DF headlines

In search of salt-tolerable crops


PRINCESS ANNE, Md. — As coastal flooding threatens more farmer acres, a UMES horticulturalist is looking for crop varieties that will withstand more of the punishment from elevated salt levels in the soil. Naveen Kumar Dixit and a team of students are evaluating varieties of soybeans and strawberries for salt tolerance as part of a USDA-funded research addressing climate change. […]

Farmer: Fertilizer sign flouts state ban


ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A Southern Maryland grower was strolling through a Home Depot in Upper Marlboro early last month when something caught his eye. On a shelf above stacked bags of Scotts Turf Builder UltraFeed hung a black sign that read “Apply this Now” with an arrow pointing to the lawn fertilizer below. Russell Shlagel felt a swell of disappointment. […]

Virginia representatives finding fountain grass in more pastures


By JANE W. GRAHAM AFP Correspondent BLACKSBURG, Va. — A question from a farmer spawned a lively unscripted and robust discussion about a new invasive weed, fountain grass, that is showing up in pastures and farmland in the Mid-Atlantic. The question came in an Extension meeting about producing quality hay. The farmer sought to learn what he is dealing with […]

NRCS available to assist oyster operations (Keeping the Farm)

(Editor’s note: John Markon is a public affairs technician for Virginia NRCS.) Oystering could be the most traditional of all the forms of agriculture practiced in Virginia. There’s something timeless and classic about the familiar view of a waterman aboard a weatherbeaten skiff outlined against the rising or setting sun. Which isn’t to say there’s never anything new in the […]

Staying connected (Pig Tales)


(Editor’s note: Dr. Rich Barczewski is a Professor Emeritus with Delaware State University.) A couple of weeks ago, an article appeared in The Delmarva Farmer that indicated that many of the livestock commodity groups have been shrinking in size and losing members. I read this article with a lot of interest, having worked in that area very closely in the […]

Weather serving as wild card for spring planting (Grain Marketing)


(Editor’s note: John Hall is a professional commodities analyst.) The current weather has certainly been challenging as the abundant rainfall has caused lots of mud everywhere. Several farmers I have spoken to are running behind because the fields have been so soft. The summer temperatures we had last week are also a little scary. Will March go out like a […]

On-farm research trials lower risk, measures reward of new practices


UNION BRIDGE, Md. — When Dave Burrier leaves the house during the growing season, he has a lot to look at. The surrounding 109 acres he and wife Belinda own are devoted to seed varieties trials, and strip trials testing different inputs and farming practices. Over the years, he attributes the on-farm trials, spurred by the desire to continually improve, […]

Producers urged to pay attention to seed costs


Regional grain producers will need to pay extra attention to their cost of production to make 2024 profitable, a University of Maryland Extension agent said last week. While the average price of fertilizer and chemicals has fallen slightly over the last year, the price of corn has dropped by more than $2 per bushel to $4.34 last week, and the […]

Promising Lumina strawberry awaiting patent


  BELTSVILLE, Md. — The start of the local strawberry season is still more than a month away but breeding better cultivars never stops. As a new cultivar from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service’s strawberry breeding program awaits a patent, its breeder is urging growers to share their interest in their top varieties with propagating nurseries. USDA-ARS Research Plant Geneticist Kim […]

Md. loggers suffer another blow

JONATHAN CRIBBS Associate Editor PETERSBURG, W.Va. — Loggers and forestry advocates in Maryland lamented last week the abrupt closure of Allegheny Wood Products, one of the largest producers of eastern U.S. hardwoods — another blow to an industry that has struggled over the last several years with mill closures across the region. The company announced on Feb. 23 that it […]


Category Pages are limited to 90 days. Please use the archive page or the search box to find older articles.