Your friends at the Beginning Farmer Success Program are excited to announce the beginning of a monthly newsletter!

The Maryland Beginning Farmer Success Project provides new farmers with resources and contacts to be able to explore enterprise options, refine ideas, develop plans and strategies, and implement their farming practice. 

Each month our newsletter will feature events, resources, and farmer spotlights 

Stay tuned for Beginning Farmer summer events!

Congratulations to our Beginning Farmer Graduates

Winter 2022 UME hosted our annual Beginning Farmer Success Course. The course is a ten-week introduction to the foundational topics an aspiring farmer in Maryland should know. Topics covered included business planning, marketing, crop production, livestock husbandry, soil health, pest management, food safety, and regulations and certifications, with specialty topics in urban agriculture, mushroom cultivation and organic production. 

The course was offered virtually in a blended at-your-own-pace (asynchronous) and live (synchronous) format. The course hosted  62 participants with attendees from across the state and Washington, DC. 

If you are an aspiring farmer but not sure how to start, or a beginning farmer ready to take your enterprise to the next level, consider joining the next cohort in Winter 2023. 

• Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival: May 7 & 8, 2022: Howard County FairGrounds (https://sheepandwool.org/) 
• Beef Short Course https://ansc.umd.edu/extension/beef-extension/educational-courses#series-i
• MidAtlantic in Agriculture Wednesday Webinar: Considerations for Selecting and Purchasing Hay - Online: May 11, 2022: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (https://extension.umd.edu/news-events/events/event/6885/wednesday-webinar-considerations-selecting-and-purchasing-hay) 

• Nutrition, Health and Wellness: The MIND Diet for Brain Health - Online: May 17, 2022: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM (https://extension.umd.edu/news-events/events/event/7147/nutrition-health-and-wellness-mind-diet-brain-health) 

• MidAtlantic in Agriculture Wednesday Webinar: Clean 'Green' - Online: May 25, 2022: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (https://extension.umd.edu/news-events/events/event/6886/wednesday-webinar-clean-green)

• Cucumbers, Squash, Pumpkins, Gourds

• Garden Smarter Calvert Master Gardeners Annual Plant Sale

• Ask a Master Gardener Plant Clinic Training Day 1

• Ask a Master Gardener Plant Clinic Training Day 2

• Easy Flowers for Integrating Into Vegetable Gardens

• Ask a Master Gardener Table at the Easton Library

• Planting for Pollinators

• Lawn Best Management Practices & Alternatives: UME Master Gardener Program

May is recognized nationally as Mental Health Awareness Month. Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. During the month of May UME will raise awareness about mental health by fighting stigma, providing support, educating the public and advocating for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.

If you or someone you know is looking for help with their mental health visit the resources below.

Resources:

• Extension Farm Family Website 
• National Suicide Prevention Lifelife: 1-800-273-8255
• Farm Aid: 1-800-327-6243
• Crisis Text Line: Text “GO” to 741741  Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7 mental health support via text message. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds quickly.
• Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255, Press 1 (website also has a chat option). Connect with the Veterans Crisis Line to reach caring, qualified responders with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many of them are Veterans themselves.

• Maryland Farm Bureau (State and Counties): https://www.mdfarmbureau.com/scholarships/ 
• Maryland Nursery, Landscape, and Greenhouse Association Scholarship (http://agnrundergrad.blogspot.com/2022/03/maryland-nursery-landscape-and.html) 
• Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture Scholarships - $1500 (http://agnrundergrad.blogspot.com/2022/01/philadelphia-society-for-promoting.html)

In response to the multiple cases of High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI) on farms in Maryland and Delaware we have compiled the following resources.

• https://extension.umd.edu/programs/agriculture-food-systems/program-areas/animal-science/poultry/avian-influenza 
• https://mda.maryland.gov/Pages/AvianFlu.aspx
• https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/hunt_trap/AV_QA.aspx

https://extension.umd.edu/programs/agriculture-food-systems/program-areas/integrated-programs/farm-stress-management/covid-19-resources 

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.