Author: Jennifer Gannon

(Centreville, Maryland – August 4, 2021) – The twenty-third annual Maryland Commodity Classic was held in person on Thursday, July 22, 2021, at the Queen Anne’s County 4-H Park. Over 275 farmers, sponsors, and allied agribusiness representatives enjoyed the event and networking opportunities it provided. The Maryland Grain Producers Association (MGPA), Maryland Soybean Board (MSB)k Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board (MGPUB), and Mid-Atlantic Soybean Association (MASA) co-sponsor and host the annual event.

The day began with research presentations by Dr. Vijay Tiwari and Dr. Nidhi Rawat on the small grains research at the University of Maryland funded by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board. Participants also enjoyed presentations by Dr. Nicole Fiorelino and Ben Beale. Throughout the park, event sponsors, MGPUB and MSB funded grantees, and farmers networked and enjoyed catching up after almost two years apart. Grain farmers and landowners had the opportunity to vote in the MGPUB checkoff referendum. A local 4H 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 Belinda Burrier, 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 of the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) gave a policy update on ethanol, inheritance tax, renewable fuels standard, and infrastructure issues. Thompson states that NCGA is working hard to address the Supreme Court ruling that rejected the year-round sale of E15 emphasizing that ethanol is an important market that supports the basis for all corn farmers. Ryan LeGrand, CEO of the U.S. Grains Council USGC) reported on the strong export year that 2021 hs been for grain farmers with over 900 million bushels in sales to China alone and the work USGC does to support export markets for US grain around the world. The meeting ended with Bob Farmer, a comedian who was enjoyed by all after a rough year. To finish the annual event, all enjoyed a chicken and beef BBQ prepared by Paul Gunther and a Crab Feast by Thompson Seafood.

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

Dr. Miller Award

During the annual event, MGPA awarded the Dr. James R. Miller Award to a deserving individual. The Miller award recognizes an individual for outstanding service to Maryland’s grain industry. The award began in 1998 when it was given to Dr. James R. Miller. Since, grower leaders, as well as elected officials, researchers, and agency representatives have been recognized.

This year’s honoree is Delegate Charles Otto, known to us as just Charlie. Delegate Otto served as a Maryland Grain Producers Board member since the inception of the check-off, Treasurer of MGPUB, and President of MGPA until his election to the Maryland House of Delegates. Charlie is deeply rooted in the agricultural community as a certified crop consultant and sales representative at Nutrien in Salisbury and a farmer himself. Charles has also served on the Somerset County and Maryland State Farm Bureau Boards and is a member of the American Society of Agronomy and past Chair of the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committee.

Delegate Otto has served in the Maryland House of Delegates since January of 2011 representing District 38A including Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. During his tenure in the legislature, Delegate Otto has served on the Environment and Transportation Committee and the Natural Resources and Agriculture Subcommittee, where all agricultural bills are referred. Charlie has chaired the Rural Caucus as well as the Eastern Shore Delegation. He is also a member of the Nutrient Management Advisory Committee and Pesticide Advisory Committee. Whether he is explaining to his colleagues exactly how a pesticide is used, what farmers do with their nutrient management plans, or what conservation practices we implement; Charlie is always a voice for the farmers of Maryland.

Scholarship Recipients

To support the next generation in agriculture, the Maryland Grain Producers awarded five scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each to association members. This year’s recipients were Austin Nickerson of Worton, Chad Patterson of Chestertown, Dylan Hill of Kennedyville, Jennifer Gannon of Centreville, and Will Turner of Preston. The Grain Producers Scholarship Committee was swept away with the vigorous 2021 applications and asked the Utilization Board to support a 5^th scholarship this year. MGPUB President said, “the MPGUB scholarship supports young people who excel in college and their community, and who will use their education to help our industry grow and succeed. Every year, there is a shortage of agriculture graduates to fill professional positions in the field of agriculture and that gap continues to grow. We are excited to see these young people wanting to make a difference in agriculture”. Through our annual scholarship program, over $202,500 has been awarded to the future of agriculture.
You can view a message from our scholarship recipients here.

Austin “Dutch” Nickerson

In Kent County, Dutch Nickerson continues to work on the family’s farm while attending the University of Delaware as a full-time student. Dutch graduated from The Gunston School in 2018 before attending Chesapeake Community College. From Chesapeake Dutch transferred to the University of Delaware to study Agriculture and Natural Resources. Dutch pans to return to the family farm after graduation, where his mom, Kristen is employed full time. While working alongside the family, Dutch plans to grow his already established seedling tree planting business and expand the family’s operation.

Chad Patterson

Raised on a dairy and grain farm in Chestertown, Maryland, Chad Patterson is currently a Sophomore at Purdue University. At Purdue, Chad is working towards a degree in Agriculture Systems Management to bring efficiency back to the family’s multi-generational farm. This summer, Chad is interning with Nutrien Ag Solutions. In Indiana, Chad has been involved in the Dairy Club, Agriculture Systems Management Club, and wit+h the Agriculture Tech and Innovation Club. In 2020, Chad graduated from Queen Anne’s County High School where he was involved in Varsity sports, the FFA Chapter, and the National Honors Society.

Dylan Hill

Raised on a grain and beef farm and Pioneer seed business, Dylan Hill is currently attending the University of Delaware working on a Plant Science Degree. In Newark, Dylan is involved with the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity while gaining a stronger understanding of plant biology and genetics to bring his knowledge back to the family farm as the sixth generation. Dylan graduated from Kent County High School in 2018 where he was involved in soccer, baseball, and part of the National Honors Society.

Jennifer Gannon

Raised in Centreville, MD on her parent’s grain and pork farm, Jennifer Gannon has an in-depth knowledge of agriculture. Growing up, Jen was very involved in the Pony Express 4-H Club and FFA Chapter, today volunteering her time back to these organizations. In 2018, she graduated from Queen Anne’s County High School and began her secondary education at Chesapeake College. Now Jen is a Junior at the University of Maryland, College Park majoring in Agriculture Business Management. Jennifer is currently employed part-time at Talbot County Extension as their Program Assistance and at Thompson Ag Consulting as one of the 2021 college student interns. Through Jen’s experience, she plans to return to the family farm and one day add agri-tourism to the farm to educate the public on the importance of agriculture.

Will Turner

From Preston, Maryland, Will Turner graduated from Colonel Richardson High School this May. Will was very active in his school’s football, soccer, and baseball teams while academically being involved in National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society, and serving as a Student Government Office. Will has worked alongside his father, Greg Turner on the family’s grain farm, for a number of years and hopes to expand his knowledge on production agriculture at Delaware Technical Community College. As an incoming Freshman, Will plans to major in Agribusiness Management while playing Baseball for the college.