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Each month this newsletter will highlight our top upcoming UMD events of interest to urban farmers. The full calendar of upcoming events has even more learning opportunities.
See more Extension events on the website here.
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The University of Maryland Extension (UME) Seafood Safety Program offers Seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Sanitation Control Procedures (SCP) courses to help the seafood industry meet training requirements established by the FDA, the state health department and other regulatory agencies.
Seafood HACCP Course. Participants can take the training by choosing one of two options:
Option 1: Seafood HACCP Basic Course is a three-day, in-person course. After completion, participants will receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) recognized by the FDA.
Option 2: Seafood HACCP Segments One and Two are a two-part course that includes a web-based course (Segment One) and a one-day, in-person course (Segment Two). Participants first complete Segment One offered by Cornell University at their own pace, followed within 6 months by the Segment Two Course taught by SHA/AFDO certified Seafood HACCP instructors. Both segments must be completed in
order to obtain an AFDO certificate.
Learn more and register here
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New Maryland Certified Local Farm program
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By Karen Fedor, Maryland Department of Agriculture
The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) recently established the Certified Local Farm Enterprise Program and office to encourage state agencies, including public four-year universities, to achieve an overall goal of purchasing 20% of their food from certified local farm enterprises.
Certified Local Farm Enterprise Program and Certified Local Farm Enterprise Food Aggregation Grant Fund - Establishment - HB 1488/SB 985
What is a certified local farm enterprise?
A certified local farm enterprise is a farm that has a nutrient management plan with the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
Read more ...
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Videos by UMD: Preventing burnout, caring for poinsettias, and stringing tomatoes
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UMD’s college of Agriculture and Natural Resources has several YouTube channels where we post recordings of our trainings and short educational videos.
The UMD AGNR channel has researcher spotlights like this video on rooftop farming and info about the college’s degree programs, like this profile of the department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture.
The main UMD Extension channel posts videos from across our four program areas: Agriculture and Food Systems, 4H Youth Development, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Natural Resources and Environment. I enjoyed their recent video on “Prevent burnout by compassionate productivity,” by Extension Specialist Dhruti Patel shares tips on how to take care of yourself when work feels overwhelming.
The UME Agriculture and Food Systems channel has a wide variety of videos, and links to other channels within the program, including the UME Beginning Farmer Success channel, which posts content particularly relevant to farmers in their first 10 years of farming. Check out this recent video profile of Liberty Delight Farms, filmed by Andrea Franchini or this demo of how to string tomatoes, made by 2022 intern Cai Diggs.
If sheep and goats are your thing, the MD Small Ruminants channel has an extensive back catalog of lectures and videos on topics like parasites and toxic plants to avoid in your pasture.
MD Sea Grant’s channel focuses on topics related to enjoying and protecting Maryland’s water bodies. This is the place to learn how to shuck an oyster and how sea level rise will affect Maryland communities.
The UMD Home and Garden Information Center channel has a wealth of short, helpful videos on everything from caring for poinsettias to why invasive barberry bushes increase our risk of lyme disease.
And here in Baltimore, our local Master Gardeners have a channel featuring tours of gardens and farms.
The Maryland 4H channel has videos featuring youth from across the state. I enjoyed this video about Baltimore’s STEAM Ambassador club.
There are so many videos, there’s sure to be one on a topic that interests you. Next time you need a break, check one out.
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Urban growers in the news
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You all have been busy! Urban growers in Baltimore and beyond have been getting some great press and kudos. Here are a few examples that I know of. If your farm or organization made the news and I missed it, let me know at nglittle@umd.edu
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New farmers’ market seeks vendors
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A new Farmers Market is opening in the Northwest Baltimore neighborhood of Mt. Washington. The market location will be Northwest Park in Mt. Washington. This will be a year-round Sunday “brunch” market that will run from 10am-2pm. The plan is to launch the market in April of 2023.
The mission is to provide the Mt. Washington community, Baltimore, and surrounding areas with fresh, locally sourced and produced food. All products sold at the Mt. Washington Farmers' market must be sourced from growers, raisers, or producers that come from within a 200 mile radius of Baltimore City. This will be a year- round market focusing on seasonal products, which can be sourced or produced in this region including fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, dairy, eggs, cheeses, pasture raised meat, seafood, fresh bread and baked goods, alcohol and other beverages, and prepared food stuffs.
The Mt. Washington Farmers' market planning team is in the process of reaching out to potential vendors and hope to have a list finalized by mid-January. If you are Interested in being a vendor please contact Justyna at Jnicinska@gmail.com
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We're hiring! Click here to see open positions at University of Maryland Extension.
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The University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources programs are open to all and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, or national origin, marital status, genetic information, or political affiliation, or gender identity and expression.
Los programas del Colegio de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de la Universidad de Maryland están abiertos a todos y no discriminará contra nadie debido a raza, edad, sexo, color, orientación sexual, discapacidad física o mental, religión, descendencia, origen nacional, estatus matrimonial, información genética, afiliación política, o identificación y expresión de género.
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