Program Announcements
Agriculture
Watershed Restoration
Master Gardener
Tech Educator
St. Mary's County 4-H
Agriculture
Announcing the Southern Maryland Hay & Pasture Conference
Tuesday; January 16, 2024
Calvert County Fairgrounds Banquet Hall
140 Calvert Fair Dr., Prince Frederick, MD 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Catered Lunch includes Fried Chicken and All the Fixing’s
Be sure to make plans to attend the 2024 So MD Hay and Pasture Conference. The So MD event will be the first in a series of meeting across Maryland. We have a great line up of speakers to tackle the latest challenges in forage production. Topics will include variety trial update, direct marketing livestock, triticale and festulolium as alternative forages, weed control updates, cover crop grazing, new growth curve data for orchard grass and tall fescue, MDA healthy soils program and a pesticide and nutrient management update. Once again, the conferences will also include a research roundtable with updates on several different forage-related research projects happening across the state.
Attendance at this program will also fulfill the CEU requirements for Private Pesticide Applicator Recertification and Nutrient Management Voucher Training. CCA and Conservation Planner credits will also be available.
You may also register by sending a check made payable to University of Maryland and sent to Hay & Pasture Conference, University of Maryland Extension, PO Box 663, Leonardtown, MD 20650 (phone: 301-475-4484).
Check out the 2023 Corn and Soybean Variety Trial Results
Looking through seed catalogs trying to pick the perfect hybrid for your farm? Check out the recent UMD variety trial results conducted each year for corn and soybeans.
The UMD Agronomy program, led by UMD Extension Agronomist Dr. Nicole Fiorellino, offers a fee-based, variety performance testing program to local and national seed companies. The results from these replicated trials provide agronomic performance information about varieties tested at multiple locations in Maryland considered representative of the state’s geography and weather conditions.
Please contact the St. Mary's or Charles County Extension offices if you prefer a hardcopy of either report.
Watershed Restoration, Educator
Master Gardener
Tech Educator
You can click HERE for a schedule of classes being offered in St. Mary's County Libraries and Senior Activity Centers.
St. Mary's County 4-H
Happy New Year!
The 2024 4-H year is getting underway with lots of fun chances to learn new life skills!
We will be weighing in our new Beef Steer projects on January 6th. This will be when the project officially starts for the 4-Hers and the steers will be tagged and weighed. The 4-Hers will use this weight to help them throughout the year to make sure their steers are growing and will be market ready for the St. Mary’s County Fair 4-H Livestock Auction on September 21, 2024.
Speaking of the fair, we would like to CONGRATULATE all of our 4-H’ers for their hard work with their projects, at the 2023 St. Mary’s County Fair! Below is a list of the 4-H Fair Champions and Reserve Champions in each category:
BEEF CATTLE Fitting & Showing
Grand Champion – Brooke Buckler
Reserve Grand Champion – Sydney Wise
Senior Champion – Brooke Buckler
Senior Reserve Champion – Sydney Wise
Intermediate Champion – Wyatt Mast
Intermediate Reserve Champion – Kyle Williams
Junior Champion – Kinsley Farrell
Junior Reserve Champion – Kenley Mast
Market Steers
Market Steer Grand Champion – Wyatt Mast
Market Steer Reserve Grand Champion – Sydney Wise Hereford Steer Champion – Sydney Wise
Hereford Steer Reserve Champion – Mia Young
Chianina Steer Champion – Kinsley Farrell
Shorthorn Plus Steer Champion – Trent Vallandingham
Crossbred Steer Champion – Wyatt Mast Crossbred Steer Reserve Champion – Sydney Wise
Commercial/Breeding Heifers
Best of Show Heifer – Kinsley Farrell
Best of Show Bull – Nathan Raley
Angus Heifer Champion – Kinsley Farrell
Chianina Heifer Champion – Sydney Wise
Shorthorn Plus Bull Champion – Nathan Raley
Simmental Heifer Champion – Brooke Buckler
Crossbred Heifer Champion – Kyle Williams
DAIRY CATTLE
Grand Champion Fitting and Showing – Derek Van Ryswick
Reserve Grand Champion Fitting and Showing – Kyle Van Ryswick
Grand Champion Dairy Steer – Derek Van Ryswick
Reserve Grand Champion Dairy Steer – Kyle Van Ryswick
Fitting & Showing Dairy Goats Grand Champion – Joseph Gale
Reserve Grand Champion – Levi Vallandingham
Senior Champion – Joseph Gale
Senior Reserve Champion – Emily Gale
Intermediate Champion – Garrett Shaw
Junior Champion – Levi Vallandingham
Junior Reserve Champion – Logan Raley
Dairy & Commercial Breeding Goats
Best of Show Dairy Goat – Emily Gale
Alpine Grand Champion Female – Garrett Shaw
Nigerian Dwarf Grand Champion Female – Emily Gale
Nubian Grand Champion Female – Logan Raley
Oberhasli Grand Champion Female – Joseph Gale
Saanen Grand Champion Female – Leroy Kershaw
Recorded Grade Grand Champion– Garrett Shaw
SHEEP Fitting & Showing
Slick Shorn Grand Champion – Hailey Hutmaker
Slick Shorn Reserve Grand Champion – Chloe Williams
Wool Grand Champion – Isabella Ortega
Wool Reserve Grand Champion – Phoebe-Tate Anderson
Senior Slick Shorn Champion – Mia Young
Senior Slick Shorn Reserve Champion – Sydney Wise
Senior Wool Champion– Phoebe-Tate Anderson
Intermediate Slick Shorn Champion – Kyle Williams
Intermediate Slick Shorn Reserve Champion – Nathan Raley
Intermediate Wool Champion – Dolly-Mae Anderson
Junior Slick Shorn Champion – Haley Hutmaker
Junior Slick Shorn Reserve Champion – Chloe Williams
Junior Wool Champion – Isabella Ortega
Market Sheep
Grand Champion – Hailey Hutmaker
Reserve Grand Champion – Payton Helmick
Pair of Market Lambs Grand Champion – Hailey Hutmaker
Reserve Grand Champion – Payton Helmick
Commercial/Breeding Sheep
Best of Show Ewe – Nathan Raley Best of Show Ram – Garrett Shaw
Dorset Champion Ram – Garrett Shaw
East Friesian Champion Ram – Isabella Ortega
Hog Island Ewe Champion – Pheobe-Tate Anderson
Oxford Ewe Champion – Briscoe Anderson
Champion Commercial Crossbred Ram – Nathan Raley
Commercial Crossbred Ewe Champion– Nathan Raley
Commercial Crossbred Ewe Reserve Champion– Sydney Wise
On November 19th, we held our St. Mary’s County 4-H Shooting Sports Competition at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds. 4-Hers competed in both Archery and Air Rifle. Below are the top three placings in each age group:
We had several of our county 4-H’ers compete this past fall in the MD 4-H Shooting Sports Contests. The results below:
Maryland State 4-H Shotgun Match
Ryan Cory - 10th Place Intermediate
Maryland State 4-H Archery Contest
Compound Overall
Shane Janschek - 2nd Place Junior
Collin Lacey - 4th Place Junior
Declan Lacey - 6th Place Intermediate
Emma Smith - 14th Place Intermediate
We are currently looking for teens & adults who would like to volunteer to be Camp Counselors at both our Day & Overnight Camps. Please contact the 4-H Office if you are interested at susanv@umd.edu.
Be on the lookout for news that 4-H Online has opened in the next week or two, for 2024 4-H Member & Volunteer Enrollment.
Upcoming Dates: 1/6/24 - 9am Beef Steer Weigh In
1/11/24 - 6-8pm Livestock Knowledge Workshop
1/13/24 - 10am-12pm Officer’s Training
1/15/24 - Martin Luther King’s Birthday - 4-H Office Closed
1/18/24 - 6-8pm Livestock Knowledge Workshop
1/25/24 - 6-8pm Livestock Knowledge Workshop
7/1 to 7/3/24 - St. Mary’s County 4-H Day Camp
7/28 to 8/2/24 - St. Mary’s County 4-H Overnight Camp in Western MD We hope to see you soon at one of our future 4-H events! Susan Vallandingham Barbara Dobbins St. Mary’s County 4-H Educator 4-H Program Management Specialist - St. Mary’s susanv@umd.edubdobbins@umd.edu 301-475-4479 301-475-4478
Vacant
Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Agent – 301-475-4485
Christine Allred - cmallred@umd.edu
Maryland's SNAP-Ed. Program – 443-518-0333
Project Leader and Nutrition Educator
Evan Larwood - elarwood@umd.edu
SNAP-Ed Program Assistant
Maria Barga - Mbarga@umd.edu
Tech Educator - Charles, Calvert and St. Mary's Counties - 240-736-4715
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.
