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SEPTEMBER 2025

CALL FOR PROPOSALS NOW OPEN
MDA's Animal Waste Technology Fund is now accepting grant proposals for its Fiscal Year 2026 grant cycle. Individuals, vendors, and businesses who want to test proven, innovative technologies and alternative strategies for managing animal waste on Maryland farms are invited to apply for our grants. This year's Fund has approximately $750,000 available to invest in innovative technologies.

HEADS UP!
MDA wants rural residents to know they can expect to see an increase in low-flying airplanes, helicopters, and drones through October 10, 2025. Farmers participating in Maryland’s Cover Crop Program will be using these aerial seeding techniques to plant cereal grains and other types of cover crops into standing corn to protect local waterways from erosion and runoff and enhance their soil’s health for spring crops.

What is Miscanthus? | Maryland F&H

When John Luthy of Luthy Farms got a call to grow Giant Miscanthus he didn’t even know what it was… Now he’s got 2,500 acres of this super crop in the field, selling to the chicken industry as a bedding to replace wood chips. But its use as a chicken house bedding is just the beginning - it’s used to make biomass products and biofuels, and it’s incredibly efficient at soaking up nutrient runoff and acts a buffer along traditional row crops.

BOOST SCIENCE ENGAGEMENT WITH THIS FREE RESOURCE
Kick off the new school year with a free learning resource available to educators. Welcome to Your Watershed is an interactive science platform for students in grades 3-5 and 6-8 that explores the Chesapeake Bay watershed and how we can protect it. Developed by MDA and Maryland Public Television (MPT), it is available on MPT’s popular Thinkport educational website. 

GOVERNOR'S AGRICULTURE HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS OPEN
MDA is seeking nominations for the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame, which honors farm families who have made significant contributions to Maryland’s agricultural industry. Nominations are due by October 3, and inductees will be recognized at the Taste of Maryland Agriculture event on February 5, 2026.

TRAINING CALENDAR & DATES TO REMEMBER

September 18  – Ag Integrated Pest Management Series

September 28 – Garden Discovery Days - Ag Farm History Park, Derwood, MD

September 30 – Grant Applications Due to the Maryland Agriculture Council 

October 1 – Commercial Poultry Grower Evening Meeting (Awards 1 NM CEU)

October 2 –  2025 Women In Ag Fall Farm Tour - Cecil County

October 8 – Forestry & Natural Resources Webinar Series: Understanding MD’s Forests

October 17 – Animal Waste Technology Fund Grant Proposals Due

December 3 – Professional Fertilizer Applicator Exam - Annapolis

December 4 – ​Save the Date! Annual Agricultural Nutrient Management Update  

February 6, 2026 – Maryland Nutrient Management Certification Exam

Available Anytime – On-Demand Continuing Education Webinars for Turfgrass Pros (Please scroll to the bottom of the page)

Available Anytime – Agricultural Nutrient Management Learn and Earn CEUs

NEED HELP WITH A CONSERVATION PROJECT?
Please contact your local soil conservation district for additional information on MDA conservation programs, grants, and services.