Month: September 2020

County rental rates in Maryland now available online for 2020

By Elizabeth Thilmany, Research Assistant
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Cash rent lease agreements are the most popular type of lease agreements in Maryland. Cash rent is a fixed amount on a per acre basis. In this agreement the owner is relieved of operating and marketing decisions and income is known year to year. The tenant has the risk and returns from the crop and can make crop and livestock decisions.  

Through USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) estimates of average cash rental rates per acre of irrigated cropland, non-irrigated cropland and pastureland at the County, Ag District, and State level are posted where possible. This data is sourced from responses to annual farm level surveys. To learn more about the Cash Rents Survey from NASS, visit: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Guide_to_NASS_Surveys/Cash_Rents_by_County/

University of Maryland synthesizes the NASS data to assist Marylanders in seeing and understanding the trends in rental rates for different types of land use by different geographical areas within Maryland. Farmers and ranchers can use this updated data on rental rates in their area, “for their use in making decisions regarding renting and leasing farmland” as summarized by NASS on their Surveys page for Cash Rents. 

The updated publication includes Maryland Total rental rates for non-irrigated cropland, irrigated cropland and pastureland visualized in moving-average line-graph from 2009-2020. As well as cash rental rates (2009-2020) for: non-irrigated land by county and Ag district, irrigated land by Ag district and the counties in the Lower and Eastern Shore Districts, and pastureland by Ag district and counties in the North Central and Western ag districts. 

The publication is available at: https://extension.umd.edu/grainmarketing/lease-agreements

Northeast SARE Farmer Grants

The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program has released the call for 2021 Farmer Grant applications. Proposals are due online by Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. ET. Farmer Grants provide research funds for commercial farms to explore new ideas in almost any aspect of production, marketing and other topics that influence successful farming in the 12 Northeast states and the District of Columbia. Reviewers look for innovation, potential for improved sustainability and results that will be useful to other farmers. Application materials, including detailed instructions and supporting documents, are posted on the Northeast SARE website at www.northeastsare.org/FarmerGrant. Questions about the grant program should be directed to Candice Huber, grant program coordinator, at candice.huber@uvm.edu.

Northeast SARE will host a free Farmer Grant webinar on Oct. 6 from noon to 1 p.m. Huber will provide information on program eligibility, how to apply, types of projects SARE funds, allowable expenses and more. She will be joined by Farmer Grant recipient Jennifer Wilhelm of Fat Peach Farm, Madbury, NH who will share her experiences with the program. The webinar will be recorded for future viewing. To register, visit http://go.uvm.edu/farmergrantwebinar.

Farmer Grant projects must be conducted in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia or Washington, D.C. Grants are capped at $15,000 and projects can run up to two years. Applicants must work with a technical advisor (eg., a Cooperative Extension educator, nonprofit staff, crop consultant, veterinarian, another farmer, etc.) who provides support and advice to the farmer applicant.

Learn more about the Northeast SARE Farmer Grant program at: www.northeastsare.org/FarmerGrant.

 

Expansion of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Begins Sept. 21

USDA press release

President Donald J. Trump and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced up to an additional $14 billion for agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19. Signup for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2) will begin September 21 and run through December 11, 2020.

“America’s agriculture communities are resilient, but still face many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. President Trump is once again demonstrating his commitment to ensure America’s farmers and ranchers remain in business to produce the food, fuel, and fiber America needs to thrive,” said Secretary Perdue. “We listened to feedback received from farmers, ranchers and agricultural organizations about the impact of the pandemic on our nations’ farms and ranches, and we developed a program to better meet the needs of those impacted.”

Background:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will use funds being made available from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and CARES Act to support row crops, livestock, specialty crops, dairy, aquaculture and many additional commodities. USDA has incorporated improvements in CFAP 2 based from stakeholder engagement and public feedback to better meet the needs of impacted farmers and ranchers.

Producers can apply for CFAP 2 at USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices. This program provides financial assistance that gives producers the ability to absorb increased marketing costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Producers will be compensated for ongoing market disruptions and assisted with the associated marketing costs.

CFAP 2 payments will be made for three categories of commodities – Price Trigger Commodities, Flat-rate Crops and Sales Commodities.

Price Trigger Commodities
Price trigger commodities are major commodities that meet a minimum 5-percent price decline over a specified period of time. Eligible price trigger crops include barley, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, upland cotton, and all classes of wheat. Payments will be based on 2020 planted acres of the crop, excluding prevented planting and experimental acres. Payments for price trigger crops will be the greater of: 1) the eligible acres multiplied by a payment rate of $15 per acre; or 2) the eligible acres multiplied by a nationwide crop marketing percentage, multiplied by a crop-specific payment rate, and then by the producer’s weighted 2020 Actual Production History (APH) approved yield. If the APH is not available, 85 percent of the 2019 Agriculture Risk Coverage-County Option (ARC-CO) benchmark yield for that crop will be used.

For broilers and eggs, payments will be based on 75 percent of the producers’ 2019 production.

Dairy (cow’s milk) payments will be based on actual milk production from April 1 to Aug. 31, 2020. The milk production for Sept. 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020, will be estimated by FSA.

Eligible beef cattle, hogs and pigs, and lambs and sheep payments will be based on the maximum owned inventory of eligible livestock, excluding breeding stock, on a date selected by the producer, between Apr. 16, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2020.

Flat-rate Crops
Crops that either do not meet the 5-percent price decline trigger or do not have data available to calculate a price change will have payments calculated based on eligible 2020 acres multiplied by $15 per acre. These crops include alfalfa, extra long staple (ELS) cotton, oats, peanuts, rice, hemp, millet, mustard, safflower, sesame, triticale, rapeseed, and several others.

Sales Commodities
Sales commodities include specialty crops; aquaculture; nursery crops and floriculture; other commodities not included in the price trigger and flat-rate categories, including tobacco; goat milk; mink (including pelts); mohair; wool; and other livestock (excluding breeding stock) not included under the price trigger category that were grown for food, fiber, fur, or feathers. Payment calculations will use a sales-based approach, where producers are paid based on five payment gradations associated with their 2019 sales.

Additional commodities are eligible in CFAP 2 that weren’t eligible in the first iteration of the program. If your agricultural operation has been impacted by the pandemic since April 2020, we encourage you to apply for CFAP 2. A complete list of eligible commodities, payment rates and calculations can be found on farmers.gov/cfap.

Eligibility
There is a payment limitation of $250,000 per person or entity for all commodities combined. Applicants who are corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships may qualify for additional payment limits when members actively provide personal labor or personal management for the farming operation. In addition, this special payment limitation provision has been expanded to include trusts and estates for both CFAP 1 and 2.

Producers will also have to certify they meet the Adjusted Gross Income limitation of $900,000 unless at least 75 percent or more of their income is derived from farming, ranching or forestry-related activities. Producers must also be in compliance with Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation provisions.

Applying for Assistance
Producers can apply for assistance beginning Sept. 21, 2020. Applications will be accepted through Dec. 11, 2020.

Additional information and application forms can be found at farmers.gov/cfap. Documentation to support the producer’s application and certification may be requested. All other eligibility forms, such as those related to adjusted gross income and payment information, can be downloaded from farmers.gov/cfap/apply. For existing FSA customers, including those who participated in CFAP 1, many documents are likely already on file. Producers should check with FSA county office to see if any of the forms need to be updated.

Customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP 2 application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages with the team at the FSA county office.

All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some that are open to visitors to conduct business in person by appointment only. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment. Service Centers that are open for appointments will pre-screen visitors based on health concerns or recent travel, and visitors must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Visitors are also required to wear a face covering during their appointment. Our program delivery staff will be in the office, and they will be working with our producers in the office, by phone and using online tools. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

2020 Mid Atlantic Crop Management School

Registration is now available for the Mid-Atlantic Crop Management School. This years school will be presented virtually online November 16-20, 2020. Talks will be given from 8:30-11:30 each day that week and CCA credits will be available in nutrient, crop, and pest management, as well as soil and water. There will also be nutrient and pest management credits available for several Mid-Atlantic States.

To see the schedule, registration, and this years school design, please visit: https://go.umd.edu/crop20registration

Please contact Nicole Fiorilleno (nfiorell@umd.edu) with any questions about options and credits.

Scout for ear and stalk rots in corn

Andrew Kness, Agriculture Agent
University of Maryland Extension, Harford County

stalk and ear rot of corn
Stalk rot (left) and ear rot (right) of corn.

With corn harvest underway across much of the state, growers may be encountering ear rots and stalk rots in affected fields. The degree of severity is dependent on a variety of factors, so it is wise to scout fields prior to harvesting in order to identify problematic fields and give those harvest priority.

Several different pathogens can cause ear rots in Maryland; the main contenders are listed in the table below. Although they typically do not affect yield, they can cause grain quality issues through the production of mycotoxins. Furthermore, if infected grain is not dried quickly or to a low enough moisture content, infection can spread, even when in the bin. Therefore, it is important to scout and identify fields that are infected with ear rots and harvest those first. It is better to pay a few cents in propane to dry the wet grain than to wait and risk infection levels getting worse, and the potential for elevated mycotoxin concentration in the grain. Quickly dry infected grain to below 15% for short-term storage and to below 13% for long term storage. It is important to note that not all ear rotting fungi produce mycotoxins, so I would recommend sending samples to a lab (the UMD Plant Diagnostic Clinic is a free service) to get proper identification so that you know the species in question and thus if mycotoxin contamination is a concern.

Table 1. Common ear rots of corn.

Disease Pathogen Symptoms Mycotoxin
Fusarium ear rot Fusarium verticillioides “Starburst” kernels, white kernels, infected kernels may be scattered on ear Fumosin
Gibberella ear rot Fusarium graminearum Ear covered in white mat often with pink hue, infection starts at tip and can progress to butt end of ear Vomitoxin (DON)
Diplodia ear rot Stenocarpella maydis and S. macrospora White fungal mat on ear, may cover the entire ear None
Penicillium ear rot Several Penicillium species Blue-grey spores on kernels developing on damaged ears (hail, deer feeding, insects, birds, etc.), may infect the germ of the kernel Some species may produce mycotoxins
Trichoderma ear rot Trichoderma viride Green spores in between kernels None
Aspergillus ear rot Aspergillus flavus Olive green spores on ear, usually starting at tip, associated with damaged ears (feeding from insects, deer, birds, etc) Aflatoxin 

Stalk rots are also a harvest concern. Like ear rots, stalk rots are also caused by many different pathogens, several of which are listed in the table below. No one factor causes stalk rots; they are rather the end result of a host of factors that contribute to a net deficit in plant carbohydrates needed for grain fill. The grain fill process is a major carbohydrate sink for the plant. As the plant produces carbohydrates through photosynthesis, it allocates almost all of it’s carbohydrate production to filling the kernels. A healthy plant will have sufficient leaf area to maximize photosynthesis and therefore produce enough carbohydrates to fill the grain. However, when photosynthetic leaf area is compromised, the plant cannot make enough food to fill the kernels. So in order to compensate for the deficit, the plant will cannibalize carbohydrates from existing tissues. The first tissues to go are the stalks, which are then easily compromised by stalk-rotting pathogens.

Table 2. Common stalk rots of corn.

Disease Pathogen
Anthracnose stalk rot Colletotrichum graminicola
Diplodia stalk rot Stenocarpella maydis
Charcoal rot Macrophpmina phaseolina
Gibberella stalk rot Fusarium graminearum
Fusarium stalk rot Multiple Fusarium species

Any factor that reduces leaf area or reduces photosynthesis after pollination will predispose plants to stalk rots. These include reduced leaf area through insect feeding, lesions from foliar diseases, or mechanical damage (such as hail). Other factors include inadequate fertility, water stress, and excessive plant populations. Another significant factor is hybrid genetics; both resistance ratings to stalk rotting pathogens as well as ear and kernel size. High-yielding, large kernel hybrids are more susceptible to stalk rots if they are not kept healthy through grain fill.

Scout fields for stalk rots as early as black layer. The “pinch test” is one way to scout for stalk rots. Pinch the stalk in between the nodes at one of the lower two nodes. You should not be able to pinch healthy stalks but rotted stalks will fairly easily pinch. Do this at random to assess the field. Alternatively, you can do a “push test”, which involves pushing the corn stalks approximately 30 degrees from horizontal (8 inches laterally) at a height of about eye level. Healthy stalks will return to vertical while infected plants will not. If more than 10% of plants tested exhibit stalk rot symptoms, you may want to harvest as soon as possible or risk a not-so-fun harvest of lodged corn.

September 2020 WASDE Summary

Dale Johnson, Farm Management Specialist
University of Maryland

Information from USDA WASDE report

Attached is the summary for the September 11 WASDE.

Corn

Harvested acres estimate was adjusted down 0.5 million acres and yield estimates were adjusted down 3.3 bushels to 178.5 bushels per acre. Beginning stocks were adjusted up slightly but the net effect in total supply was a decrease of 353 million bushels. Domestic demand estimate was decreased by 200 million bushels but exports were increased by 100 million bushels so the net effect in demand total was a decrease of 100 million bushel. So the ending stock estimates were down by 253 million bushel decreasing the stocks to use ratio from 18.7% to 17.1%. This anticipated decrease in ending stocks has been factored into the market as the December futures price increased this past month from $3.27 on August 12 (last WASDE) to $3.70 on September 11.

Soybeans
Yield estimates for the 2020/21 crop year were adjusted down from 53.3 bushels per acre estimated in August to 51.9 bushels per acre current estimate. Beginning stocks were also adjusted down by 35 million bushel. These two changes resulted in a decrease of 152 million bushel in estimated 2020/21 supply. On the demand side, the only change was a decrease of 2 million bushel in residual. The resulting estimate of ending stocks was decreased by 150 million bushels decreasing the Ending stocks to use ratio from 13.7% from 10.4%. Just like corn, soybean futures market prices (November) have spiked during the past month from $8.83 per bushel on August 12 to $9.93 on September 11.

Wheat
There were no changes in the wheat supply and demand estimates. However, wheat futures prices (September) have followed corn and soybean prices and increased from $4.91 per bushel on August 11 to $5.35 on September 11.

USDA Reminds Farmers of September 30 Deadline to Update Safety-Net Program Crop Yields

USDA FSA press release

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds farm owners that they have a one-time opportunity to update Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program yields for covered commodities on the farm. The deadline is September 30, 2020, to update yields, which are used to calculate the PLC payments for 2020 through 2023. Additionally, producers who elected Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) should also consider updating their yields.

“The last time farmers could update yields for these important safety-net programs was in 2014,” said FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce. “It is the farm owner’s choice whether to update or keep existing yields. So, if you rent, you’ll need to communicate with your landlord who will be the one to sign off on the yield updates.”

Updating yields requires the signature of one owner on a farm and not all owners. If a yield update is not made, no action is required to maintain the existing base crop yield on file with FSA.

For program payments, updated yields will apply beginning with the 2020 crop year which, should payments trigger, will be paid out in October of 2021.

Determining Yield Updates

The updated yield will be equal to 90% of the average yield per planted acre in crop years 2013-2017. That excludes any year where the applicable covered commodity was not planted and is subject to the ratio obtained by dividing the 2008-2012 average national yield by the 2013-2017 average national yield for the covered commodity.

The chart below provides the ratio obtained by this calculation.

Covered Commodities National Yield Factor
Barley 0.9437
Canola 0.9643
Chickpeas, Large 1.0000
Chickpeas, Small 0.9760
Corn 0.9000
Crambe 1.0000
Flaxseed 1.0000
Grain Sorghum 0.9077
Lentils 1.0000
Mustard Seed 0.9460
Oats 0.9524
Peanuts 0.9273
Peas, Dry 0.9988
Rapeseed 1.0000
Rice, Long 0.9330
Rice, Medium 0.9887
Rice, Temp Japonica 0.9591
Safflower 1.0000
Seed Cotton 0.9000
Sesame Seed 0.9673
Soybeans 0.9000
Sunflower Seed 0.9396
Wheat 0.9545

If the reported yield in any year is less than 75 percent of the 2013-2017 average county yield, the yield will be substituted with 75 percent of the county average yield.

More information

PLC yields may be updated on a covered commodity-by-covered commodity basis by submitting FSA form CCC-867 to include a farm owner’s signature.

For more information, reference resources, and decision tools, visit farmers.gov/arc-plc. Contact your local FSA county office for assistance at farmers.gov/service-center-locator.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

Agritourism Webinar: Planning and Operating During COVID-19

Agritourism: Planning and Operating During COVID-19 is a webinar scheduled for September 10th from 1-3:30 p.m., and hosted by Maryland Farm Bureau. Presentations include:

  • 1:00-1:45. Operating Your Agritourism Operation in Accordance with State and Local Law, Sarah Everhart, Agriculture Law Education Initiative
  • 1:45-2:30. Pivoting Your Agritourism Activities and Preparing for the Fall and Holiday Seasons, Ginger Myers, Marketing Specialist, University of Maryland Extension
  • 2:30. Break
  • 2:45-3:30. Agritourism and Legal Risk Management, Matt Ludwig, Nationwide

This webinar is free, but registration is required. Visit https://mdfarmbureau.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uTDlrvbjQ0G8QfYoAmHDvw to register.

 

Early Fall Insect Scouting Guide and Tips

Emily Zobel, Agriculture Agent Associate
University of Maryland Extension, Dorchester County

Soybean: Keep scouting for stink bug, corn earworm, and leaf defoliators. Defoliation thresholds for R-stage soybean is 15-20% with defoliators present; however once the field has reached the R6 stage, defoliation thresholds can be relaxed. Bean leaf beetles may be found in fields but economic damage is rare in our area. Stink bugs will often aggregate in along fields edges, so make sure to check the middle of the field as well to see if the whole field needs to be treat or if you can just spot treat the edges. NC State Extension Stink Bug Economic Threshold Calculator can be used to help decide if it worth treating based on row with and bean type (https://soybeans.ces.ncsu.edu/stink-bug-economic-threshold-calculator/). As the month progress and fields get closer to harvest, sample stems in any field that have a history of Dectes stem borer issues. If your field has a large stem infestation, prioritize that field for as timely a harvest as possible to reduce loss due to lodging.

Sorghum: As fields reached the hard dough stages they are less likely to have sugarcane aphids. However, it worth keeping an eye out for honeydew, which can impended harvest, and aphids in any fields that were treated with an insecticide earlier this year and late fields that are younger than soft dough.

 

Webinar Series: How To Write a Nutrient Management Plan

Multi-session series, October 5-9, 2020

COURSE DESCRIPTION Participants will learn how to write a nutrient management plan from beginning to end and how to use NuMan Pro nutrient management planning software. Principles will be discussed via live webinar on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Video guidance for NuMan Pro activities will be available and online “office hours” will occur on Tuesday and Thursday to guide participants through NuMan Pro activities.

COURSE CREDITS Newly (less than one year since certification) certified nutrient management consultants will receive 6 continuing education credits with satisfactory course completion, which includes participation in webinars and completion of plan development. A certificate of completion will be issued to participants who complete the requirements.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND All are welcome; however, the material will be geared toward Certified Nutrient Management Consultants.

DATES AND COURSE ACCESS

  • October 5, 2020 1:00-3:00 pm. Lecture/Discussion.
  • October 6, 2020 1:00-3:00 pm. Office hours (optional attendance), Participants expected to complete NuMan activities assigned on Monday at any time during this day.
  • October 7, 2020 1:00-3:00 pm. Lecture/Discussion.
  • October 8, 2020 1:00-3:00 pm. Office hours (optional attendance), Participants expected to complete NuMan activities assigned on Wednesday at any time during this day.
  • October 9, 2020 1:00-3:00 pm. Lecture/Discussion; go over resources and expectations for plan development portion of course.
  • Plan development: Participants will have two weeks to develop a complete Nutrient Management Plan using provided data. Specialists will review and provide individual feedback within a week of submission.

REGISTRATION 1) Registration (https://go.umd.edu/HTWNMP2020) is required. 2) There is no cost for this course, but 3) the latest version of NuMan software will be needed on your desktop/laptop before the start of the course. NuMan licenses are $75. Contact Emileigh Lucas at erosso@umd.edu if you have any questions. Contact David Ruppert at druppert@umd.edu if the $75 NuMan software license is a hardship.

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS Participants must have access to a stable internet connection, be able to connect to Zoom, WebEx or similar, have access to NuMan Pro 5.0 software, and be able to access Google Drive (for course materials and participant folders). Contact Emileigh Lucas at erosso@umd.edu if you have any concerns about accessing the course and we will do our best to accommodate you.