Publications

Authors: Mayhah Suri

Like any new business venture, starting a distillery requires careful planning and a major investment of resources. Marylanders interested in opening a distillery should consider taking classes and talking to existing distillers before starting out on their own. This guide is intended to provide an overview of the legal process of getting the required licenses and permits needed to open a distillery.

Authors: Amy Burk

Understanding the basic concepts of how to feed horses properly is important to ensure optimal health and performance in the horse. One of the most fundamental aspects of understanding equine nutrition is learning how the digestive anatomy and physiology of the horse influences what and how we feed horses to meet their nutritional needs. Teaching Basic Equine Nutrition is a two-part series of publications that educators can use to help foster a fun and easy learning environment when teaching equine nutrition. Teaching Basic Equine Nutrition Part I details how to assemble a model equine digestive tract that is easy to make, store, use, and transport for equine nutrition presentations to people of all ages. Teaching Basic Equine Nutrition, Part II instructs educators about the physiology of the digestive tract and how it relates to good feeding management practices.

Authors: Amy Burk

Understanding the basic concepts of how to feed horses properly is important to ensure optimal health and performance in the horse. One of the most fundamental aspects of understanding equine nutrition is learning how the digestive anatomy and physiology of the horse influences what and how we feed horses to meet their nutritional needs. Teaching Basic Equine Nutrition is a two-part series of publications that educators can use to help foster a fun and easy learning environment when teaching equine nutrition. Teaching Basic Equine Nutrition Part I details how to assemble a model equine digestive tract that is easy to make, store, use, and transport for equine nutrition presentations to people of all ages. Teaching Basic Equine Nutrition, Part II instructs educators about the physiology of the digestive tract and how it relates to good feeding management practices.

Authors: Jarrod Miller

Soils are composed of mineral and organic matter. Weathered rocks provide soil minerals, while organic matter forms from decayed animal and plant residues. An important component of healthy soil, organic matter helps maintain and improve soil’s physical condition. Some of these benefits include increased nutrient and water holding as well as stabilizing structure, which helps soil drainage. Organic matter is in a constant state of transition, continually breaking down and releasing finer, more decomposed particles. This breakdown is caused by scavengers in the soil (insects, earthworms, bacteria and fungi) as they feed on organic matter. These scavengers also become part of the soil organic matter when they die. As long as there are fresh sources of tissue in the soil, the cycle can continue and organic matter levels will stay constant. However, if fresh material is not added to the soil, organic matter will slowly be lost.

Authors: Jarrod Miller

Soil organic matter is an essential component of soils. It must be added and maintained, and the soil type as well as the organic material being added are very important. Fact Sheet 1045 examines how soil organic matter can be managed in agricultural production.

Authors: Sarah Everhart

Many farms across Maryland use interns to lighten the overall farm workload and help young people gain practical farming knowledge. Although interns can be a welcome addition to a farm’s workforce, farm employers need to be aware of how to properly compensate interns and the legal consequences of adding them to the payroll.

Authors: Donna Pahl

What should you do if your water test results show that levels of generic E. coli exceed the maximum recommended amount? Before investing in a system to clean and sanitize your irrigation water, do a visual survey of your water sources to investigate what is causing the elevated microbial counts. Below are several strategies to consider.

Authors: Patricia Steinhilber - Paul Shipley - Anastasia Vvedenskaya

Corn silage is a crop grown widely by dairy producers to provide dairy cattle with a high-energy, very digestible source of feed. Silage can remove large amounts of available nutrients from the soil, especially nitrogen. Corn silage production can affect the fertilizer management practices on a field, particularly the amount of nitrogen that should be applied.

Authors: Mayhah Suri - Paul Goeringer

A conservation easement is a right or power which a landowner gives to a third party. Landowners may choose to donate easements for a variety of reasons, including tax benefits and/ or an interest in land conservation for environmental or other concerns. This guide walks through some legal considerations for landowners interested in leasing land with an easement for agricultural use. Authors: Mayhah Suri, and Paul Goeringer; Title: How to Lease Your Land With a Conservation Easement (FS-1049).

Authors: Paul Goeringer - Sima Majnooni

You can take steps to limit your potential liability by understanding your legal obligation or duty to protect visitors and other third parties from foreseeable harm. You also will need to know to whom you owe the duty and what duty others may owe to you. Steps you can take to limit your liability include obtaining insurance, procuring releases, and providing warnings. You should work with a licensed attorney in your area and your insurance agent to identify the tools that will work best for you. Author: Paul Goeringer and Sima Majnooni; Title: Understanding Agricultural Liability: Premise's Liability (FS-1001)