Animal Science Meetings

Ruminant

Event: Parasite Management Workshop
Date: November 8, 2025  |  Saturday
Time: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM | Cost: General Admission $30.00; Admission plus FAMACHA© certification $50.00 
Location: Western Maryland Research and Education Center, 18330 Keedysville Road.,Keedysville, MD. 21756
Description: University of Maryland Extension invites grazers, livestock owners, and associated industry personnel to attend an upcoming parasite management workshop this fall.

The parasite management workshop will be held on November 8, 2025 at the Western Maryland Research and Education Center in Keedysville, MD from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM. The workshop will include a mix of classroom and hands-on activities and will provide a comprehensive overview of the basics of parasite management. Topics covered will include an overview of common parasites, managing dewormer resistance, fecal collection and fecal egg counts, putting together a deworming kit, minimizing parasites on pasture, calculating dosages and drenching, body condition scoring, and FAMACHA© scoring.

Participants will have the option to earn their FAMACHA© certification from a certified FAMACHA© instructor (via the American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control) and receive an official FAMACHA© score card at the event. Certification will be available to the first 25 people who request certification when registering for the event.

Registration for this event is required, for full details and registration information please visit https://go.umd.edu/parasite. Keep in mind that portions of this event will take place outdoors, so please dress accordingly for the weather.

For more information on all upcoming forage events visit https://go.umd.edu/forageevents or sign up for our monthly newsletter at https://go.umd.edu/forageemails. If you have questions or need accommodations please contact Amanda Grev (agrev@umd.edu; 301-226-7575) or Brittany Fletcher (bfletch1@umd.edu; 301-226-7576). If you need reasonable accommodations to participate please contact us at least 2 weeks prior to the event. Hope to see you there!
Registration:  https://go.umd.edu/parasite

Aquaculture 

Currently, there are no scheduled events. Please check back later.

Horses

Equine educational programs are offered throughout the year. They are primarily focused on pasture management and equine nutrition.

Check out our upcoming programs 

Poultry

Poultry educational programs are offered throughout the year.

Check out our upcoming programs

Forage

Event: Pasture Walk at University of Maryland - WMREC
Date: November 13, 2025  |  Thursday
Time: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  |  Cost: free
Location: WMREC, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedsyville, MD 21756
Description: Join University of Maryland Extension and NRCS for an educational pasture walk at the Western Maryland Research and Education Center in Keedysville, MD (Washington county). Extension educators are working on an ongoing mixed-species grazing management study utilizing annual forages as a means to extend the grazing season and will discuss grazing and parasite management, mixed-species grazing, and strategies for working annual forages into a pasture system. Join us to hear preliminary findings and learn about winter annual forage options for late fall/early spring grazing, stockpiled forage for winter grazing, and managing a mixed-species grazing 'flerd' with sheep and cattle.
For more information or to register: https://go.umd.edu/pasture-november

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Event:  Southern Maryland Forage Conference
Date: January 20, 2026  |   Tuesday
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  |  Cost: TBA
Location: TBA
For more information or to register, contact Ben Beale at (301) 475-4481 (bbeale@umed.edu), Dave Myers at (301) 226-7473 (myersd@umd.edu), Hayden Schug at (301) 226-7502 (hschug@umd.edu), and Amanda Grev at (301) 226-7575 (agrev@umd.edu)

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Event:  Western Maryland Forage Conference
Date: January 21, 2026  |   Wednesday
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  |  Cost: TBA
Location: TBA
For more information or to register, contact Willie Lantz (301) 334-6960 (wlantz@umed.edu), or Amanda Grev at (301) 226-7575 (agrev@umd.edu

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Event:  Central Maryland Forage Conference
Date: January 22, 2026  |   Thursday
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  |  Cost: TBA
Location: TBA
For more information or to register, contact Nathan Glenn at (410) 313-2704 (nglenn@umd.edu), Kelly Nichols at (301) 226-7954 (kellyn@umd.edu), and Amanda Grev at (301) 226-7575 (agrev@umd.edu)

Ag Law

Hiring and Retaining Farm Employees – What you Need to Know and Do
Are you trying to find, hire and keep great employees? Is it a bit confusing and time consuming? Do you know where to start and who to involve? Are you worried about the legal considerations when having non-family members employed? This course will help you sort through all these questions and concerns. Navigating this process doesn’t have to be difficult as this course will share with you. Through the four modules of this course, you’ll get important information and resources you can adapt for your own operation. For more information go to https://agrisk.umd.edu/grant-proposals/hiring-and-retaining-farm-employees

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Land in Maryland: Basic Legal Issues for All Landowners
The Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC) has released a new online course for rural landowners in Maryland. The So You Want to Own Farmland in Maryland course is now available through the University of Maryland’s Enterprise Learning Management System – Canvas. The free program will cover those legal issues that Maryland landowners may face. A grant funds the program through the Northeast Risk Management
Education Center. The online course will feature Paul Goeringer, a Senior Faculty Specialist and Extension Specialist in agricultural law. He will address leasing, landowner liability issues, right-to-farm law, fencing laws, livestock liability, and estate planning. For more information or to register, go to https://extension.umd.edu/resource/so-you-want-own-rural-land-maryland-basic-legal-issues-all-landowners-online-course/