Author: Jenell Eck

Producers with Crop Insurance to Receive Premium Benefit for Cover Crops

Credit: United States Department of Agriculture | Original press release here.

(Washington DC, June 1, 2021) – Agricultural producers who have coverage under most crop insurance policies are eligible for a premium benefit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) if they planted cover crops during this crop year. The Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP), offered nationally by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), helps farmers maintain their cover crop systems, despite the financial challenges posted by the pandemic.

The PCCP is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, a bundle of programs to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions.

“Cultivating cover crops requires a sustained, long-term investment, and the economic challenges of the pandemic made it financially challenging for many producers to maintain cover crop systems,” said RMA Acting Administrator Richard Flournoy. “Producers use cover crops to improve soil health and grain other agronomic benefits, and this program will reduce producers’ overall premium bill to help ensure producers can continue this climates-smart agricultural practice.”

Read the full article to understand the premium benefit, program details, cover crop conservation practice standard, and more.

Farmers Use Technology to Grow Crops Right for Consumers and The Environment

Credit: My Maryland Farmers | Original article here.

For Maryland farmer William (Billy) Jeanes, the goal is not just to get the highest yield of crops, the goal is to protect the land that’s been in his family since the 1700s.

The land that Jeanes, along with his father, and generations before them owned is now known as Dividing Farm. The 1,100 acres along the Chesapeake Bay in Earleville has been owned and/or farmed in some way by their ancestors since 1750. Beyond raising row crops such as soybeans, corn, and wheat, Dividing Farm also has a trucking operation that transports mushroom compost – helping others farm in environmentally responsible ways, as well.

Many modern farms, including Jeanes’s, have integrated the use of satellites and in-tractor computers to implement farming practices referred to as “Precision Agriculture.” These tools help farmers collect data from the field to plant seeds and apply nutrients and crop protection products in the most efficient and effective way possible, thereby eliminating added environmental concern for consumers and added expense for farmers.

“The cost of getting into Precision Ag can be astronomical, but I actually do it for the savings. And of course, you’re also doing the right thing as a steward of the land,” said Jeanes. “Not only does it reduce the amount of inputs you are using, such as fertilizer, but it also saves man-hours too, allowing me more time with my family. Everything you do is more exact, without you having to think about it yourself.”

One area where Jeanes excels in Precision Ag is by using the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship:

  • Right Source – The right source matches fertilizer analysis to crop needs, to ensure the plant receives a balanced supply of essential nutrients.
  • Right Rate – The right rate matches the amount of fertilizer to crop needs, by assessing and making decisions based on soil nutrient supply and plant demand.
  • Right Time – The right time makes nutrients available when crops need them, by assessing and making decisions based on the dynamics of crop uptake, soil supply, and nutrient loss risks.
  • Right Place – The right place applies and keeps nutrients where crops can use them, to meet site-specific crop needs and limit potential losses from the field.

The guiding principles of the 4Rs are that the practices maximize the economic benefit to the farmer and consumer while minimizing the impacts of nutrients on the environment. The use of 4R practices has been growing across the Chesapeake Bay region as farmers work to protect water quality. Homeowners can also apply the same 4Rs to their lawns and gardens. Consumers and farmers alike want to be sure not only their food supply – and fruits of their labor – is safe, but so are the delicate ecosystems that may be nearby. Farmers throughout the nation follow these practices for the same reasons.

Matthew Farace, a Certified Crop Adviser and the Applied Technology and Communications Lead at Willard Agri-Service, echoes the sentiment. Although it is an investment to transition to Precision Ag farming, it can keep inputs and their costs lower, while year after year improving the different areas or “zones” of a field and boosting the overall efficiency of the land. Willard Agri-Service, a liquid fertilizer company, has evolved over the years building a team of trusted advisers to farmers who work with the Delaware-Maryland 4R Alliance to advance agriculture and the environment.

“Mr. Jeanes and farmers like him are really on the forefront of technology in this industry,” said Farace. “The biggest thing someone in my role does is help farmers with planning throughout the growing season, from taking soil samples, to writing custom planting or fertilizer application prescriptions. Farmers can get down to a precise level on application based on the data we analyze, such as yield, nutrient levels, rates, and timing. Farms can drastically reduce input loss and over-application by using these various tools, which is huge when you consider the notion of all farms across the country using Precision Ag technology. Recently we have seen how even small changes can affect the food supply – good or bad, during the pandemic. By using all, or even some of these tools, farmers can provide a much more plentiful and safe food supply moving forward,” he said.

“We usually use 10 x 10 or 30 x 30-foot grids when creating a planting or fertilizer prescription. The software lays the field out in a grid then overlays historical yield data to show each individual grid block and whether it was a high or low yielding area based on a scale. Then I combine the individual ranges into usually three areas and you can see actual “zones” develop. So, it takes a 50-acre field and cuts it down to three zones that are all managed differently. One could allocate additional inputs to higher-yielding zones, and reduce them to lower-yielding zones, allowing for more efficient application,” said Farace.

“In the Eastern seaboard, we have some of the strictest regulations in the country, but by using these tools, we are meeting them,” said Jeanes. “We KNOW we are doing the best to produce each and every kernel and to preserve the land for future generations.”

Cost Share Available to Improve your 4R Nutrient Stewardship and your Bottom Line

Queenstown, Maryland (March 8, 2021) – The Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association is looking for producers in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed portions of Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, who are interested in enhancing their 4R nutrient stewardship by adding an additional split to their nitrogen application for the 2021 corn growing season. Eligibility includes meeting core nutrient management requirements, providing a minimum of 40 acres at $15 an acre, and allowing access to agronomic and financial data that will be kept confidential. These results will be used to develop case studies and outreach materials showcasing the benefits of splitting nitrogen applications.

Sign-up for 2021 is due March 15th. Farmers in Pennsylvania will work directly with the PA 4R Alliance, Eric Rosenbaum of Rosetree Consulting, and their preferred retailer. Delaware and Maryland producers will work with DEMD 4R Alliance, Thompson Ag Consulting, and their preferred retailer.

Funding for this three-year project is sponsored by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund. A three-year grant has been provided for education, training, and cost-share to increase the implementation of 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices across Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association is a non-profit that supports local 4R Alliance, collaborations of agribusinesses, researchers, government agencies, and conservation groups working to advance nutrient stewardship within the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic Region. Please contact the staff in your state if interested in signing up or for questions!

Maryland & Delaware – Jenell Eck – jenell.mdag@gmail.com

Pennsylvania – Eric Rosenbaum – ericrosenbaum@rosetreeconsulting.com

More information on our association can be found on our website.

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The Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association is a non-profit entity working to provide education to farmers on the economic and environmental benefits of implementing 4R nutrient stewardship practices, which will accelerate progress toward clean water and habitat goals.

New Funding Announced to Support Advanced Nutrient Management in Chesapeake Watershed

Queenstown, Maryland (September 21, 2020) – The Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association was granted $990,000 over three years from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to provide education, training, and cost-share to increase the implementation of 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices across Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association is a non-profit that supports local 4R Alliance, collaborations of agribusinesses, researchers, government agencies, and conservation groups working to advance nutrient stewardship within the Chesapeake Bay and Mid-Atlantic Region. With close partnership, the Delaware-Maryland 4R Alliance, the Pennsylvania 4R Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, Thompson Ag Consulting, Rosetree Consulting LLC, Penn Ag Industries Association, the Delaware-Maryland Agribusiness Association, and a number of other agribusiness partners will work with local farmers to advance the objectives of the project.

Partners will increase the implementation of 4R nutrient stewardship practices (applying the Right source of nutrients, at the Right rate, in the Right place, and at the Right time of year to maximize nutrient use efficiency) that will improve water quality and benefit the economic and social goals of local farmers. The project will be guided by first developing an understanding of the barriers to widespread 4R practice adoption and designing outreach and implementation strategies to offer solutions. We will engage 300 individual farms to identify additional nutrient conservation opportunities on 30,000 acres to increase implementation of 4R nutrient stewardship practices. Financial incentives will be utilized to increase implementation of split application of nitrogen on 25,000 acres. Additionally, we will develop a pilot process and business model for a Pennsylvania Manure Transport Exchange Bank.

The DE-MD 4R Alliance recently hosted a virtual field day attracting over 180 participants from across the Chesapeake Bay watershed illustrating the broad interest in advancing 4R practices. Agribusiness and research partners provided technical presentations on the latest technologies and agronomic, economic, and environmental benefits of 4R practices. This grant will continue to support these efforts at field days, farmer-focused “4R Real Talks” and technical service provider trainings. Agribusinesses and agency partners that work closely with farmers will continue to provide technical and financial assistance directly to producers to support the adoption of new practices. If you are interested in becoming a partner, please visit our website at www.4rmidatlantic.com.

The NFWF in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnership, is working to restore water quality and habitats of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams. This year, EPA awarded $18 million in grants for 56 new projects across six states and Washington DC. Major funding is provided by EPA’s CBP. Overall, the grants will generate about $19 million in matching dollars, for a total of about $37 million, From 1999 to 2020, the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund awarded more than 1,200 grants totaling early $176 million. Among other impacts, the grants are estimated to have reduced annual nitrogen pollution loading by 26 million pounds and annual phosphorus loading by 4.5 million pounds.

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The Mid-Atlantic 4R Nutrient Stewardship Association is a non-profit entity working to provide education to farmers on the economic and environmental benefits of implementing 4R nutrient stewardship practices, which will accelerate progress toward clean water and habitat goals.