Publications

Outdoor wood boilers, known technically as hydronic heaters, can be found across much of rural America. They are popular among the wood burning community because they provide a way to heat with wood while keeping dirt and ash out of the home. Although air quality problems can arise with outdoor wood boilers, most of these problems can be minimized or avoided if the best management practices outlined in this factsheet are followed. These practices will decrease the amount of firewood utilized thereby increasing the economic advantage of wood energy and minimizing its environmental impact.

As we approach the end of the year, many farmers and their landlords will be making decisions on renewing land leases. Should the rent be increased? Should additional terms be included? As you begin these discussions, farmers and landlords should consider reviewing Agricultural Leasing in Maryland. The booklet is full of helpful tips and things both parties should consider when leasing land. The booklet also contains form leases that can be used for both parties to begin to develop their own leases. Think your current rental rate is too low or too high? Need help in coming up with a fair rental rate? Then check out Aglease101.org (http://aglease101.org/), a product of the North Central Farm Management Extension Committee. This site provides worksheets and other helpful documents to help landlords and farmers develop rental rates that work for them. Think your current rental rate is too low or too high? Need help in coming up with a fair rental rate? Then check out Aglease101.org (http://aglease101.org/), a product of the North Central Farm Management Extension Committee. This site provides worksheets and other helpful documents to help landlords and farmers develop rental rates that work for them. Author: Paul Goeringer; Title: Agricultural Leasing in Maryland (FS-971)

This report summarizes the findings of a household survey conducted by the University of Maryland (UMD) regarding the adoption of stormwater best management practices (BMPs), including rain gardens, rain barrels, low fertilizer lawn care, and conservation landscaping.

In 2012, the State of Maryland passed the Watershed Protection and Restoration Program (HB-987), which applies to the nine largest counties in Maryland (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s) and Baltimore City that are federally required to treat stormwater runoff. The purpose of the fee is to manage pollution carried by stormwater into local waterways. The collected fees are placed in a dedicated fund and used to finance projects that treat polluted stormwater. The fee structure is established independently by each county/city and differs across the State.

Stormwater Rebate and Reimbursement Programs (Baltimore City and County, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, City of Rockville, City of Gaithersburg)

Across the United States and much of the world solar energy generation is growing. Concerns about environmental impact, energy independence, and improvements in solar technology all play a part in this growth. Additionally, state and federal incentives increase the economic viability of solar energy. This fact sheet is designed to give the layman a basic understanding of residential solar energy.

The home chicken flock can be an excellent source of low-cost, high-quality poultry products. This publication provides the basic tools to start a successful flock.

When making the "go, no go" decision for starting a new enterprise, answering several clarifying questions can help you decide if you're really ready for the task ahead.

We often think of poisoning as something that happens to small children, but it’s also easy for adults to mix up medications or mistake one product for another. Poison look-alikes are potentially harmful substances that can easily be mistaken for safe ones, usually because they look the same or have very similar packaging. Often, they are things that we use every day for cleaning, self-care, or first aid, but if they are used incorrectly or mistaken for something else, they can harm us.

The local basis, defined as the cash price minus futures price, reflects important information about regional supply and demand for a commodity. Wheat basis estimates can be used by farmers, grain marketing firms, processors and feed buyers to forecast regional prices, make production or storage decisions, or assess different grain purchasing alternatives. This fact sheet gives monthly average estimates of wheat basis and cash prices for three regions in Maryland.