Nutrient Management

State agriculture officials take pride in the fact that 95 percent of Maryland farmers have met requirements of the law and adopted nutrient-management plans designed to reduce pollution of the Chesapeake Bay. But, because the goal is 100 percent, the Department of Agriculture is stepping up efforts to bring the remaining 300 farmers into compliance, issuing a warning to farmers last week about increased enforcement efforts to corral the stragglers....

As large-scale poultry farmers are required to do, Alan Hudson of Berlin filed a plan last year with Maryland environmental regulators spelling out how he intended to prevent manure from his flocks from fouling the Chesapeake Bay. Hudson had hired a consultant to write the plan, but before submitting it he made the consultant remove recommendations that he take steps to prevent manure blown out of his chicken houses by ventilation fans from reaching...

Farmers, environmentalists and the public will get their chance starting next week to voice their opinions on the proposed regulations stemming from one of the hotly debated pieces of legislation in the 1998 General Assembly -- the so-called "Pfiesteria bill."After nearly a year of work, the Maryland Department of Agriculture has released a draft of nutrient-management regulations developed to implement the requirements of the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1988.The department has scheduled six regional meetings over a 16-day period to collect public opinion on the regulations.

In their June 18 op-ed "No more half-measures for the bay," Parris N. Glendening, Bernie Fowler, Tom Horton, Gerald W. Winegrad, Walter Boynton and Thomas R. Fisher, great friends of the environment, acknowledge Maryland's efforts to curb "bay-choking nutrient pollutants" but blame Maryland farmers and population growth for the lack of progress in restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay. I disagree. Over the last several years, Maryland's farmers have been some of the strongest partners in our efforts.

WYE MILLS - More than 250 farmers sounded off yesterday about the state's program to reduce nutrient runoff into the Chesapeake Bay, sharply criticizing what they called excessive red tape and paperwork. Taking advantage of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s campaign promise to listen to them at Maryland's first "Nutrient Management Summit," the farmers suggested a reduction in the information they must provide to the state and a less confrontational inspection process. "It really seems clear that there's a concern among farmers with the current program about privacy with their own operations," said Agriculture Secretary Lewis R. Riley.

Environmental groups are calling on Maryland officials to tighten new limits on farmers' use of animal manure and sewage sludge for fertilizer, saying rules recently proposed by the state don't go far enough. A coalition of 20 green groups says the " nutrient management" regulations proposed by the state Department of Agriculture contain "progressive elements (but falls) short of both what is possible and what is necessary. " The groups urging tighter farm pollution rules include the Chesapeake Bay Foundation , the Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club and an assortment of generally more activist waterkeepers . Farming and local government groups have objected that the proposed rules are costly and largely unnecessary, and state officials eased a few provisions in response.

Programs teach how to write plan for nutrient management The University of Maryland Cooperative Extension and Maryland Department of Agriculture are piloting two training and certification programs next month for all farmers who would like to write their own nutrient management plan. Each program will focus on a specific type of operation. Programs are: Crop production using only commercial fertilizer, Feb. 20 at the Montgomery County Extension Office. Crop production using manure or other organic nutrient courses with or without animals on site, Feb. 27 at the Carroll County Extension Office.

It's imperative that the state do more to control pollution runoff from Maryland farms into the Chesapeake Bay. But the state's proposed nutrient-management rules, which go into effect next year, need amending to ease the burden on small farms and to assure their equitable application.An advisory committee made up of farm and environmental interests is proposing several worthy changes to the rules.They include a change in calculating the size of a livestock farm, exemption of research or demonstration projects, and a state cost-sharing manure-disposal program for all livestock producers.

The agricultural community is up in arms these days about the state's proposed new rules for fertilizer and manure. And the man upon whom many Carroll County farmers have been relying to be at the forefront to disseminate information or relay concerns is going to start taking it easy.Today is David L. Greene's first day of retirement, after 27 years as an agent in Carroll County for the Maryland Cooperative Extension.He spent his last morning on the job meeting with the county commissioners and staff to draft a letter urging the state to revise the proposed nutrient management regulations to be more practical and fair to farmers.

QUEEN ANNE -- Dick Messix, who farms about 430 acres near this Eastern Shore town, passed his first nutrient management inspection last week with flying colors. But it was not a lot of fun. As a state inspector plowed though Messix's records looking for any violation of pollution laws, the state attorney general and his top environmental assistant were sitting at the table. "Yeah, I was nervous," Messix said after the two-hour session last week. "My stomach was turning. I had a good case of the butterflies."

Environmental groups are calling on Maryland officials to tighten new limits on farmers' use of animal manure and sewage sludge for fertilizer, saying rules recently proposed by the state don't go far enough. A coalition of 20 green groups says the " nutrient management" regulations proposed by the state Department of Agriculture contain "progressive elements (but falls) short of both what is possible and what is necessary. " The groups urging tighter farm pollution rules include the Chesapeake Bay Foundation , the Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club and an assortment of generally more activist waterkeepers . Farming and local government groups have objected that the proposed rules are costly and largely unnecessary, and state officials eased a few provisions in response.

After 28 years of formal efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the single most successful efforts have been in curbing bay-choking nutrient pollutants from sewerage treatment plants, so-called "point sources" from pipes. Maryland has been a leader in these efforts with passage of the Flush Tax in 2004 and its extension in 2012. This will assure that 69 of the largest Maryland plants will be removing both phosphorus and nitrogen to very low levels, approaching the limits of technology.

As head of the agency responsible for Maryland's nutrient management program, I would like to correct a few misconceptions presented by one reader ("Maryland fertilizer regs leave a bad odor," June 7). In fact, the new draft regulations include provisions that address his concerns. These provisions are scientifically-based and allow for the use of the newest technology and best management practices. The regulations provide an exception for incorporating manure for hay and pastures acres, no till, or highly erodible conditions and allow spray irrigation of nutrients on existing crops and allow winter grazing of livestock.

QUEEN ANNE -- Dick Messix, who farms about 430 acres near this Eastern Shore town, passed his first nutrient management inspection last week with flying colors. But it was not a lot of fun. As a state inspector plowed though Messix's records looking for any violation of pollution laws, the state attorney general and his top environmental assistant were sitting at the table. "Yeah, I was nervous," Messix said after the two-hour session last week. "My stomach was turning. I had a good case of the butterflies."

A Farmer Education/Resource Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Maryland Cooperative Extension Office, 330 Montevue Lane in Frederick County. The event will feature information on Maryland's nutrient management regulations, best management practices, financial assistance programs, sustainable agriculture, organic agriculture and marketing strategies for small farm producers. The event is sponsored by the Maryland Small Farm Cooperative. Registrants receive two hours of continuing education credits from the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Management Program.

State agriculture officials take pride in the fact that 95 percent of Maryland farmers have met requirements of the law and adopted nutrient-management plans designed to reduce pollution of the Chesapeake Bay. But, because the goal is 100 percent, the Department of Agriculture is stepping up efforts to bring the remaining 300 farmers into compliance, issuing a warning to farmers last week about increased enforcement efforts to corral the stragglers....

Andrew Martin prides himself on being a connoisseur of manure."If you think you're having a crappy day, I deal with it every day," joked Carroll County's new nutrient management consultant. He tests county farmers' soil and manure to determine how much commercial fertilizer is needed to meet a crop's nutritional needs.Mr. Martin, a Howard County native, spent 12 years working on his family's 600-acre dairy farm before his father sold it in 1988. Four years later, with a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, N.Y., he returned to his home state to take the position created by his brother Mark in 1989.

A Farmer Education/Resource Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Maryland Cooperative Extension Office, 330 Montevue Lane in Frederick County. The event will feature information on Maryland's nutrient management regulations, best management practices, financial assistance programs, sustainable agriculture, organic agriculture and marketing strategies for small farm producers. The event is sponsored by the Maryland Small Farm Cooperative. Registrants receive two hours of continuing education credits from the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Management Program.

When the University of Maryland closed its soil-testing lab two years ago, few noticed beyond the state's farmers and a scattered few homeowners who took their gardening seriously. But loss of the program has had unintended consequences - not only for farmers, but also agricultural researchers, environmentalists and even Delaware taxpayers. Soil testing is an essential part of land management. Homeowners and farmers take samples from their yards and fields and send them to the labs, which analyze the nutrients in the soil, helping them decide which fertilizers they need and in what amounts.

AT A TIME when the health of the Chesapeake Bay is getting increased attention from state legislative leaders, the Maryland Department of Agriculture is stepping up its educational program on management of pollutants blamed for contamination of the bay. The department has scheduled a two-day class "Fundamentals of Nutrient Management," for June 29 and 30 at its headquarters in Annapolis. The course will present an overview of topics covered by the Maryland Nutrient Management Certification Examination.