Shannon Dill, Principal Agriculture Agent
University of Maryland Extension, Talbot County
The legislative branch of Maryland is the Maryland General Assembly. Legislators are elected to either houses of the General Assembly, the Senate and the House of Delegates from their respective districts. The 442nd session began on January 13, 2021 and the 90 day session is expected to adjourn on April 12, 2021. The usual hustle and bustle of session and downtown Annapolis has been changed with COVID-19 restrictions. With that said this session continues to be important for agriculture and natural resources of Maryland.
It remains important that farmers and landowners are up to date on legislation that could affect the farm. One way to do that is to view and follow the agricultural bills being introduced. This can be done by going to the legislation tab and searching agriculture. If there is a bill of interest you can create an account through MyMGA that will track and alert you of actions taken on that bill. This year there is proposed legislation regarding pesticide bans, poultry litter and property rights. Commodity organizations and Farm Bureau will also be sharing agricultural bills so be sure to join email lists and if you receive the emails take time to review them.
