The University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources programs are open to all and will not discriminate

against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, or national

origin, marital status, genetic information, or political affiliation, or gender identity and expression.

JUNE 2017

ALLEGANY COUNTY

AGRICULTURE IN ACTION

UME GENERAL FORESTRY COURSE

Registration for the Fall 2017 semester of the UME General Forestry Course opens June 1! The forestry course runs from September 1 through December 1 and is a great opportunity for anyone interested in forests or forest management. The course provides landowners with the tools they need to design a forest stewardship plan for their property. This is a non-credit course available in both a paper and an online version. The cost is $150 and there are no prerequisites. Please visit http://extension.umd.edu/forestry-course for more information and to register.

CLIMATE SCIENCE FOR FARMERS

The University of Maryland Extension is proud to announce the formation of the new Climate Science for Farmers Extension team. The team will be headed by Dr. Sara Via, Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences. Be sure to visit the UME Climate Science website at: https://extension.umd.edu/anmp/climate-change

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Palmer Amaranth Control On-line Marketing Nutrient Management Update

Pesticide Safety Update IPM Agronomic Threshold

Guide

2017 Custom Work Charges

MORE AG NEWS If you cannot get enough ag-related news, go to: http://extension.umd.edu/news/newsletters other great agriculture-related newsletters from University of

MANAGEMENT OF PALMER AMARANTH Ben Beale, UME Extension Educator St. Mary’s County

Burkhard Schultz, UMD Weed Specialist Reprinted from April 2017 Agronomy News

Palmer amaranth is a new aggressive pigweed that is now present throughout Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore. All Palmer amaranth samples tested in Maryland were resistant to glyphosate and ALS herbicide chemistry. Palmer amaranth is native to the arid desert regions of the Southwest United States and Northern Mexico. It has gradually moved throughout the Southeastern Cotton belt as a major weed of soybean and cotton. The plant is well adapted to germinate and grow rapidly in the presence of moisture. In our region, Palmer amaranth germination begins in late April to early May and will continue throughout the summer. This weed is a prolific seed producer with female plants being capable of producing more than ½ million seeds of very small size. Due to its aggressive growth rate, high seed production and tolerance to both glyphosate and ALS chemistry, it has become a major weed of grain and vegetable crops in the region. Besides resistance to the two sites of action that are found on the Delmarva (glyphosate and ALS inhibitors), resistance against atrazine herbicides (NC), HPPD (NC), trifluralin (SC,TN) and PPO herbicides (NC,AR,MS) has been reported in many Southern states.

Key management steps: Learn to identify Palmer amaranth. The easiest way to manage Palmer amaranth is to recognize and

eliminate Palmer amaranth plants before they produce seeds and proliferate. If you see pigweed plants that survive glyphosate application, be sure to take extra time to identify those plants. (For identification guide refer to UMD Agronomy News Oct. 2015 (https://extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/_docs/newsletters/Agronomy News6-7.pdf)

Start clean. Options for effective post-emergent control in soybean are limited and the few options available must be used when Palmer amaranth plants are less than 4 inches tall. Palmer amaranth plants bigger than 4 inches are often only partly suppressed by herbicides and will grow back after a period of recovery. Fields should be clean of all Palmer amaranth before the crop emerges. Gramoxone® is an effective burn down treatment for smaller plants provided it is applied with adequate water and coverage is good.

Use an effective residual herbicide as close to planting as possible. Residual herbicides will provide 3-4 weeks of control in most cases. This added control might not seem like much, but it gives the soybean more time to establish a closed canopy and provides added time to apply post-emergent controls. Residuals need to be applied as close to planting as possible to extend the period of control as far into the growing season as possible. Results from trials conducted in Maryland indicate significantly better control of Palmer amaranth with the use of any residual product when compared to a non-treated control. Products with flumioxazin (Valor) including premixes of Fierce XLT or products with sulfentrazone (Authority) including premixes Broadaxe, Authority Elite, Authority MTZ provided the most consistent control. The use of residual herbicides also provides significant differences in weed height over the length of the season. This is especially advantageous in that it provides a longer period for the timely and thus effective application of post-emergent herbicides. Be sure to read labels carefully for factors such as rates and plant-back restrictions.

Table indicating the number of emerged palmer plants over time. The number of emerged palmer plants was recorded from individual plots starting 10 days after treatment and every 7 days thereafter.

Tank-mix residual products: Tank-mixing products with different modes of action often results in better control than either product applied alone. Dual®, Prowl®, Zidua®, and Metribuzin® are good examples of tank-mix partners for many residual products. There are many premix formulations currently available. Note the Dual® cannot be tank mixed with Valor or crop injury may occur.

Palmer Amaranth

Seeding

Mature Palmer Amaranth

Plant

MANAGEMENT OF PALMER AMARANTH CONTINUED

Scout field frequently for any emerged Palmer amaranth plants. It is critical to apply products on time before Palmer amaranth is too large.

Apply an effective post-emergent herbicide before Palmer amaranth plants reach 3-4 inches in height. This means having a sprayer and operator ready to go when needed. For populations that are ALS resistant, the choices are limited to diphenylether herbicides such as Reflex®, Flexstar® (reflex + glyphosate), Cobra® or Ultra-Blazer®. These products require good coverage with at least 20 gallons of water and the proper adjuvant for effective weed control. For ALS susceptible populations, choices include those above plus Pursuit®, Scepter® or Synchrony® (STS). It is advised to assume that Palmer amaranth in Maryland is ALS-inhibitor resistant, as all tested populations have been found to show dual-resistance against glyphosate and ALS-inhibitor herbicides.

Consider Liberty-Link® Soybeans: Liberty-Link® soybeans are tolerant of the herbicide glufosinate, sold under the name Liberty. Glufosinate is a contact herbicide, so good coverage is important to achieve weed control (at least 20 gallons of spray volume). It provides effective control of emerged Palmer amaranth plants if applied when the plants are still small up to 3-4 inches. Liberty® is weaker on grasses and perennial broadleaves than Round-up. Liberty-Link® beans are not tolerant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Round-up. A residual program is till recommended when using the Liberty-Link® program.

Consider Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Soybeans: RR2Xtend soybeans are tolerant to dicamba and glyphosate. Growers may only use dicamba formulations approved for use on RR2Xtend beans in their state. In Maryland the dicamba formulations Xtendimax, Fexpan and Engenia have received approval. These products contain an improved anti-volatization chemistry, which reduces carry-over from treated fields. The approved dicamba formulations provide effective control of emerged Palmer amaranth plants up to 4 inches tall. They may be used as a pre-plant burn-down for in-season post-emergent application. There are a number of label restrictions such as buffer requirements, tank-mix limitations, tank clean out requirements, specific nozzle requirements and wind speed restrictions. Dicamba will severely injure most vegetable crops, non-Xtend soybeans, tobacco, fruit crops, landscape plantings and other sensitive plants. Growers are cautioned to only use these products according to label directions and to used due diligence to avoid off target movement of dicamba. Please read the label before using RR2Xtend soybeans with the approved dicamba herbicides. Non-approved dicamba products must not be used on RR2Xtend soybeans. A residual program is still recommended when using the Xtend program.

Manage escapes. Hand pull any escaped plants before they to seed. If escapes cannot be destroyed and Palmer amaranth is not present on other parts of the farm consider tillage to kill all plants and minimize the seed bank. Palmer amaranth seeds are relatively short-lived. If you are able to avoid new seed production for a few years the seed bank will be dramatically reduced.

When harvesting crops, do not move equipment between infested and non-infested fields. Palmer amaranth seeds move readily in equipment, particularly the combine! Clean equipment between fields and harvest infested fields last.

Table indicating number of emerged palmer plants over time. The number of emerged palmer plants was recorded from individual plots starting 10 days after treatment and every 7 days thereafter

SELLING ON-LINE, A 24/7 OPPORTUNITY Ginger S. Meyers, UME Marketing Specialist

gsmyers@umd.edu The USDA’s first survey of Local Food Marketing Practices, conducted in 2015, found 167,009 U.S. farms sold $8.7 billion in edible food directly to consumers, retailers, institutions, and local distributors. Consumers accounted for 35 percent of these direct food sales, and retailers, 27 percent. Direct farm sales include both fresh foods and processed or value added products such as bottled milk, cheese, meat, jam, cider, wine, etc.1 Although 73 percent of all farms in the survey reported internet access, only 8 percent sold product via on-line market places. Not too long ago, access to reliable internet service proved to be a barrier to on-line sales for farms in different parts of the country but, since three-quarter of the farms responding to the survey had access, that problem can’t be the deterrent any longer. The popularity of sites like Amazon, countless retail sites, and the annual “Black Friday and Internet Monday” shopping seasons, attest to the potential customer base that exist for on-line sales. So why aren’t more direct marketing farms selling their products through on-line sales channels? Why don’t more direct marketing farms engage in e-commerce? Electronic commerce (e-commerce) is a transaction for goods or services enacted on-line. It could be the sales of products, reservations, or providing a service all simply paid for on-line. E-commerce can be an attractive and very cost effective way to allow customers to shop anytime, anywhere, and on multiple devices. It can also allow you the flexibility to fulfill orders on your own time schedule. But like any other marketing channel, you need to consider both the positive and negative impacts launching on-line sales can bring to your business. You should consider: What on-line tools will I use (e-commerce, web- site, social media, e-payment gateway, etc.)? Do I want to offer shipping and if so, what are the charges and carriers for that service? How will I promote my on-line sales? How will I accept on-line order and payments? What procedures will I need to implement to get orders processed quickly and efficiently? What’s my costs/benefits equation? A major component of e-commerce, and the one producers often tell me challenges them the most, is the need for customers to be able to make a payment on-line. Electronic methods of taking payments are called “gateways.” The most common gateway is credit card processing. Third party merchant accounts are very secure but can be cost prohibitive for small businesses. Alternatives to a merchant account are Person-to-Person (P2P) payment services. These keep track of funds available to both the buyer and the seller. The buyer and seller (or service provider) both need to have an account with the P2P service. The most popular P2P service is PayPal, but others are now gaining market acceptance. On-line payment options are a must when considering developing your on-line store.

SELLING ON-LINE, A 24/7 OPPORTUNITY CONTINUED “With 90 percent of all online purchases made with credit cards, you literally cannot afford not to add this payment option to your site. If you've been hesitating to accept credit card payments online, the good news is that, as soon as you give your customers this option, you should see a noticeable jump in sales.” Corey Rudl, Payment Options for On-line Shoppers, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/58384 Setting up and operating an on-line store for your products or services is a big job but, it can have big returns for your business. Internet sales are only growing, not contracting. If you think e-commerce is the next step for your business, here are some basic pieces of infrastructure you’ll need to develop. Don’t’ think you have to go it alone. Hire the technical assistance you need. WEBSITE─A website is the cornerstone for a farm’s online presence. Not having a website

is like not have a phone number. SHOPPING CART SOFTWARE─When offering multiple items on-line, a shopping cart helps.

Check with your web hosting company or e-commerce platform provider to see what they offer PAYMENT PROCESSING─Figure out how you’re going to take payment on-line. EMAIL SUPPORT─You’ll need to have an email address where customers can contact you

if something goes wrong, they want to change their order, or arrange for pickup. Setting up an e-commerce store doesn’t need to be overwhelming as long as you’ve done your research and made informed decisions. Additional resources and publications supporting direct marketing opportunities are available on the University of Maryland Extension Agriculture Marketing website at extension.umd.edu/agmarketing/market-outlet-tools/ direct-marketing 1Direct Farm Sales of Food Results from the 2015 Local Food Marketing Practices Survey. ACH12-35/ December2016. https://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Online_Resources/Highlights/Local_Food/ LocalFoodsMarketingPractices_Highlights.pdf

NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT CORNER

The Maryland Department of Agriculture adopted revised nutrient management regulations on December 13, 2016 and they include the following modifications:

An emergency provision to allow the department to work with farmers to prevent an overflow from liquid manure storage structures during winter, when spreading manure is otherwise prohibited. This exemption is only for on-farm generated manure that the farmer cannot store due to extraordinary circumstances. It does not apply to biosolids or food waste.

A provision prohibiting farmers from applying manure if the ground is frozen or snow-covered.

A 100 ft. setback from surface waters is required for any emergency spreading that takes place during winter.

An emergency exemption for farmers who have demonstrated intent to build additional

manure storage facilities. This exemption addresses a backlog of requests for technical assistance and cost-share grants to construct these facilities.

Removing the incorporation requirements for spring and fall manure spreading for no-till

operations.

Extending the date for spreading manure in the fall to December 15.

FSA UPDATES

Accurate Acreage Reporting

An annual acreage report is the basis for determining the amount of crop insurance provided and the premium charged. It is the farmer’s responsibility to make sure acreage reporting is accurate and on time. Acreage reports must be submitted through insurance agents for each insured crop in the county where the farmer has ownership. Acreage reporting dates vary by crop and state. The following are upcoming acreage reporting deadlines for crops in Maryland:

May 15: Spring seeded forage

June 15: Fresh market tomatoes

July 15: Corn, fresh market corn, sorghum, early planted lima beans, processing corn, processing tomatoes, soybeans, tobacco

August 15: Late planted lima beans and snap beans

PESTICIDE SAFETY CORNER

Maryland Department of Agriculture’s 2017 pesticide container recycling collection dates nearest Allegany County:

Washington County

Martin’s Elevator

13219 Maugansville Road

Hagerstown, MD

Time: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

Dates: June 6

July 5

August 8

September 5

For more information on pesticide safety, visit: http://pesticide.umd.edu/

MARYLAND FARMERS BREAK COVER CROP PLANTING

RECORD…AGAIN EXCEED 500,000 ACRE

MILESTONE

Annapolis, MD (April 20, 2017) – Maryland farmers planted a record-setting nearly 560,000 acres of cover crops on their fields last fall as part of the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s 2016-2017 Cover Crop Program, breaking the previous record of 501,204 acres planted last year. Cover crops are widely recognized as one of the most cost-effective and environmentally sustainable ways for farmers to meet nutrient and sediment reduction targets outlined in Maryland’s Watershed Implementation Plan to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay by 2025. Governor Larry Hogan included an additional $2.5 million in his supplemental budget to pay for the record cover crops acres planted by farmers this year. Cover crops are one of the most cost effective practices to help the State reach its Chesapeake Bay clean up goals. During budget deliberations, the legislature cut the funding for this important program. The Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Cover Crop Program provides grants to farmers who plant small grains such as wheat, rye or barley, or brassicas on their fields following fall harvest. Grants help offset seed, labor and equipment costs associated with planting cover crops. In 2015, cover crop mixes containing legumes were introduced to help create diversity and give farmers more planting options. As they grow, cover crops protect water quality by recycling unused plant nutrients remaining in the soil from the preceding summer crop. Once established, cold-hardy cover crops work all winter to shield fields against erosion caused by wind, rain, snow and ice. Collectively, the nearly 560,000 acres of cover crops planted will prevent an estimated 3.36 million pounds of nitrogen and 112,00 pounds of phosphorus from reaching Maryland waterways. For full story, go to: http://news.maryland.gov/mda/press-release/2017/04/20/21170/

Continued on next page.

ASSESSING 40 YEARS OF ORGANIC FARMING EFFECTS ON SOIL PROPERTIES Organic farming practices with green manure or animal manure increase cumulative water infiltration by about 10 times compared to conventional agriculture. Aggregates were also larger in diameter and more stable with organic practices. Although tillage wasn’t mentioned, no-till may help meet half way between organic and conventional agriculture. Source: Agronomy Journal. Vol 109:600-609.

GREEN MANURE COMPARISON BETWEEN WINTER WHEAT AND CORN Red clover was interseeded into a winter wheat crop while hairy vetch and triticale were planted after winter cereal harvest. Red clover was harvested for hay in late fall before corn was planted in the spring. Both cover crops were terminated in the spring prior to corn planting. The red clover produced a continuous cover, forage and higher corn yields. Red clover also controlled weeds with less herbicide and increased profits. Source: Agronomy Journal. Vol 108 (5): 2015-2025.

CUSTOM WORK CHARGES IN MARYLAND 2017 Shannon Dill, Extension Educator, AGNR

University of Maryland Extension Introduction Financial and economic considerations such as limited capital, untimely cash flow, insufficient labor, small acreage or other reasons require farmers to hire custom service for field operations. Custom work charges are determined by demand and supply and are negotiated between farmers and custom operators. The purpose of this publication is to provide information on custom work charges in Maryland and to provide data to assist in decision making regarding purchasing equipment. Using Custom Rate Information * Custom operators use custom rates to compare rates with competitors. * Farmers use custom rates as a guide for machinery, budgeting and financial planning. * Lenders, educators and government agencies use custom rates for budgeting, advising and analysis. Rates that are quoted in this publication are expressed in different ways depending on the specific job (per acre, hour, ton, mile, bale, etc.). The rates provided are to help custom operators and farmers make decisions about rate charges. The prices reported are not official or established rates but an average of responses from the survey. Reported rates include charges for machines, power, fuel, lube and the labor/operator. These rates do not include the costs of chemicals, seeds, and other materials with the exception of hay baling materials and where noted (i.e. spreading lime). Custom rates in this publication may not suit all custom operators and those hiring custom work. It is important that operators calculate their own custom costs. It is also important that farmers create their own budgets which include their variable costs and fixed costs and do not rely only on custom rates to determine their cost of production. Custom Work Charges for 2017 A mail survey was conducted in the fall of 2016 to determine custom works charges in Maryland. Rates were collected from 40 custom operators and farmers, and summarized for the state. Participants indicated the rates they charge for various field operations. The charges reported in this publication may serve as a guide in determining an acceptable rate for a particular job where little other information is available. The charges can also be compared with costs and returns and may be used as a basis for working out more equitable charges for both the custom operator and customer. Table 1 summarizes the custom work charges for the various operations for the State of Maryland. It shows the range (low and high), average (mean) as well as the median charge. The median refers to the middle of the range. Half of the responses are below and half are above. The median is less sensitive to extreme responses and is a better measure than the average. Table 2 summarizes the last five surveys comparing rates reported for practices in 2017, 2015, 2013, 2011 and 2009. 2017 Survey special notes – Practices removed due to no response: strip till, manure spreading – liquid, manure spreading – liquid injection, tree planting, vegetative buffer planting, honey bee hive rental. There are wide ranges with some operation charges. Variations may be due to the lack of knowledge about charges and difference in location, topography, field size and shape, crop yields, soil conditions, weather conditions, work quality, equipment type and size, timeliness or the ratio of available jobs to custom operators. For more crop budgeting information visit: www.extension.umd.edu/grainmarketing To view this entire FACT Sheet with tables, go to: http://extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/_docs/programs/grainmarketing/FACTSHEET.pdf

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

UME—Allegany County Office

One Commerce Drive

Cumberland, Maryland 21502

NONPROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

CUMBERLAND, MD

PERMIT NO. 932

Faculty/Staff

Sherry Frick

Extension Educator

sfrick@umd.edu

Jessica McClurg

Nutrient Management Advisor

jmcclurg@umd.edu

Jody Parrish

Administrative Assistant

jparrish@umd.edu

301-724-3320

The Maryland Master Gardener Program, a volunteer education program taught and administered by University of Maryland Extension (UME), puts research-based knowledge and environmental power into the hands of people

who want to create sustainable gardens and landscapes, and protect and improve natural resources. Master Gardeners are citizens from all walks of life who combine their love of plants, people, and the environment to help residents solve problems and make environmentally-sound decisions on public and private properties.

For more information on the Master Gardener Program in Allegany County, call 301-724-3320.