Baltimore County Farm Bureau For this scholarship, the BCFB may offer up to three $2,500 scholarships annually. Applicants must be at least high school seniors starting college in the fall of 2020 or full-time college students at any community college or four-year institution. Applicants or their parents/guardians MUST be members of Baltimore County Farm Bureau. Two of the scholarships will be offered to students majoring in an agricultural curriculum and one scholarship will be offered to a student majoring in any curriculum. The deadline to apply is May 15, 2021. All applications must be submitted via email. Full details and the scholarship application are available here.

Sidney B. Meadows Scholarship Endowment Fund For this scholarship, students must be either undergraduate (Junior with min 2.75 GPA*) or graduate student (with 3.0 min GPA*) in a 4-year institution and be a Hort Major. They only need to be a resident of one of our 16 southeastern states, but can be attending schools outside the region. The deadline to apply is May 28, 2021. Full eligibility details and a link to the application, are available here. in 2020, $18,000 in scholarship money was awarded. This year another $18,000 is available to be awarded (12 students to receive $1500 each). *GPA requirements are based on 4.0 scale.

New! Local Farmers Meet-Up on Saturday 3/27

Foreman Wolf, the new owners of The Milton Inn, would like to connect with local farmers and foragers in the Baltimore County area on Saturday, March 27 from 9-11 am . They have always used local produce and products, and they would like to build local relationships in the county and utilize local products for The Milton Inn and other Foreman Wolf Restaurants. Samples and pricing sheets welcome but not required. View the invitation.

Email Melissa Brodie to confirm attendance.

New! Pesticide Disposal Program On March 8th, the MDA announced that it will reconstitute their Pesticide Disposal Program for 2021. This free program allows farmers across the state to safely and properly dispose of any unwanted or unusable agricultural pesticides. The Pesticide Disposal Program is run in partnership with the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) and

University of Maryland Extension (UME). Read the full press release.

Due Soon! Department Seeks Proposals for Specialty Crop Block Grant Program The MDA is now accepting proposals for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), a reimbursement grant program aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of Maryland’s specialty crops. MDA anticipates that approximately $350,000 will be available in SCBGP funds. The grant application is due by April 7th. Read the full press release.

New! Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation MALPF Now Accepting Applications for FY22 Easement Cycle Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) is now accepting easement applications for the FY22 cycle. Eligible Maryland farmers who are interested in preserving their land as an agricultural easement should apply with their county preservation program office as soon as possible. Read the full press release.

New! Department Launches 2021 Manure Happens Public Education Campaign On March 9th, the MDA launched its annual Manure Happens public education campaign to help citizens understand how and why farmers recycle manure as a crop fertilizer and soil conditioner. The 2021 campaign focuses on how farmers protect local streams from runoff when using chicken and livestock manure to fertilize their crops and build healthy soils. The ads will run in local newspapers, websites, and social media throughout March. Read the full press release.

New! Department Confirms Two Unrelated Cases of Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy in Anne Arundel, Cecil Counties On March 9th, The MDA Animal Health Program confirmed two unrelated cases of Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM). Both horses developed clinical symptoms over the weekend, and were confirmed positive for EHM on Monday, March 8. The horses were stabled in different counties (Anne Arundel, Cecil) and there is no known connection between the horses. Read the full press release.

MARBIDCO "RELIEF Act" Grants Are Now Open On February 25, 2021, MARBIDCO announced that five new grant programs have been established to provide immediate pandemic adjustment and economic development assistance to agricultural and rural businesses in Maryland. These programs are funded with $2 million that MARBIDCO will receive from the Recovery for the Economy, Livelihoods, Industries, Entrepreneurs, and Families Act, or “The RELIEF Act,” a bipartisan measure sponsored by Governor Larry Hogan and passed by the Maryland General Assembly. Read the full press release.

Local Farm Enterprise Food Aggregation Grants Pilot Program Now Open On February 25, 2021, MARBIDCO announced that they are accepting applications for their new Local Farm Enterprise Food Aggregation Grant Pilot Program. This program is designed to support the development of a local food aggregation infrastructure in Maryland to help meet current and future wholesale and institutional market demand for locally produced food products. For Fiscal Year 2021, MARBIDCO has available up to $435,000 available to fund such projects. Created by the General Assembly in 2020, MARBIDCO’s grant program is designed to support a new procurement goal for State agencies and universities to purchase at least 20% of their food from Maryland Certified Local Farm Enterprises. These will be farms that adhere to Maryland’s nutrient management requirements and opt to be included on a list that will be maintained by the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Read the full press release.

New! Reminder: Tax Filing and

On March 15, 2021 Franchot reminded taxpayers that filing and payment deadline for state returns is now July 15; federal returns are due April 15. The Comptroller recently extended the filing deadline for 2020 state income tax returns by three months to July 15, 2021. The extension applies to individual, pass-through, fiduciary and corporate income tax returns. No interest or penalties will be assessed if returns are filed and taxes owed are paid by the new deadline. Federal returns must be filed by the traditional April 15, 2021 date. If the IRS changes the deadline or other tax filing due dates, the Comptroller’s Office will communicate that information. View the full news release.

The Baltimore County Ag Center will be hosting a Farmer's Market this year. It will be an outdoor market running on Friday's from 10:30 to 2:30, May through November. Vendor applications are now be accepted.

The Ag Center is looking for all types of agricultural products as well as hot food vendors. It is asked that items be grown / produced within 100 miles of the AG Center and be produced by the vendor. (no re-selling)

View the application and vendor contract with additional information.

Ending Soon! UMD Extension's Good Morning Farmer

Good Morning, Farmer! University of Maryland Extension invites farmers and those who work in the agricultural sector to gather virtually each Wednesday from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. from December 2, 2020 until March 31, 2021 to discuss topics of interest, learn from experts, and join in fellowship. Registration is free but is required to attend any or all sessions. Register Online

For more information on Good Morning, Farmer, contact Jeanette Jefferey, Healthy Living Educator.

New! BCPS AgriScience Program Volunteers Needed

The BCPS AgriScience program is seeking volunteers for the Pathway Action Committee (PAC). PACs are specific to a program (example: business owners, contractors, etc.) and an industry. Generally, program volunteers are asked to do the following:

If you know of anyone who might be interested in volunteering (including students, parents, and of course, teachers), please send an email to Carleen at [email protected] with your top two areas of interest from the bulleted list above.

New! Member Benefit: Work Boots 

Work Boots.com is an online store specializing in work footwear, apparel and equipment. With styles from industry giants like Carhartt, Dickies, Timberland Pro and Wolverine, Work Boots.com is a one-stop shop for all work wear requirements. Members of the Maryland Farm Bureau receive a 15% off discount to Work Boots.com Call (636) 680-8061 or 410-922-3426 for the promo code. More here.    

MYDEALS Mobile App for Member Savings Advantage Looking for an easy way to see your member benefits all in one place? Download the Member Savings Advantage app on your phone to receive exclusive discounts at thousands of popular restaurants and retailers. Take a look at how the MYDEALS app works. The app can be downloaded on a smartphone or tablet from the APP Store or Google Play. Members can find discounts that are in their area based on their location when using the app.  If a member already registered on the website with a user email and password that same credential can be used on the mobile app. If not, a member will need to go to “Setup Account” and enter the program ID -200655 and their Farm Bureau ID# as the Mobile Password. If Access has an email address and password on file, it will pre-populate the “Setup Account” page and the member will need to finish registration. Learn more about the Member Savings Advantage program.

Please save the date for Maryland Farm Bureau's Annual Convention which will be held on

December 4-7, 2021

There is still an opening for a Horticultural Manager with the University of Maryland, College Park. For more details about the position or to apply, visit the UMD website. Download a PDF about this position.

Mini Grant Program

The Mini Grants Program for Community Engagement is designed to engage Maryland residents in activities that enhance communities, engage residents, and improve natural resources. Details of the program can be found on the website.

The program status is open. This program runs annually; we begin accepting applications at the start of June every year. To view the RFP, click here.

Deadline: Rolling basis. Requests for this Mini Grant Program are accepted on an on-going basis until funds are fully expended for the fiscal year. 

New Blog! Maryland Risk Management Education Blog

The College of Agriculture & Natural Resources' Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics has a blog that is focused on issues related to agricultural policy, crop insurance, and agricultural law.

The most recent blog from March 16, 2021 titled Legalities of Direct Marketing Specialty Crops can be viewed here Earlier blogs can be accessed here on the college's website.

MPT's Maryland Farm & Harvest is thrilled to be in their 8th Season!

Check out the links below that feature our new season 8 promotional video via Facebook and YouTube, and please like & share with all your networks!

All past episodes can be viewed at MPT’s website.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provides detailed safety practices to follow for essential workers that have been exposed to a person with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Read more here.

The State Veterinarian's Office provides guidance for livestock shows and competitions to ensure your event is in compliance with state orders and standards set by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Guidelines and best practices for Maryland's companies reopening in correlation with the COVID-19 outbreak. Governor Hogan's Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery plan details a phased approach for opening back Maryland's businesses. Read more here.

Maryland Farm Bureau has put together a comprehensive Coronavirus web page that they are updating daily with links, articles, print resources, and much more. MFB Coronavirus Resource Page. The MFB is also putting out routine coronavirus newsletters; the most recent one can be found here.

American Farm Bureau Federation is also monitoring and posting resources daily on the coronavirus impact on agriculture. Visit their COVID-19 Impact page to find the latest updates, farm resources and more.

UMD Ag Law Education Initiative - Full Webpage of Links and Resources