Thursday, August 29, 2013

Maryland Horse Council Farm Stewardship Committee
Summer Meeting Summary

August 22, 2013
Sagamore Farm
Glyndon, Maryland

It was a truly beautiful afternoon at Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Maryland for our Summer Farm Stewardship meeting.  Our group of twenty-five gathered under an old shade tree in front of Native Dancer’s Barn.  Jane Thery, the committee chair, welcomed the participants to the Farm Stewardship meeting with a reminder of the mission of this Maryland Horse Council committee to promote high-quality horse farm land management for healthy horses and a healthy natural environment.  She reviewed the agenda and introduced Randy Lewis, our host at Sagamore Farm.  Randy gave a brief history of this 530-acre racing and breeding operation.  The farm was successful under the ownership of Alfred Vanderbilt from 1933 to 1986 and was the home of Hall of Fame horses Native Dancer, Bed of Roses and Discovery.  In 2007, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank purchased the farm and began a major renovation of the barns, track and pastures and established his own Sagamore breeding and training operation.  His top trainers, Ignacio Correa and Graham Motion, are doing well with Sagamore stakes horses.

Randy gave the group a tour of the impressive oval barn, the new high-tech surface on the training track and the modern training barn designed by John Blackburn.  John presented his new book, “Healthy Stables by Design” which includes photos and information on the natural light and ventilation of the Sagamore stables.
Jon Passero, the Land Stewardship and Facilities Manager, described how the farm was renovated with new pasture plantings of orchard grass and blue grass.  He noted that the orchard grass was doing very well.  The new farm design fenced off all the streams and manages water run-off to avoid erosion.  Pastures are rotated and fertilized based on careful soil testing and analysis.  All manure from the stables is shipped off to the mushroom growers.  Jon began his career in the plant nursery business and noted that, with available technical assistance and professional guidance, it is possible to successfully take on a large operation such as Sagamore and have very positive land stewardship results.  He found the Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program (FSCAP) promoted by the Maryland Horse Council to be an easy win for Sagamore as the farm is managed to the highest standards.  Jon was pleased that Sagamore was one of the eleven horse farms recognized by Maryland Governor O’Malley for FSCAP certification.  Gerald Talbert, Project Leader of the FSCAP program, congratulated Sagamore on their land management practices. 

Ciara McMurtrie, Baltimore County Soil Conservation District Equine Specialist, told the group of her own background with horses and opportunity to work with horse farms to improve pastures and farm management.  She underlined that her office is providing help with advice and access to cost-sharing programs and is not in the business of enforcing regulations.  Ciara said that work with the right grass seeding mixtures continues with analysis of orchard grass, fescue, blue grass and Bermuda grass.  She said that each farm and indeed each pasture of each farm is most successful with targeted planting according to the soil, slope, location, etc.  Ciara reminded the group that newly seeded pastures require at least six months without horses to become established.  She is ready to provide assistance with pastures, manure management and storage, rainwater run-off, stream crossings and any other aspect of quality farm management.
 
Doug Myers, Maryland Scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, presented an update on the Maryland Agricultural Certainty Program regulations.  Doug was instrumental in the design of this new legislation which has the dual purpose of bringing Maryland up to speed in protecting the Chesapeake Bay and helping the agricultural sector through science-based regulations and predictable time-frames.  The concept of agricultural certainty is that farms that meet all present regulations for nutrient management – basically minimizing run-off of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment – will have a ten-year grace period before having to meet any new regulations.  Doug stated that the baseline will most likely be a combination of the FSCAP requirements plus a farm measurement of actual run-off using sophisticated software.  The regulations will be based on the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint that sets goals and includes modern methods of measuring farm run-off.  Issues yet to be addressed are whether standards will be uniform across Maryland, how to best collect the data and how to protect the privacy of individual farms while analyzing watershed Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Chesapeake Bay.  Doug hopes to work with our FSCAP certified horse farms to help develop regulations which are user-friendly for our horse community.  He noted that there are plans to establish a nutrient trading system and, as well-managed horse farms are positive contributors to the environment, they would benefit from being able to sell nutrient credits on the exchange.  Doug said that he would be glad to hear from any horse-farm owners with questions as the regulatory discussions continue.  He said that our own MHC Executive Committee member Steuart Pittman ably represents horse farm owners and managers on the advisory committee.  Doug said that the draft regulations should be circulated for public comment in the next couple of months.

Carolyn Krome, owner of Persimmon Tree Farm which was the first FSCAP certified horse farm, spoke on naturalizing your horse farm.  She recommends finding buffer areas and areas that are not suitable for pasture and planting native grasses to both hold the soil and provide wildlife habitat.  She showed the group a beautiful stand of grasses from her farm, including wild flowers that attract butterflies.  Carolyn strongly recommends checking out the weekly publication “Lancaster Farming – Southern Edition” for naturalizing tips and sources of financing for technical assistance.  She has worked successfully with the USDA Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and organizations such as Pheasant, Quail and Trout Unlimited on natural habitat restoration.  Unfortunately, the quail she tried to introduce to their new habitat served as a meal for other wildlife in the area!  Carolyn would be glad to provide guidance to anyone interested in these FSCAP-plus measures to improve your farm for your horses, natural flora and fauna and to contribute to a beautiful landscape.
 
Finally, Jennifer Reynolds, representing the University of Maryland Equine program, invited everyone to visit the Maryland State Fair and to attend two upcoming Pasture Management Seminars: September 7 at Sagamore Farm in Baltimore County and September 21 at Hassler Dressage at Riveredge in Cecil County.    Jane Thery closed the program thanking our sponsors, Randy Lewis of Sagamore Farm for hosting the meeting and Andy Bennett of the Piedmont Insurance Group for the fine refreshments and corporate gifts for the group.
 
Information on the autumn Maryland Horse Council Farm Stewardship meeting will be available soon. 


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

MDA Withdraws Phosphorus Management Tool Regulations

Courtesy of The Equiery: http://equiery.com/blog/?p=1881

MDA Withdraws Phosphorus Management Tool Regulations

From the Maryland Farm Bureau: 
The proposed emergency regulation to immediately adopt the new Phosphorus Management Tool (PMT) as part of a nutrient management plan was withdrawn this morning by the Maryland Department of Agriculture.  The hearing of the AELR Committee in Annapolis that had been scheduled at the request of Senator Rich Colburn for Wednesday is expected to be canceled.
“This was a wise decision by the Administration,” said MD Farm Bureau President Pat Langenfelder upon hearing the emergency PMT regulations were withdrawn. “This will allow MDA to work with the farm community to develop a reasonable schedule to phase-in the new phosphorus tool.”
Immediate implementation of the new Phosphorus Management Tool would have caused severe hardship for farmers who raise poultry and livestock in Maryland.  The existing handling and distribution system for poultry litter and dairy manure (organic fertilizers) would have been disrupted.  
“Farmers, poultry growers and litter handling businesses in Somerset, Worcester and Wicomico Counties did an amazing job of identifying the problem and working with Farm Bureau, DPI, the MD Grain Producers Association and others to tell their story,” Langenfelder explained.
“We appreciate the tireless work of Senators Colburn and Mathias and the entire Eastern Shore delegation for taking those stories to leaders in Annapolis,” said Langenfelder. “This was not a partisan issue and farmers are grateful to have friends on both sides of the aisle who can come together to preserve our farm economy.”
Withdraw of the emergency proposal will allow the regulation to be promulgated under the regular process, which provides for public comment and will accommodate a phased-in schedule of implementation.  Discussions with the industry and a new schedule for implementation will:
  • 
Give researchers time to better ground-truth the Phosphorus Management Tool
• Give researchers time to adjust the tool to include variable rate options in fields
  • Allow adjoining watershed states to catch up and adopt the tool on the same timeframe
  • Provide time for farmers to become educated on the use of the new tool
  • 
Provide time for farmers to change their operations to either eliminate or add organic poultry litter or dairy manure to their system
  • Give farmers time to buy new equipment to use a different type of fertilizer
  • 
Allow the private market for organic fertilizer on the western shore to develop
• Bring online alternative energy suppliers to burn poultry litter and dairy manure to produce electricity
  • 
Coincide with the schedule for the Bay Model update that will measure the phosphorus reductions achieved through the use of the new tool
  • 
Allow the MGA to reexamine the current manure transportation cost-share program and target funds to develop a western shore market
  • Allow state officials, farm and environmental groups to undertake a public relations campaign to “un-demonize” and educate the general public about the benefits of stockpiling poultry litter and manure for use at the appropriate time for optimal crop growth.
“We look forward to working with the Governor’s staff and the team at MDA to build the appropriate infrastructure for poultry litter and dairy manure movement during the phase-in time period,” said Langenfelder. “We are confident we can do what is right for Bay Restoration while preserving the economic viability of our farm businesses.”

Monday, August 19, 2013

Governor O'Malley Congratulates Maryland Horse Farms for Farm Stewardship

Governor O'Malley Congratulates Maryland Horse Farms for Farm Stewardship

           Governor Martin O'Malley recognized the eleven Maryland horse farms who are now Certified Agricultural Conservation Stewards, protecting natural resources on 1,249 acres in seven Maryland counties.  With assistance from the Maryland Horse Council’s Farm Stewardship Committee http://www.mdhorsecouncil.org/farm_stewardship.htm, horse farms are now actively engaged in the community of Maryland farms benefiting from participation in the Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program (FSCAP).  http://www.mascd.net/FSCAP_Horse.pdf
            The Maryland Horse Council, established in 1985,  represents the interests of the state-wide horse industry with about 80,000 horses and one quarter of Maryland agricultural land.  FSCAP was established in 2010 to acknowledge those farmers who are good stewards of their natural resources and to encourage and reward farmers to put more conservation best management practices (BMPs) on the land. It developed the Agricultural Conservation Stewardship Certification Standard (ACSCS), which measures compliance with state requirements for the farm's nutrient management plan plus a level of conservation BMPs that prevent any significant sources of pollution from leaving the farm.  The project is managed by the innovative Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts (MASCD) that promotes practical and effective soil, water, and related natural resource programs to all citizens through Maryland’s 24 soil conservation districts on a voluntary basis through leadership, education, cooperation, and local direction.
            Through FSCAP, MASCD established a collaborative process to recognize good stewardship by farmers that is acknowledged and respected by both the environmental and agricultural communities. By “setting the bar”, it encourages other farmers to achieve certification and participate in new conservation programs that put more conservation on the land and reduce pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.  
            This Maryland “green” initiative is receiving positive reviews in the horse community, including from Linda Santomenna, the owner of Blue Waters Farm in Chesapeake City who states, “I just wanted to take a moment and thank you again for facilitating our entrance into the MASCD FSCAP program.  We are so proud to participate and have received a great deal of interest and positive comments from our colleagues and clients.   Thank you for doing such a lovely job!”
            This special recognition by Governor O'Malley was received by: Carolyn Krome, Persimmon Tree Farm; Steven Darcy; Edgewood Farm; Karla Stoner, Bloomsbury Forge; Milly Welsh; Rover's Content; Lori Larson, Wyndham Oaks; Kevin Plank, Sagamore Farm; Rick Terselic, Potomac Horse Center; Caroline duPont Prickett, Great House Farm; Michael Rubin, Breezy Hill Farm; Linda Santomenna and Robert Alphin, Blue Waters Farm; and Barbara McDonald, Shamrock Arabians.  (Full addresses and acreage attached)

Text of Governor O'Malley's letter:
"Congratulations on being one of the first horse farm owners who are now Certified Agricultural Conservation Stewards. It is an understatement to say that horses are an important part of Maryland. Not only do they have an economic impact on our State, but they’re also helping us preserve our farm land, our open space, and our environment. The Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program (FSCAP) was therefore established to acknowledge those farmers who are good stewards of their natural resources and to encourage farmers to put more conservation best management practices (BMPs) on the land. The program is part of our larger effort to preserve our natural resources for future generations of Marylanders.

If you look at our State seal, on it, of course, is a plowman and a fisherman, but on the other side of the State seal is a horse. So this is an important part of our heritage, our spirit, our economy, our jobs, and all of those things enriched by the presence of the horse industry throughout our centuries-old history. On behalf of our State, I want to thank all of you who work so hard in Maryland’s horse industry for your strength, your determination, and your commitment to protecting our natural resources.

Sincerely,

Governor Martin O'Malley"



Thursday, August 8, 2013

Revised 

Summer Meeting Agenda


Maryland Horse Council Farm Stewardship Committee
Summer Meeting

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Sagamore Farm
3510 Belmont Ave.
Glyndon, MD  21071

Special Request:  Please bring your own folding chair so we can hold our meeting in Native Dancer’s Barn!  Thank you. 

3:00 pm   Welcome   
               Jane Thery, Chair, Farm Stewardship Committee

3:15 pm   Sagamore Farm Tour
Randy Lewis, Sagamore Tours Director, and Jon Passero, Sagamore Grounds Manager with
commentary from Gerald Talbert, Director, Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program (FSCAP)

4:00 pm   Update on Equine Issues in the Soil Conservation District
               Ciara McMurtrie, Baltimore County Soil Conservation District Equine Specialist 

4:15 pm  Update on The Maryland Agricultural Certainty Program                 Regulations*
               Doug Myers, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

4:30 pm   Practical Tips for Naturalizing Your Horse Farm 
                 Carolyn Krome, Persimmon Tree Farm 

4:45 pm      End of program, informal networking

5:00 pm   Leave farm 

Special thanks to Sagamore Farm for hosting this event and Piedmont Insurance for providing our refreshments.  

*This is a new voluntary Maryland state program to certify agricultural operations willing to meet tough water quality requirements for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment in line with the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. Certification will provide the farmer flexibility as to when he or she has to meet potential new regulatory requirements or nutrient and sediment load reallocations for a period of 10 years. The farmer still must comply with any potential laws or rules by the end of the certification period.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Summer Meeting Agenda



Maryland Horse Council Farm Stewardship Committee
Summer Meeting

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Sagamore Farm
3510 Belmont Ave.
Glyndon, MD  21071

Special Request:  Please bring your own folding chair so we can hold our meeting in Native Dancer’s Barn!  Thank you. 

3:00 pm   Welcome   
               Jane Thery, Chair, Farm Stewardship Committee

3:15 pm   Sagamore Farm Tour
Randy Lewis, Sagamore Tours Director, and Jon Passero, Sagamore Grounds Manager with
commentary from Gerald Talbert, Director, Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program (FSCAP)

4:00 pm   Update on Equine Issues in the Soil Conservation District
               Ciara McMurtrie, Baltimore County Soil Conservation District Equine Specialist 

4:15 pm  Update on The Maryland Agricultural Certainty Program Regulations*
               Doug Myers, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

4:30 pm   End of program, informal networking

5:00 pm   Leave farm 


*This is a new voluntary Maryland state program to certify agricultural operations willing to meet tough water quality requirements for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment in line with the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. Certification will provide the farmer flexibility as to when he or she has to meet potential new regulatory requirements or nutrient and sediment load reallocations for a period of 10 years. The farmer still must comply with any potential laws or rules by the end of the certification period.