Farmers

If William Donald Schaefer had attended the Governor's Conference on Maryland Agriculture yesterday, he would have gotten an earful on how to improve the $12 billion industry he has called the state's largest.But, to the disappointment and annoyance of many of the approximately 250 members of the agriculture community in attendance, Mr. Schaefer was a no-show."It was his meeting -- what could have been more important?" asked Maria Price-Nowakowski, owner of Willow Oak Herb Farm in Severn.

A note to local farmers: If a cheerful woman steps out of her car and asks you how many cows you've got on your farm, don't look at her as if she's crazy.L She's just trying to prove you're environmentally conscious.This summer, Nancy Powel -- a 1991 dairy science graduate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute -- will travel all over the county interviewing farmers about their livestock- and manure-management practices.Extension agency officials expect the results to show that mandatory regulations keeping animals from polluting local rivers and the Chesapeake Bay aren't necessary, she said.

For farmers, it just might be the best thing since the tractor replaced the horse-drawn plow. Imagine, with just a couple of clicks on their computers, farmers can tap into a new online marketplace set up just for them. The Maryland Agricultural Exchange was created to help farmers in the state and throughout the Chesapeake Bay region to buy, sell, trade and give away a wide variety of items, including a hay wagon, manure, vegetables and livestock. It's the brainchild of the people at the University of Maryland's Environmental Finance Center in College Park who say it's the first in the state and may be unique to the nation.

Ralph Robertson says his bank is every bit as important to the success of his farm as the seed he sows, the tractors he drives and the cooperation of Mother Nature. The 54-year-old Carroll County farmer learned that more than 25 years ago, when the local bank with which he had been doing business turned its back on him because agriculture was going through a period of financial difficulty. When times were good, he said, the commercial bank served his money needs. "But in the mid-'70s, when times were tough for farmers, the bank shifted its focus," Robertson said.

Farmers in Howard County who lose at least 30 percent of their cropsto the drought can apply for federal low-interest loans and emergency haying and grazing privileges.The relief became available Monday as the U.S. Department of Agriculture designated Howard and 17 other Maryland counties as drought disaster areas.Farmers seeking the 4.5 percent loans, which can be used for operating or living expenses, must apply to the Farmers Home Administration offices in their areas by April 9, 1992.

Although suffering one of the county's worst droughts, local farmersare not rushing to cash in on federal programs, says Richard Snader,the county executive director of the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service.Snader says only a couple of farmers have asked him to assess their crops -- the first step in receiving federal aid.Snader estimates the countywide damage to corn crops at 40 percent. He says soybean crops are still questionable. He visited one 10-acre field last week where only four plants survived.

A federal emergency feed bill and a crop assistance program could bring relief to farmers suffering from the worst drought to hit Western Maryland farms in three decades.Congress has authorized a cost-share program that would have the government paying for 30 percent of the feed purchased this winter."Congress has given [Agriculture] Secretary [Dan] Glickman the authority; the resources are available," Republican 6th District Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, the bill's sponsor, said. "The ball is in his court."

Harford farmers testifying in support of an amended version ** of a proposal to protect agricultural land from development urged the County Council not to "pick the plan to pieces.""This plan recognizes the rights of landowners and tries to bring order to development," said Sam Foard, a member of the Harford County Farm Bureau."Let's not pick the plan to pieces and leave a vacuum to be filled by someone who doesn't have any regard for farmers' concerns."The so-called "Rural Plan" is a blueprint for a set of programs that would in essence pay farmers not to sell their land to $H developers.

The Harford County Farm Bureau, concerned about the effect of a proposed county tree preservation measure on land values, is urging members to take part in discussions on the bill.Sam Foard, a member ofthe bureau's board of directors, said the bureau has not decided what position to take on the proposal of County Councilwoman Theresa M. Pierno, D-District C."We're just trying to get farmers to be alert and be aware of what's happening," said Foard, a 61-year-old grain farmer who lives nearJarrettsville.

Farmers are usually tight-lipped, especially when it comes to talking about money. But they weren't bashful about discussing pocketbook issues this summer when Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. said he wanted to hear suggestions for ways he could promote the long-term viability of farming in Maryland. When the Agricultural Commission conducted seven listening sessions around the state, farmers turned out in force. They gave the 24-member group - composed of a cross-section of the farming community and serving as an advisory board to the agriculture secretary and the governor - an earful.