Queenstown, Maryland (January 11, 2023) – The Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board Funding Committee met earlier this month to hear a number of proposal presentations and voted to fund 46 grants. Check-off funded grants fulfill the Grain Producers’ mission to increase the profitability of Maryland grain production and to improve public understanding of agriculture through promotion, education, and research.

The Utilization Board is made up of grain farmers from across the state, representing our six regions. These farmers are dedicating their time and knowledge to the future of Maryland Grain Production by keeping their neighbors profitability in mind while considering each proposal. There was great discussion around triticale, plant timing of wheat, the image of Maryland farmers, road safety, and biologicals!

Newly elected President, Steve Ernst said, “this year the board was very dedicated to educating our youth, keeping our farmers safe, staying involved nationally, and investigating new crop management strategies. It was great to see the Queen Anne’s County FFA Chapter in person, standing strong in their blue jackets, showcasing a positive image for the future of agriculture.”

Funding is provided by Maryland grain farmers through the state check-off program voted on every five years. Grain elevators collect check-off on each bushel of corn, wheat, barley, oats, sorghum, canola, and rye produced and sold in Maryland.

Summaries on every grant will be spotlighted on our website and bi-weekly to our listserv. For 2022 summaries and findings, be sure to keep an eye out for our annual Grain Store! If you would be interested in receiving email updates, please contact our team.

Queenstown, Maryland (October 17, 2022) – The Maryland Grain Producers Association (MGPA) is providing three different opportunities with seven scholarships, totaling $15,000. The three different opportunities are now open and broken down below:

• Three $3,000 scholarships to MGPA members studying for a 2 or 4-year degree.
• Two $2,000 scholarships to MGPA members studying for a 2 or 4-year degree.
• Two $1,000 scholarships for non-MGPA members studying agriculture in a 2 or 4-year program.

Scholarships are funded by the Maryland Grain Checkoff program and approved by the Utilization Board each year. “We value our grain members and adding the Grain Member Scholarship offers another member benefit for our producer families.” Says MGPA President, Melvin Baile Jr. “The board also recognizes and accepts those interested in agriculture but didn’t have the opportunity to be raised on a grain farm, with the Grain Production Scholarship.”

Applications for the three different scholarships are available online and are due January 31st. Those who apply for the Maryland Grain Honoree Scholarship are also eligible for the National Corn Growers Scholarship. For more information, visit marylandgrain.org. Please contact our office with any questions.

Queenstown, Maryland (October 12, 2022) – The Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board is seeking proposals from universities, organizations, and individuals to help fulfill its mission to increase the profitability of Maryland grain production and to improve the public understanding of agriculture.

Each year, third parties are eligible to submit grant proposals for the upcoming year covering education, market development, or research from checkoff collected grains – corn, wheat, barley, sorghum, and rapeseed/canola. The utilization board, made up of industry representatives, university staff, and grain farmers from across the state, reviews proposals and hear from applicants before selecting 2023 recipients.

“Our board values the grant number of proposals each year. Seeing the new ideas being brought to the table showcases how forward-thinking our industry is” says President, John Bruning. “We are excited to see what is to come this next calendar year.”

Proposals will be accepted until November 18, 2022, and funded grants will be announced in February 2023. To view 2022 recipients, check out our website here. For more information and to apply, please email Maryland Grain Producers Administrator, Marguerite Guare at marguerite.mdag@gmail.com.

Centreville, Maryland (July 29, 2022) – The twenty-forth annual Maryland Commodity Classic was held in person on Thursday, July 28th at the Queen Anne’s County 4-H Park. Over 280 farmers, sponsors, and allied agribusiness representatives enjoyed the event and the networking opportunities it provided. The Maryland Grain Producers Association (MGPA), Maryland Soybean Board (MSB), Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board (MGPUB), and the Mid-Atlantic Soybean Association (MASA) co-sponsor and host the annual event.

The day began at 9:00 AM with a research presentation by Dr. Vijay Tiwari’s research assistant, Adam Schoen on the wheat and barley research and variety trials at the University of Maryland funded by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board. Participants also enjoyed presentations by Andy Kness (University of Maryland) and Jarrod Miller (University of Delaware). To end the morning session, Ryan Krabill from Medius Ag educated farmers on how to access the variety trial research that is being funded through MGPUB. Throughout the park, event sponsors, MGPUB and MSB funded grantees, and farmers networked and enjoyed catching up. A local 4-H club served lunch while the Queen Anne’s County FFA Chapter sold snow cones!

At 1:30 PM the business meeting began with updates from MGPUB President John Bruning, MSB Chair Josh Appenzeller, and MGPA President Melvin Baile. Baile emphasized the importance of farmers having relationships with their legislators and being able to reach out to them when legislation impacting their farms is being considered. Anne Thompson with the National Corn Growers Association gave a policy update on E-15, 2023 farm bill reauthorization, and current bills regarding glyphosate. Steve Mercer of U.S. Wheat Associates provided a trade update. Mercer stated that last year the United States exports were up 1 billion tons, although over the past 5 years the world has produced less wheat. The meeting ended with Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Dr. Jewel H. Bronaugh, who discussed the efforts that are being made to expand broadband access in rural areas. She ended by thanking Maryland farmers for their hard work and dedication and stating “American farmers are the best in the world.” To finish the annual event, all enjoyed chicken and pork BBQ prepared by Sisters by Chance catering and a Crab Feast by Harris’ Seafood.

We would like to thank all of the sponsors for the support and attendees for making this a great event.

During the annual event, the Maryland Grain Producers Association awarded the Dr. James R. Miller award to a deserving individual. This year’s honoree is Mark Fuchs. Read more about our annual award and Mark here.

To support the next generation in agriculture, the Maryland Grain Producers awarded five scholarships in the amount of $3,000 each to association members. This year’s recipients were Alexis Langenfelder of Worton, Parker Miller of Kennedyville, Caroline Wilson of East New Market, Chad Patterson of Chestertown, and Makenzie Hereth of Woodbine. Read more about our annual scholarship program and our 2022 recipients here.

Queenstown, Maryland (July 6, 2022) – Starting in fall of 2022, the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) is having its first opportunity for students in agronomy to explore careers and build relationships with mentors. Professor Dr. Bill Pillips has worked closely with a number of agriculture organizations to find a diverse group of mentors to work closely with students in the UMCP agronomy program.

Six career mentors in the agronomy field will speak during normal lecture hours on their daily duties and be given the opportunity for discussion. Each student will then be paired with one mentor in their desired career area. The mentors will assist students by passing along knowledge gained through years in agronomy. This will allow students to gain experience in this field and build relationships across the industry.

“Agronomy covers a broad spectrum of careers,” says John Bruning, President of Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board. “Working closely with students to showcase career opportunities will build their profile and better prepare them for the career field.”

The Maryland Grain Producers and Mid-Atlantic Certified Crop Advisers are working closely with Dr. Bill Phillips to find mentors willing to work with students. Mentors that are being considered include a grain farmer, a broiler farmer, an equipment dealership manager, a certified crop adviser, a communications director, and an agribusiness professional.

If you would be interested in speaking at this course and mentoring students, please contact Jenell McHenry at jenell.mdag@gmail.com or by calling the office at 443-262-8491.

For the 24th Annual Maryland Commodity Classic, agriculture industry sponsors will be overflowing the Queen Anne’s County 4-H Park on July 28th. This event has reached an all-time high in exhibiting sponsors who are ready to network with you! Registration is now open to the public.

The Maryland Commodity Classic is the grain industry’s largest networking and educational event in the state. The Maryland Grain Producers Association and Utilization Board work closely with the Maryland Soybean Board and Mid-Atlantic Soybean Association each year to hold a successful event.

Doors will open at 8:30 AM for the morning educational sessions beginning at 9:00 AM; nutrient management and continuing education credits will be available. The exhibit hall will open at 10:30 AM and lunch will be available for purchase from a local 4-H Club at 11:00 AM. The program will begin at 1:30 PM featuring policy and trade updates as well as invited speaker, Secretary Tom Vilsack. All this followed our crab and BBQ feast.

To register online by card, please visit marylandgrain.org. To save a seat and pay with cash at the gate, please call 443-262-8491. If you are a member of the Maryland Grain Producers Association, a free ticket is forthcoming. For those who grow grain in Maryland and would like a free ticket, become a member today!

Stay up-to-date on our four educational presenters, continuing education credits being offered, and our meeting agenda, keep an eye on our website!

See you on the 28th!

Queenstown, Maryland (April 20, 2022) – The Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board collects 0.5% of the net value of every bushel for corn, wheat, barley, sorghum, and triticale sold across the state. These funds are used to conduct research on important grain production issues, educate youth and consumers on the industry, and develop new market opportunities.

You can read about the progress and ongoing work of our 2021 funded projects in our newly released Grain Store. This annual publication should be in your mailbox any day now.

In this year’s annual report, you can also discover our newly funded 2022 grants, view our top national yield contestants, read about our 2021 awardees, and much more! You can also read the 2021 Grain Store on our website here.

John Bruning said, “We were thankful that farmer dollars were allocated by our farmer board in a way that makes a positive difference in grain production.” John currently serves as the Utilization Board’s President. The Utilization Board is made up of farmers, government staff, agribusiness representatives, and others. They review all grant applications annually and meet six more times throughout the year.

Lastly, be sure to save the date for the 2022 Maryland Commodity Classic, scheduled for July 28th at the Queen Anne’s County 4-H Park. Our team has invited USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and is working on a great line-up of presenters and sponsors.

Queenstown, MD (April 14, 2022) – 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.

If you would like to nominate a deserving fire department, you can do so by visiting marylandgrain.org. Nominations are due by April 30th.

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.

Other funding partners include MidAtlantic Farm Credit, Nationwide, and Maryland Farm Bureau.

Queenstown, Maryland (March 25, 2022) – Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board has funded a new platform – Medius.Re – to allow producers to maximize their checkoff dollars by having the ability to analyze variety trial data for corn, wheat, and barley across time and space with their own customized criteria.

The mission of Medius Ag is to make agricultural data usable, and therefore valuable, to producers. Today, farmers can access this online platform to access years of Maryland research! For example, a producer can select a number of qualities that are a priority for their farm and find varieties that best fit with yield, weather, and location data.

Maryland Grain Producer Utilization Board President, John Bruning said, “having access to fair, unbiased and checkoff-funded science is important for growers. We must take advantage of this platform to stay at the forefront of our ever-evolving industry.”

To better understand how to utilize Medius.Re, check out these two support videos on maryland.medius.re/support. If you need technical assistance, you are welcome to email their team at support@mediusag.com or by calling 717-397-8635.

The Medius team enjoys serving as the central point of information between the research community and the grower community and encourages producers across the state to use the platform and stay ahead of the competition. Ryan Krabill, Director of Business Development, said “we are excited to partner with the Maryland Grain Producers – not only the organization by also the individual growers. We are proud to help provide Maryland producers with the tools needed to make the right variety selection decisions at the right time so that they can strengthen their bottom line.”

For more information and to directly access the online platform you can visit our website at marylandgrain.com/medius-re/.

Queenstown, Maryland (January 19, 2022) – With today’s high input prices, the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board (MGPUB) kept their colleges top of mind when voting on funded proposals for 2022. For the upcoming year, grain check-off dollars will be supporting 12 education, 8 market development, and 15 research grants to benefit grain farmers across the state.

Board members gathered online and in-person to hear from industry experts on their 2022 proposals. The Utilization Board agreed to fund 35 of the proposed grants at a total of $978,650. Newly funded grants include four grain safety tubes through Nationwide, Phosphate fertilizer recommendations as well as slug, grid sampling, and zinc research.

MGPUB’s President, John Bruning said, “Our board is looking to advance research findings that are valuable to our neighbors while educating consumers of all ages and finding new market opportunities.”

Check-off dollars are deducted at the first point of sale on corn, wheat, barley, oats, and sorghum where 0.5% is collected on the net value on each bushel of grain sold. Funds collected in 2022 will be utilized to cover MAEF’s mobile science labs in 10 schools, slow-moving vehicle road safety, the tenth season of Maryland Farm & Harvest, as well as national and international representation to name a few programs.

You can view 2022 funded grants online here.