Month: April 2020

New MARBIDCO Pandemic Adjustment Loan Program is Available

Andrew Kness on

Annapolis (April 8, 2020)….The Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO) has established the Pandemic Adjustment Loan Fund Program to help Maryland’s food and fiber producers, harvesters and primary processors adjust to the business disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program offers low cost loans with flexible terms for working capital or equipment purchases. The maximum individual loan amount is $10,000, and no collateral security is required to be pledged to receive a loan.

“Many Maryland farmers and other rural businesses are rapidly altering their operations to adjust to changing market conditions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and some are pivoting to serve new customers and markets almost on the fly,” said Steve McHenry, MARBIDCO’s Executive Director. “This new loan program is designed to get money very quickly into the hands of rural business owners for the purchase of materials and equipment via an easy-to-complete application process.” MARBIDCO has available $1.2 million to lend through this program.

Applicants for this program must currently be operating their qualifying business enterprises in a substantial manner (e.g., as farmers, loggers, seafood harvesters, or as primary food/fiber processors). Spin-off activities of the existing main business enterprise are eligible and encouraged, but purely start-up enterprises are not eligible. Eligible farms and rural businesses can apply for loans up to $3,000 in working capital and up to $10,000 for equipment purchases at a low interest rate with flexible terms. Loan repayments will be made interest-only for five months beginning in August, followed by amortizing payments for 12 to 36 months with a fixed rate of 3.75% starting next year. Borrowers who make all their payments will receive a 10% grant back (of the original amount borrowed) at the end of the loan term.

Working capital includes (but is not limited to): planting materials such as seeds, fertilizers and plastic covers, hand tools, advertising and marketing expenses, and hired labor. Tangible equipment includes equipment with 7 years or more usual lifespan such as: motorized equipment, vehicles, commercial kitchen facilities, engine replacement, refrigeration units, etc.

To further assist Maryland’s farm and rural businesses during this time, MARBIDCO is also reducing the interest rates on its core loan programs by 100 basis points for borrowers that may be looking for more traditional term loan financing. These programs include: Maryland Resource-Based Industry Financing Fund, Maryland Vineyard/Hopyard/Orchard Planting Loan Fund, Rural Business Equipment and Working Capital Loan Fund, and Forestry Equipment and Working Capital Loan Fund. ​​Additional information on these programs is also available on our website.

Applications for the Pandemic Adjustment Loan Fund must be submitted by May 31st.  The application form is available on the MARBIDCO website at www.marbidco.org. For questions, please call the MARBIDCO office at (410) 267-6807. Due to current social distancing procedures, phone calls may not be readily answered (but all calls will be returned).

Contact: Steve McHenry
410-267-6807
smchenry@marbidco.org

SPRING WEED CONTROL FOR PASTURE AND HAYFIELDS

Andrew Kness on

Dr. Amanda Grev, Pasture & Forage Specialist
University of Maryland Extension

As things are greening up this spring, you may notice a few not-so-friendly plants popping up around your fields, especially given the milder weather this past winter. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to scout your pastures and hayfields in search of winter annual and biennial weeds. When it comes to weed control, timing of herbicide application is critical and it is important to spray when weeds are most susceptible to achieve maximum effectiveness.

Winter annuals typically germinate in the fall, overwinter, and complete their reproductive cycle in the spring or early summer. Common winter annual species include chickweed, purple deadnettle, field pennycress, henbit, horseweed/marestail, shepherd’s purse, and the mustard species.  Annuals are best controlled during the seedling and early vegetative stage when they are young and actively growing. Herbicide applications will be more effective if made at this stage while they are still vegetative and more susceptible and will prevent them from flowering and producing seed.  At this time of year, these winter annuals are growing rapidly and have already or will soon begin to flower and set seed. If the winter annuals in your fields have moved beyond this stage, an application may offer some control but you may also want to take note of those weedy areas now and target them later this year with a late fall application.

Biennials live for two growing seasons, with the first year consisting of only vegetative growth as a seedling and rosette and the second year consisting of vegetative growth and also reproductive growth in the form of an elongated flower stalk. Common biennial species include burdock, bull thistle, musk thistle, and wild carrot. These weeds are best controlled during the seedling and rosette stage, and should be treated now while they are smaller and more susceptible and before they begin to bolt.

There are a number of herbicides available for control of broadleaf weeds. Herbicide selection should be based on the type of forage and weed species present. The most common herbicides used for control of broadleaf weeds in grass hay or pasture are the plant growth regulator herbicides, which includes products containing 2,4-D, dicamba, triclopyr, aminopyralid, picloram, or a mix of these (see the table below for a list of common products). These products are safe if applied to grass forages at the labeled rates but can kill or injure desirable broadleaf forages (i.e. clover) in grass-legume mixed pastures.

If weedy annual grasses such as crabgrass, foxtail, panicum, and Japanese stiltgrass are problematic, pendimethalin (Prowl H2O) now has a supplemental label that allows for its use on established perennial pastures or hayfields grown for grazing, green chop, silage, or hay production. It may be applied to perennial grass stands or alfalfa-grass mixed stands. Prowl H2O may be applied as a single application in the early spring, or for more complete control it can be applied as a split application with the first application in early spring and the second application after first cutting. Keep in mind, this herbicide is a pre-emergent herbicide, meaning it will only control weeds if applied prior to germination. If soil temperatures in your area are already above 50°F it is likely that crabgrass and stiltgrass has already germinated, but a split application of Prowl H2O now and after first cutting can help control foxtail. There are currently no herbicides labeled to control emerged weedy grasses in grass stands or alfalfa/grass mixes.

Note that if forages were recently seeded and are not yet established many of these herbicides can cause severe crop injury. Most herbicide labels for cool-season perennial grasses state that the grasses should be well established with at least 4-5 inches of growth, although some labels are more restrictive than this. In addition, some of these herbicides have haying or grazing restrictions following application. Always read and follow the guidelines listed on the product label for proper rates, timing, residual effects, and any grazing or harvest restrictions following application.

Lastly, remember that while herbicides can be a useful tool for weed management in pastures and hayfields, they are not the only option for weed control. A program that integrates several different control strategies is generally more successful than relying on a single method. For maximum results, include cultural practices such as selecting adapted species and maintaining optimum soil fertility, mechanical practices such as timely mowing or clipping to suppress weed seed production, and biological practices such as utilizing livestock for controlled grazing or browsing. And remember that weeds are opportunistic; the best method for weed control is competition with a healthy, dense stand of desirable forage species.

Product Active Ingredients Application Rate* General/Restricted Use
2,4-D 2,4-D 1 to 2 qt/A General
Banvel/Clarity dicamba 0.5 to 2 pt/A General
Crossbow 2,4-D + triclopyr 1 to 6 qt/A General
GrazonNext HL 2,4-D + aminopyralid 1.2 to 2.1 pt/A General
Grazon P+D 2,4-D + picloram 2 to 8 pt/A Restricted
Milestone aminopyralid 3 to 7 fl. oz/A General
PastureGard HL triclopyr + fluroxypyr 0.75 to 4 pt/A General
Prowl H2O pendimethalin 1.1 to 4.2 qt/A General
Remedy Ultra 4L triclopyr 0.5 to 4 pt/A General
Stinger clopyralid 0.7 to 1.3 pt/A General
Surmount picloram + fluroxypyr 3 to 6 pt/A Restricted
WeedMaster 2,4-D + dicamba 1 to 4 pt/A General

*For use in established grass pasture or hayfields

MANAGEMENT TIPS TO HARVEST HIGH QUALITY WINTER FORAGE

Andrew Kness on

Jeff Semler, Principal Agriculture Agent
University of Maryland Extension, Washington County

Article adapted with permission from information provided by Tom Kilcer, certified crop adviser in Kinderhook, N.Y.

In most of our region, the warm temperatures have kick started the winter forage. This crop can give you the earliest and the highest quality forage for your livestock. Now is the time to add nitrogen and sulfur, which can save you on protein supplements by allowing you to harvest high-protein forage.

Yield potential was set last fall, depending on planting date and available nitrogen. These two factors generate the number of fall tillers that help set the yield potential for the following spring.

While planting date is the most important factor, there is still potential for economical yields so long as the stand came through winter.

1. Provide sulfur for more protein. Sulfur has long been an overlooked plant nutrient. Prior to the clean air act, our sulfur came in our rain. Sulfur is critical for protein formation and should be included with any nitrogen application to winter forage. For example, adding extra nitrogen — 115 pounds — without sulfur only provided 12% crude protein. Adding a lesser amount of nitrogen with sulfur provided 17% crude protein. For a field that did not get manure last fall (a major on-farm sulfur source) an effective ratio is roughly 1 pound of sulfur for every 10 pounds of nitrogen. This is good for all cool-season grasses in addition to winter forage grains, such as triticale.Sulfur is also critical for corn and especially sorghum, which can produce much higher protein in the forage.

2. Increase N application. Research has shown that even if you immediately incorporated manure the previous fall before planting, an application of spring nitrogen is still needed.

In one study, spring fertilizer application didn’t increase the spring yield of triticale on manured ground but it did raise the crude protein from 9% to over 19%, which can potentially save money on purchased protein.

Many farms apply between 75 and 100 pounds of nitrogen an acre in spring. Even if you applied manure prior to planting in the fall, it is suggested increase this to 125 pounds an acre to boost forage protein and save on purchased protein. Remember, a 3-ton dry matter yield at flag leaf stage will remove 192 pounds of nitrogen at 20% crude protein. What is not used by the winter forage will still be used by the following crop.

One caution, don’t try this higher rate on rye. Rye has limited tillering and produces a tall but thinner stand. It is very prone to lodging when more than 50 pounds of nitrogen an acre are applied.

Triticale is only two-thirds the height of rye and is resistant to lodging. Several university trials have found that triticale yields 35% higher than rye because of the higher tiller density.

3. Add an antivolatilization agent. It is highly recommended to add an antivolatilization agent in the spring. This will inhibit the urease enzyme from splitting the urea into ammonia that could be lost. Trials have found that urea loss in fields treated with an antivolatilization agent were 63% less than in fields that were untreated. The antivolatilization compound increases the chance of full return on your fertilizer investment.

4. Know when to harvest. For those new to growing winter forage, it is ideal to harvest at the flag leaf stage (stage 9) for optimum quality. Stage 8 does not have higher quality than stage 9, and you can get a substantial yield drag from harvesting too soon.

If temperatures are warmer than normal, push to harvest the forage at the flag leaf stage. Conversely, if it is at stage 8 and there is a week of rain forecasted, get it cut so you have quality forage.