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MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
It’s time to sign up for our cover crop grants. This is your opportunity to apply for attractive grants to help cover the cost of planting fall cover crops to energize your soil and protect the Chesapeake Bay. Your local soil conservation district will accept grant applications between June 21 and July 17, 2024. Please take a moment to explore our Cover Crop Plus+ grants tailored for soil health farmers who want to go the extra mile.
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LORETTA COLLINS JOINS MDA
Loretta Collins has joined MDA as the new executive secretary for the State Soil Conservation Committee. Loretta comes to us from the University of Maryland, where she performed fieldwork and coordinated agricultural stakeholder groups and scientific panels for the Chesapeake Bay Program Office. At MDA, Loretta will coordinate conservation programs and activities with various organizations. You can reach out to her at loretta.collins@maryland.gov. |
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This short video, produced by the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, explores the economic, environmental, and soil health benefits of planting multiple species of cover crops in the same field.
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29TH ANNUAL PROCRASTINATOR'S CONFERENCE SET FOR JUNE 28
The Montgomery County Pesticide & Nutrient Management Procrastinator's meeting for the turf, nursery, & landscape industries is set for June 28 in Derwood. Topics include exciting happenings in the insect and mite world, turf organic herbicide efficacy trial results, using the pest predictive calendar, disease updates, and equipment calibration. Earns 2 Maryland Professional Fertilizer credits.
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WATERSHED INTERACTIVE NOW AVAILABLE ON MPT'S THINKPORT
MDA and Maryland Public Television have partnered to provide parents and teachers with a new learning resource for elementary and middle school students in grades 3-8. Welcome to Your Watershed is now available on MPT's popular Thinkport educational website. This interactive science resource has been updated and expanded to meet national and state standards for easy integration into the curriculum.
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BAY OYSTER REEF RESTORATION ON TRACK TO MEET 2025 GOALS
Earlier this month, the Chesapeake Bay Program announced that efforts to restore healthy oyster reefs in 10 Chesapeake Bay tributaries are on track to meet the Bay's 2025 restoration goals. The Bay Program reports that 8 of the 10 original tributaries selected for large-scale restoration are considered complete.
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MARYLAND PERMENTANLY PRESERVES 6,370 ACRES OF FARMLAND
The Maryland Board of Public Works approved 55 new Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation easements at its June 5 meeting. The easements total 6,370 acres of prime farmland in Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester counties.
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HARFORD COUNTY TEAM WINS MARYLAND ENVIROTHON
For a second straight year, a team of students from Harford County has won the Maryland Envirothon. Shown here with Suzy Daubert, USDA-NRCS and MDA's Steve Connelly, the North Harford High School team scored 442 points out of 500 possible points. Teams from Montgomery County (428.50) and Allegany County (425) placed 2nd and third.
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CELEBRATE NATIONAL POLLINATOR WEEK JUNE 17-23 – Plant a pollinator garden!
WANT TO WORK FOR MDA?
Check out the latest job openings throughout the department on our website.
Please contact your local soil conservation district for additional information on MDA conservation programs.
Photo credits: Edwin Remsberg, Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, and MDA.
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