Publications

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: 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: 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: 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)

Authors: Jenny Rhodes - Shannon Dill - John Hall

This fact sheet lists the important factors producers should consider in selecting a particular marketing strategy, describes the typical marketing tools available to grain producers, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

Authors: Jenny Rhodes - Shannon Dill - James R. Russell - James C. Hanson

This publication provides a glossary of marketing and business terms as a reference for grain producers, or anyone involved in marketing or selling grain.

Authors: Paul Goeringer - Ashley Newhall - Jon Moyle

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the lawful uses of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), also known as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), or more commonly as drones, are currently limited to military, research, and recreational applications. Under the FAA’s view, commercial uses of drones are illegal unless approved by the Federal government. This will change in the future. Congress authorized the FAA to develop regulations for the use of drones by private parties in the U.S by September 30, 2015 (FAA Modernization Act of 2012). FAA missed this deadline, but expects comprehensive regulations for drones to be completed by June 2016 (Jansen, 2015). History shows that the law rarely keeps up with technology. Courts often struggle when applying existing laws and previous rulings to modern technology. State legislatures can help clearly define some of the rules to guide courts in how to handle new technology. Drones have the potential to benefit producers (through crop and livestock monitoring), but they present new challenges as other groups begin to use the technology. Authors: Paul Goeringer, Ashley Newhall, and John Moyle; Title: Privacy Issues and the Use of sUAS/Drones in Maryland (FS-998)

Authors: Jonathan Moyle - Dr. Nathaniel Tablante

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is a bacteria-like organism that causes respiratory disease primarily in chickens and turkeys but it can also infect gamebirds, pigeons, ducks, geese, peafowl and wild birds. MG infection in chickens is also known as Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD).

Authors: Jonathan Moyle - Dr. Nathaniel Tablante

Marek’s disease is one of the most widespread poultry diseases in the world. It is a highly contagious viral disease caused by a herpes virus called Alphaherpesvirinae. Marek’s disease occurs in chickens 3–4 weeks of age or older but is most common between 12 and 30 weeks of age. It can also infect quail and, rarely, turkeys. Female birds are infected more often than males. Once the virus is introduced into a chicken flock, infection spreads quickly from bird to bird and infected chickens continue to shed the virus, thus perpetuating a vicious cycle of infection. There is no effective treatment for the disease and infected birds never recover.

Authors: Paul Goeringer

This fact sheet can serve as another tool in a farmer’s risk management plans by providing information on how farmers can protect themselves from legal challenges from a nuisance or violation of an environmental permit. The information discussed in this fact sheet will not eliminate threats of lawsuits. Elimination of 100 percent of legal risk is not possible. Understanding Agricultural Liability: Legal Risk Management Considerations is available here http://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/16345. Author: Paul Goeringer, Title: Understanding Agricultural Liability: Legal Risk Management Considerations (FS-995)