Author: jenell_eck (Page 4 of 9)

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.

Queenstown, Maryland (December 16, 2021) – William F. Willard Farm LLC has been recognized by the National Wheat Foundation as the winner of the 2021 Soft Red Winter Wheat Yield Contest. The National Wheat Foundation had 387 growers register for the yield contest. Mr. Willard had a dryland yield of 141.41 bushels per acre in Montgomery County, Maryland with a Pioneer variety. If you are interested in participating in 2022, you can learn more online here.

The Willard Family primarily farms across Montgomery County. Mr. Scot Poffenberger is the farm manager and he said the bin busting yield was due to the great wheat weather his region saw. “Planting weather was beautiful, the winter was mild, early spring was wet, and then it dried out a few weeks before harvest.”

To increase yield, cot tried a few new things. First, they applied a micronutrient in the fall. In the spring, a foliar fertilizer was applied during the Feekes 6-7 stage. Poffenberger believes these applications really benefited the crop’s yield along with the timely weather.

Congratulations to the Willard Farm on this huge success! As a National winner, William will receive a trip to the Commodity Classic held in March of 2022. View other national winners here.

Queenstown, Maryland (November 22, 2021) – Not only does the Maryland Grain Producers have a new, easier scholarship application process, but they are also offering more scholarships and funding for the 2022-2023 school year!

In partnership with the National Corn Growers Association, students are now able to complete one online application and apply for both the state and national scholarships.

The Maryland Grain Producers Association (MGPA) will offer up to five scholarships in the amount of $3,000 each. Funding is provided by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board in hopes of fulfilling the educational mission and giving back to families who have contributed to the check-off program.

Maryland Grain Producers has great faith in the next generation and wants to support their education in the field of agriculture. The MGPA scholarship began in 1991 and in the last 30 years has provided $192,500 to students pursuing a career in agriculture.

The online application is currently open and due Monday, January 31, 2022. You can apply online at bit.ly/2022scholarship.

For eligibility requirements and more information, please visit our website at marylandgrain.org.

Queenstown, Maryland (October 27, 2021) – The Maryland Grain Producers Scholarship and National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) scholarship applications are combined for the first time this year. Students only need to fill out one application to apply for both the state and national scholarships. The online application is currently open and due Monday, January 31, 2022. This application can be found at bit.ly/2022scholarship.

For the 2022 to 2023 school year, the Maryland Grain Producers is offering up to four scholarships in the amount of at least $2,500. While the National Corn Growers has three scholarship programs for technical school/community college, four-year university students, and a graduate scholarship.

If you are a high school graduating senior or current college student pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field, Maryland Grain Producers wants to support you!

Eligibility Requirements:

• One must be a Maryland Grain Producers Association member or son/daughter of a member actively farming grain. To become a member today, visit marylandgrain.org/member/.
• Attending a two-year or four-year institute starting fall of 2022.
• Members should not have received a checkoff refund in the past 12 months.
• Students must currently be residing in Maryland, but can attend school outside of the state.

Scholarship funds will be distributed in July of 2022 and following the fall semester of 2022. These funds will be issued on behalf of each student to his or her college. Previous winners may reapply but are only eligible to receive the scholarship twice.

The Maryland Grain Producers Scholarship Committee will select the receipts from applications with all identifying information redacted. Scholarships will be awarded during our annual Commodity Classic held Thursday, July 28, 2022, at the Queen Anne’s County 4-H Park on Route 18.

The Maryland Grain Producers Association utilizes farmer checkoff dollars from our Utilization Board to support four farm families and our future generation!

Queenstown, Maryland (October 13, 2021) – Passed by a vote from grain producers across the state, the Maryland Grain Check-Off Program continues for another five years! With that, one-half of one percent of the value of each bushel of corn and other grains produced and sold in Maryland will continue to be remitted to the program. The Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board (MGPUB) uses these farmers’ dollars to fulfill its mission to increase the profitability of Maryland grain farming through market development, education, and research.

Currently, organizations, universities, and others are eligible to submit proposals for the board to review focused on grain production and animal agriculture for the 2022 growing season. Proposals are to be submitted by November 19, 2021. For more information on our annual grant program and for appropriate documents, please visit our website here.

“Utilizing checkoff dollars to further the advancement of corn, wheat, barley, and sorghum production, profitability, and awareness in turn benefits growers across the state,” said MGPUB Chair John Bruning.

This year, the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board funded 29 grants in the total amount of $860,580. From the production of 66,650,000 bushels of corn, 1,533,000 bushels of barley, and 10,950,000 bushels of wheat.

If you have questions regarding our check-off funded grants, please email Marguerite at marguerite.mdag@gmail.com or call the office at 443-262-8491.

(Queenstown, Maryland – June 8, 2021) – A referendum to continue the Maryland Grain Checkoff Program will be held on July 22, 2021, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the annual Commodity Classic at the QAC 4-H Park. The Checkoff Program works to improve Maryland grain farm profitability by funding market development, research, and education projects focused on the needs of our farmers. Funding decisions are made by a board of grain producers from six regions throughout the state.

“The Maryland Grain Checkoff Program is made possible by farmers to benefit farmers,” said Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board (MGPUB) President, John Bruning. “I have seen firsthand how the projects funded with checkoff dollars have benefitted my own farming operation and Maryland grain farmers across the state.”

If passed by a majority, the 30-year old Checkoff Program will continue from October 1, 2021, for an additional five years. One-half of one percent (0.5%) will be collected on the net value of each bushel of grain sold. The checkoff will be deducted at the first point of sale on all grain, with the exception of sorghum and soybeans. MGPUB does not administer the soybean checkoff program and grain refunds are available by written request to MGPUB.

“We encourage grain producers to support the referendum and become members of the Maryland Grain Producers Association (MGPA),” says Bruning. “Membership dues to the MGPA may be deducted directly from your checkoff assessment. Checkoff dollars cannot be used for lobbying, so membership is essential to ensure our farmers have a voice in Annapolis.”

To be eligible to vote, a person must be financially engaged in the growing of grain as an owner, tenant, or sharecropper. Contact Lindsay Thompson for information or for an absentee ballot at 443-262-8491, lindsay.mdag@gmail.com, or write to MPGA, 123 Clay Drive, Queenstown, MD 21658.