farmers, agribusiness professionals, and academic and conservation partners at their 4R Technology Field Day on August 15, 2018 at the Wye Research and Education Center in Queenstown, Maryland. The framework for the 4R’s of Nutrient Stewardship (Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time, and Right Place) were first established by The Fertilizer Institute to advance economic, environmental, and social well-being of farms. Maryland and Delaware farmers are considered leaders in nutrient management and the Delaware-Maryland 4R Alliance seeks to inspire them to go even further toward economic and environmental sustainability. Ken Staver, Director of the Wye Research and Education Center (WREC) welcomed the crowd by encouraging them to “go beyond the surface and really dig into the topics, ask a lot of questions.”

At Wednesday’s event, participants interacted with extension educators and agribusiness professionals at four stations featuring source, rate, timing and placement of fertilizer. Dr. Nicole Fiorellino, new agronomist with the University of Maryland (UMD), focused on ideal placement and timing of fertilizer in order to put the nutrient right where the crop can utilize them. Former Mid-Atlantic Master Farmer Bobby Hutchison had a breakthrough moment during her talk and told Fiorellino, “I think you just solved one of my mysteries. I thought my issue had to do with nitrogen deficiency but it sounds like it could be phosphorus placement,” said Hutchison.

NCGA Joins Efforts to Block WOTUS
Last week, a federal judge ruled that the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers improperly suspended the Obama-era “waters of the U.S. rule,” allowing it to take effect in 26 states where it has not been blocked by court order. Following this announcement, the National Corn Growers Association joined a broad coalition of agriculture organizations in asking the federal district court to suspend its order striking the rule. The coalition warned of the “patchwork regulatory regime” created by allowing implementation of the WOTUS rule in about half the nation.
 
“Enormously consequential national regulations like the WOTUS rule—which subject commonplace activities involved in building, farming, and pest management to a complex and burdensome federal permitting and enforcement scheme—should not apply differently depending on whether the activity happens to be located on one side of a state line or the other,” the organizations wrote in their filing with the court.
NCGA Members Save on Back to School Essentials at Office Depot
Right now, farm families across the country are preparing for the upcoming school year. That is why the National Corn Growers Association reminds members that they can save on their school supply needs through the association’s partnership with Office Depot. Online and in-store, NCGA members are eligible for special discounts on the products necessary to help their families prepare for another successful school year.
 
The benefit offers members discounts on already low Office Depot prices and provides the flexibility to shop online and at any of their retail locations with the Store Purchasing Card. Additionally, members can receive free next-day shipping on orders over $50.

Register by  clicking here  to either shop online or print out a discount card for in-store shopping.
Stand Up for Grain Markets!
NOW is the time to make your voice heard and submit comments on important issues including restoring the RFS, strengthening markets for farmers and maintaining a strong Farm Bill.