Publications

The University of Maryland Extension (UME) conducted an agricultural needs assessment for the nine counties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 2015. This survey will help UME understand issues concerning Eastern Shore agriculture, identify agricultural and educational needs and focus UME agricultural training and resources. The survey was conducted in 2015 and included four sections: 1) industry priorities, concerns and viability; 2) research and education needs; 3) education and training preferences; and 4) demographic and farm information. Results were received from 295 farmers through paper or online surveys.

Groundwater is the largest supply of freshwater on earth, and the biggest source of drinking water for the U.S. Protecting groundwater is both an important public health and environmental issue and concern. By understanding how we impact this resource and following simple practices, we all can be better stewards of our groundwater.

Palmer amaranth, Amaranthus palmeri, is a new invasive weed in the pigweed family that has become a major challenge for farmers across the U.S. for much of the last decade. Native to the Sonora Desert of Arizona and Northern Mexico, Palmer amaranth is well adapted to the hot Maryland summers. It was first discovered in Maryland during the mid-twentieth century, but the presence of herbicide resistant Palmer amaranth was not confirmed until 2014. Since then it has spread to most regions of the state including Eastern, Southern, and Western Maryland. The spread of Palmer amaranth has been hastened by the movement of contaminated equipment, feed, and seed from infested areas.

The University of Maryland Extension (UME) conducted an agricultural needs assessment for the seven counties in northern and western Maryland in 2017. This survey will help UME faculty and administration understand issues concerning regional agriculture, identify agricultural and educational needs and focus UME agricultural training and resources.

Paying for health care can be a struggle, even if you have insurance. Many doctors and dentists now offer a special medical credit card to pay for services. However, medical credit card interest and fees can be very expensive. They add extra costs to medical care when money is already tight. Authors: Dorothy Nuckols and Priscilla Graves; Title: Medical Credit: Safety Net or Debt Trap?

You can save hours of frustration if you have a plan for organizing and keeping your health insurance plan and family health care papers. The purpose of this fact sheet is to help you understand the importance of organizing and keeping health care papers handy and easy to locate when you need them.

Planning is essential to any business, no matter how large or small your inventory, payroll and bank account. To be sustainable and profitable a farm operation must have a clear understanding of production, marketing, finances and labor. Having these plans mentally is not enough! Taking time to formulate thoughts, evaluate your business, devise a strategy, and anticipate possible problems will help your business be successful. The Farm Business Planning tools on this page will help put you on the right track.

Nematodes are an economically important pathogen of many crops in Maryland. Significant yield loss can occur if nematodes are not managed properly. This factsheet serves as a broad introduction to nematodes as plant pathogens and serves as a general guide for sampling and managing nematodes in Maryland. Title: General Recommendations for Managing Nematodes in Field Crops (FS-1082); Author: Andrew Kness

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR) requires farmers to test water used for agricultural production for generic E. coli. This document helps farmers understand how to interpret their water testing results, environmental factors that can impact those results, and solutions for high bacteria levels.

A flexible spending account is a great, tax-advantaged tool that can help you save for health and dependent care expenses. This fact sheet provides a template to estimate the amount of money to set aside when establishing a flexible spending account. Information about establishing and using a flexible spending account is also contained.