The Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board

wants to hear from you!

As we prepare to release our request for 2023 grant proposals, MGPUB would like grower feedback on the Board's identified priorities and welcomes your input on any additional research, education and market development needs.

Find Me Driving Campaign - Road Safety in Maryland

The Maryland Road Safety Campaign is a broad educational effort to decrease farm vehicle related crashes on public roads. The campaign brings awareness to the unique nature of driving near slow moving vehicles (SMVs), and safety measures to take when driving a SMV.

This grant sponsored work specifically focused towards SMV drivers. Educational resources have been developed, promoted and disseminated to reinforce steps required to operate farm equipment at its safest level when traveling on public roads. Safety checklist posters were created and made available at farm events and online. Facebook postings have promoted safe operating tips. A training video module with animated clips was created and posted on the campaign website for use by farm managers to promote safety with employees, promoted at meetings where SMV drivers are present, and shared through social media to highlight the importance of "Safety First".

This Road Safety Campaign is decreasing the number, cost and severity of farm vehicle related crashes on Maryland roads and improving the image of farmers as putting safety first when traveling roadways.

The Maryland Grain Producers are happy to fund this work with $8,500 for 2022.

Grain Bin Safety - Nationwide

As Maryland Grain Farmers continue to add grain bins on their farms, the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board wants to be proactive in helping to ensure their colleague’s safety. For 2022, the Utilization Board funded four grain bin rescue tubes through Nationwide’s annual program. Other program sponsors in Maryland funded four more tubes to be placed across the state this year.

Providing fire departments across rural Maryland with these tubes and training will allow our first responders to respond quickly and be prepared for grain bin entrapments. At this time, Nationwide has distributed five tubes across the state. The tubes are located in Funkstown, Centreville, Friendsville, Willards, and Jarrettsville.

Since 2014, this national program has received over 5,000 nominations and awarded tubes and trainings to over 207 fire departments in over 31 states. Five of those tubes have been used to save the lives of five farmers.