Publications

Authors: Donald Webster - Donald Meritt

There has been much concern regarding the precipitous decline in Mid Atlantic oyster production, with various groups attempting to place blame and espouse causes. However, it is instructive to veer away from traditional arguments to compare oysters with traditional agricultural crops for a different view of the problem and a vision for potential solutions. Comparing production of oysters with other crops allows us to examine how those have been managed over time to increase production. The United States today is considered a world leader in food production. Taking lessons from that development and applying them to oysters could help guide the restoration of the industry that once flourished.

Authors: Doris Behnke

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is one of the most poisonous species among the higher plants. This plant contains poisonous alkaloids throughout all of its plant parts (vegetative, flowers, and fruits). Poison hemlock is acutely toxic to people and animals. If ingested, symptoms with appear 20 minutes to three hours after ingestion. Author: Doris Behnke; Title: Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum)

Authors: Beverly Jackey - Dhruti Patel - Shauna Henley - LIsa McCoy - Karen Basinger

Drying is one of the oldest methods for preserving foods. It’s a simple and easy way to take fresh produce and dry and store it to consume at a later date. Dried foods are ideal for snacks or quick foods on the go. Like other food preservation methods, there are important food safety concerns to address to prevent foodborne illness when drying foods. This curriculum was developed to help Marylanders learn about scientific evidence-based methods for successfully drying foods safely at home. Authors: Jackey, Beverly; Patel, Dhruti; McCoy, Lisa; Basinger, Karen; Henley, Shauna; Title: Grow It Eat It Dry It for Adults (GIEIDI) Instructor Guide (EC-12)

Authors: Donald Webster - Donald Meritt

There has been much concern regarding the precipitous decline in Mid-Atlantic oyster production, with various groups attempting to place blame and espouse causes. However, it is instructive to veer away from traditional arguments to compare oysters with traditional agricultural crops for a different view of the problem and a vision for potential solutions. Comparing the production of oysters with other crops allows us to examine how those have been managed over time to increase production. The United States today is considered a world leader in food production. Taking lessons from that development and applying them to oysters could help guide the restoration of the industry that once flourished. Authors: Donald Webster and Donald Meritt; Title: Considerations for Shell Use in Oyster Rehabilitation Assessing the Effectiveness of Multiple Options (FS-1140)

Authors: Frank J Cole - Joshua M. McGrath - Gurpal Toor - Brian Kalmbach - Paul Shipley - David Ruppert

SFM-4 outlines conversions of soil test results from various regional soil test laboratories to Maryland's 'Fertility Index Value' (FIV) scale, upon which soil fertility recommendations for agricultural production are based. Authors: Frank J. Cole, Joshua McGrath, Gurpal Toor, Brian Kalmbach, Paul Shipley, and David Ruppert; Soil Fertility Management-Converting Among Soil Test Analyses Frequently Used in Maryland (SFM-4).

Authors: Maegan Perdue - Susan Schoenian

Bottle feeding kids and lambs is a critical skill for small ruminant producers. When done correctly, these animals can grow into healthy additions to the flock. Mistakes in bottle feeding can lead to sick or dead kids and lambs. This factsheet offers detailed instructions on how to properly bottle feed lambs and kids. Authors: Maegan Perdue and Susan Schoenian Title: Bottle Feeding Kids and Lambs (FS-1157)

Authors: Mayhah Suri - Megan Gerdes - Paul Goeringer - Rachel Rosenberg Goldstein

This infographic showcases themost important finding from a survey amongh farmers in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States about nontraditional water use, including water reuse, in agriculture.

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).

Authors: Doris Behnke

The monarch butterfly needs help from all the people and businesses across the country, not just a few. As researchers discover the direct effect of the decline of these amazing insects, we the people need to take action to help correct the problem. The purpose of this Extension Fact Sheet is to help eliminate one threat to the monarchs; uneducated humans. Humans that do not know what the monarch butterfly looks like in the caterpillar stage will oftentimes kill it when they find it in their garden. Knowing what the life stages of the monarch butterfly looks like, and protecting them allows another monarch butterfly to reach maturity, meaning it can then lay more eggs to produce more butterflies. Saving one butterfly at a time. Author: Doris Behnke; Metamorphosis: The Life Stages of a Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed in North East, Maryland ((FS-1144)

Authors: Ginger S. Myers

Meat Marketing Planner: Strategic Marketing for Farm-to-Table Meat Enterprises addresses marketing beef, pork, lamb, and goat, but not poultry processing since it falls under different USDA, FSIS, and state regulations. While many of the key strategies discussed here can be applied to direct farm-to-consumer sales, this publication focuses on marketing farm-raised meats.