Anne Arundel County UME News

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Anne Arundel County UME Newsletter

November-December 2022

Happy Holidays from your friends at the Anne Arundel

County Extension Office!

Mark Your Calendar!

Private Pesticide Applicator Certification Training/Exam

January 3/17, 2023

6:00-8:00 PM

Anne Arundel UME

Click here to register.

Office closures:

December 26 - Christmas Day (observed)

January 2 - New Year's Day (observed)

January 16: Martin Luther King's Birthday

Master Your Health Goals During the Holidays

Dhruti Patel, Senior Agent

Family & Consumer Sciences

Here we are, friends! We are in a midst of the holidays, enjoying and planning for a wonderful time this year with your friends and family. And you are still keeping up with staying healthy or are thinking about starting a new health routine? The great thing about our health goals is that we can always set and practice them from where we are. Whether you are a beginner, in process, advanced level, or a returning member of your health journey, there is always a possibility for you to improve and maintain your health.

However, it does get challenging during the holidays. Holidays are getting closer, and we all know how easy it is to get derailed from our health goals. But does it have to be that way? Can’t we enjoy our holidays and yet make sure we are not straying away from our goals? The answer is YES. The overarching tip is to “be prepared.” Make sure to create practical ways to eat right or move more that works for your lifestyle.

Keep some techniques in your pocket that can help you troubleshoot abrupt plans and missed days. Having goals doesn’t have to be a punishment, it should be a journey. So let me share the tried and true tips that have saved my health goals and still let me enjoy festivities.

Create clear goals and get precise: “I will start exercising next week” vs “I will exercise at least three times a week for an hour in the mornings.” Which of these goals sounds more effective to you? Your clear goals are going to help you prepare even better.

Create a calendar: This technique has saved me from missing exercise activities and overindulging in food. Look at your calendar or create a new calendar to find available slots and add your exercise time. I usually do this on Sundays for the entire week. However, our lives don’t always run by calendar so make sure to be flexible and change up the schedule if you need to. For example, maybe choose a different time to go to the gym or walk if your day is hectic. Also, allow yourself to have a cheat day and add that to your calendar as well.

To continue reaching on the tips of mastering your health goals during holidays, go to our University Maryland Extension’s Breathing Room blog.

Anne Arundel Agriculture News

R. David Myers, Extension Agent

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Nutrient Management Program Update

Anne Arundel is in the process of hiring a Nutrient Management Advisor; therefore, the program is currently being operated under a “Shared Interim Coverage Agreement." When you are ready to update your nutrient management plan, please contact Emileigh Lucas, Nutrient Management Communications Specialist to have an advisor assigned to you, at: erosso@umd.edu or 301-405-2465.

In order to accommodate all of the producers that need nutrient management plans developed for the 2023 growing season, here are some recommended deadlines for nutrient management plan development, depending on your specific type of operation:

Prior to January 1st: Operations that utilize commercial fertilizer only (no manure or organic nutrients) should aim to have their nutrient management plan in-hand by this date.
After February 1st: Plan-writing prioritizes operations that utilize manure as a nutrient source, which require a manure sample collected as close to application time as possible.

Nutrient management plans must be completed prior to planting and nutrient applications. March 1st is the MDA regulatory date of when spring nutrient applications may begin, assuming the ground isn’t frozen, saturated, or covered with snow greater than one inch.

Nutrient management plans are required for all operations that make or exceed $2,500 Gross Annual Income and/or have 8 or more animal units (1 animal unit = 1,000 lbs.). For soil sampling instructions and a list of labs that analyze soil and manure, please visit the Anne Arundel Nutrient Management website: CLICK HERE

Anne Arundel Extension

Urban Farming Research Clinic

The Urban Farming Research Clinic was created as part of the Anne Arundel and Prince George's Urban Farming Workgroup. This group is committed to leading the urban farming initiative by planning educational workshops and projects like the Urban Farming Research Clinic to help urban farmers with topic areas such as business planning, land access, and integrated pest management. The project began in April of 2022. Visit the Anne Arundel Extension Urban Farming Research Clinic Website, Click Here.

Three varieties of pumpkins (Rhea, Iron Man, and Gladiator), Indian Corn, Popcorn, and Sunflowers have been planted for the 2022 season. Golden German Foxtail Millet was planted on June 6th as a cover crop in the area where a high tunnel will be assembled for spring 2023.

At the Urban Farming Research Clinic an integrated pest and weed management approach is used to control pests and weeds. Integrated pest management focuses on the long-term

prevention of pests and their damage. The herbicides that have been applied are Poast®, Dual®, AAtrex®, and Sandea®. Learn more about IPM, Click Here.

The definition of Urban Agriculture that is provided by the Environmental Protection Agency states: “Urban Agriculture is a part of the local food system where food is produced within an urban area and marketed to customers within that area”. Urban Agriculture is an environmentally sustainable way for farmers to generate income in a smaller area. It allows access to food security while reducing the transportation costs of transporting food. Learn more about Urban Agriculture in Extension, Click Here.

Anne Arundel Extension Urban Farming Research Clinic

Activity Log 2022

By Makayla Kret, UMD Student Intern

Month of April 2022

The Urban Farming Research Clinic began in April of 2022. It was created as part of the Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Urban Farming Work Group as a way to follow the urban farming initiative. The two- acre plot is located only a few steps away from the Anne Arundel County office!

There's much work that must be done before the land is ready for planting. The biggest challenge so far has been leveling out and cleaning up the plot to be ready for planting. The plot had been untouched for 10 to 15 years before this project began. The area was bush-hogged to maintain the overgrowth more easily, prior to moldboard plowing and disking.

Month of May 2022

To get a better idea of the condition of the soil, a soil sample was taken on May 26th. Click Here to view the results of the soil sample collected on this day. Click Here to view the nutrient management plan that was developed for the project.

Month of June

This month was busy! The first to be planted was Golden German Foxtail Millet on June 6th. The next day, June 7th, all three varieties of pumpkins (Gladiator, Iron Man, and Rhea), Indian corn, Popcorn, and sunflowers were planted. Two rows of sunflowers were placed as boarder rows between the other crops. The first herbicide application took place on the same day of planting, Dual® herbicide and Poast® herbicide were applied. These are pre-emergent herbicides that were sprayed with a broadcast sprayer.

Fertilizer was applied two weeks after planting on June 21st, and 200 lbs of gypsum and 200 lbs urea were applied to the pumpkins, sunflowers, and corn. On the same day, 80 lbs of urea and 200 lbs of gypsum were applied to the millet.

Three weeks after planting, on June 29th, Sandea® herbicide was sprayed with a broadcast sprayer on the pumpkins only to control escaped morning glory and yellow nutsedge. The sunflower rows were hoed for the first time three weeks after planting on June 29th.

Month of July

This month was spent controlling weeds! The second round of hoeing took place five weeks after planting on July 13th. This time all rows were hoed to control weed growth. On June 20th, 7 weeks after planting, Poast® herbicide was applied to the pumpkins for Bermudagrass control. This application was a spot treatment applied with a backpack sprayer. No fungicides have been applied to date. We are currently monitoring the plot weekly. We are monitoring for potential problems like disease or pests. So far, no fungicides are needed. Weed control for the project was excellent with the judicious use of herbicides combined with hand hoeing of escaped weeds.

Unfortunately, near the end of July the field flooded twice during two rainfall events, both exceeding 5 inches, leading to phytophthora losses in the pumpkins. The damage was most noticeable in the larger varieties Rhea and Gladiator. It was also evident that native pollinators alone were not enough for uniform fruit set in the pumpkin patches. Groundhog and deer damage were also considerable in the pumpkins.

Month of August

Scouting and monitoring the crop though August, a decision to spray the pumpkins for disease was made on July 9th and then again on September 1st. On each occasion two fungicides, Pristine® and Rally® were applied to the pumpkin patches, when conditions for rampant infection of powdery mildew and downy mildew occurred. Insects remained below thresholds and no insecticides were required on any of the crops. A couple heavy and gusty thunderstorm in August did lodge some of the Indian corn; The popcorn was unaffected.

Months of September to October

Looking ahead to harvest, no additional pesticides were applied. There was a planned Anne Arundel Extension Fall Harvest Party to be held on Friday, October 14th from 1:00- 5:00. Over 120 attended the event. Fall Cover crop cereal Rye planted on October 28, 2022.

Month of November

Construction of the new high tunnel begins on November 8, 2022

Give Yourself Some "Breathing Room"

Life is stressful and all you want is a break.

So, take a breath…

“Breathing Room” is a place where Educators from the University of Maryland Extension share tips, hacks, and information to help make your life a tiny bit easier.

Come visit us to give yourself a little breathing room.

Visit https://breathingroom.umd.edu for more information.

Healthy Eating - Lemon and Herb Chicken

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

8 pieces of skinless chicken, about 2 pounds

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients except chicken to make the marinade. Put chicken and marinade in a large zip-top food-storage bag and seal the bag. Refrigerate the bag of chicken for at least 4 hours, but not more than 24 hours before cooking. Remove chicken from bag and throw away the bag and the marinade. Heat grill or preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grill chicken 10 to 15 minutes (or until internal temperature is 165 degrees F), turning once during cooking, or bake chicken on a baking pan in the oven for 40-45 minutes.

Source: extension.umd.edu/programs/family-consumer-sciences/snap-ed/eat-smart

Join Anne Arundel County 4-H

Did you visit the Anne Arundel County Fair this year? Did you wonder what in the world 4-H is all about? Do you have children between 8 and 18 or know someone who does? If so, it's easy to learn more! Visit our website or email the the Anne Arundel County 4-H office at gsumbrum@umd.edu."4-H makes the best better!"

Become an Anne Arundel County Master Gardener

Interested in becoming a Master Gardener? Master Gardeners are a group of gardening enthusiasts who are passionate about gardening, education, and volunteering in their community. The curriculum is presented by University of Maryland Extension faculty and trained Master Gardeners.

Click here for more information.