Barley | University of Maryland Extension

Updated: May 22, 2026

Ag 101 Curriculum: Agriculture Education for Agricultural Service Providers

Authors: Darren Jarboe - Andrew Kness - Erika Crowl

Many new hires to various governmental agricultural service providers have limited understanding of common agricultural practices, especially those in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Many have strong backgrounds in the environmental or biological sciences, but may have never been exposed to real-world agricultural production. The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA- NRCS) and University of Maryland Extension (UME) believes this gap in practical agricultural production knowledge needs to be addressed in order to keep farms viable into the future and service providers safe when on the farm. Through a partnership and funding through USDA-NRCS, UME developed the Ag 101 program outlined in this curriculum. The basic structure and format of the program could be adapted for other regions of the United States that wish to implement a similar program. Authors: Andrew Kness, Erika Crowl and Darren Jarboe; Title: Ag 101 Curriculum: Agriculture Education for Agricultural Service Providers(EC-9).

Updated: May 8, 2026

Row Crop and Forage Production Meetings

A list of meetings for Row Crop and Forage producers.

Updated: January 22, 2026

2021 Forage Performance of Cereal Cover Crops in Maryland

Dairy farmers are constantly looking for sources of forage to meet their feed needs. One source that many of our region’s dairy farmers utilize is the fall planting of cereal grains that are green-chop harvested the following spring. Among the cereal species used for this purpose are rye, triticale, barley, and wheat. Per the Maryland Cover Crop Program guidelines, cereal grains planted as a cover crop prior to November 5 and suppressed via green-chop in the spring are eligible for the grant payment for participation in the Cover Crop Program. In addition, per the Nutrient Management Regulations, a fall application of dairy manure is allowed to a field planted to a cereal cover crop.

Forage cereal cover crop variety study at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center

Updated: October 14, 2025

Reminder to Scout For Aphids in Small Grains As Part of Your Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus Management

Aphid populations outbreak very quickly and should be regularly scouted. Four aphid species are commonly found in Maryland and Delaware small grains and their economic impact varies. Therefore, it is also important to determine which species you are finding. In the fall, greenbugs are of most concern for direct damage to small grains, whereas in the spring English grain aphids are of most concern.

Updated: February 3, 2025

IPM Threshold Guide for Agronomic Field Crops

Updated: December 10, 2024

Agronomy News-August 2022

Agronomy News-August 2022, Volume 13, Issue 4. Topics in this issue are Small Grain Variety Trials, Palmer Amaranth Control in Organic Systems, Possible Changes to Atrazine Use, Japanese Stiltgrass Identification and Control, Sampling for Nematodes in Soybeans, Sprayer and Pesticide Twilight Meeting, Broiler Grower Settlements, New Rules for Processing Food Wastes and Residuals, Webinar: Solar On The Farm, Pasture and Grazing Workshops, Grain Market Report, Weather Outlook, and Regional Crop Reports.

Updated: October 23, 2024

Scout for Aphids in Small Grains

Last season, aphids transmitted an unusual amount of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) to wheat and barley across the Delmarva Peninsula. BYDV is particularly important when it infects plants in the fall. Fall BYDV infections can stunt plants (noticed as early as green-up, Figure 1) and cause more serious yield loss than spring infections. Our most common small grain aphid species are bird cherry oat aphid (Figure 2) and English grain aphid, although bird cherry oat aphid are associated with greater and more severe incidence of BYDV.

Updated: October 21, 2024

Managing Fusarium Head Blight in Small Grains: Symptoms, Favorable Environments, and Disease Management Strategies

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a severe fungal disease that affects small grains, wheat and barley. It is particularly problematic in regions with wet and warm springs, such as the Mid-Atlantic region. FHB is caused by several species of Fusarium, F. graminearum being the most common in the USA.

Updated: August 9, 2022

2022 Small Grain Variety Trials

Results of the 2022 Maryland Wheat and Barley Variety Trials.

Updated: July 20, 2022

Legal Liability of Saving Seeds in an Era of Expiring Patents (FS-1000)

Authors: Paul Goeringer

2014 marked the expiration of Monsanto’s patent on the first generation Roundup Ready© technology. But, this expiration does not mean that farmers using seed from first generation Roundup Ready© technology will be able to save harvested seed for planting a subsequent crop. Many seed companies utilizing this technology may consider other federal law protections afforded them. One such protection would be the Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA). Another protection would be the use of contracts. A company also may look at utilizing patent law to limit seed saving. You will need to consider each one of these to determine if saving the seed is allowed. Author: Paul Goeringer; Title: Legal Liability of Saving Seeds in an Era of Expiring Patents (FS-1000)