January 18, 2020 – Maryland farmers received a second round of good news this week with Senate approval of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). At a time when farmers continue to face strong economic headwinds, the agreement is expected to increase U.S. agriculture exports by $2 billion.

Congressional members representing Maryland that voted in favor of the USMCA include Senators Cardin and Van Hollen, and Representatives Harris, Hoyer, Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, and Trone.

“We commend our Members of Congress from Maryland for voting in favor of the USMCA to enhance the current state of trade relationships and support the farm economy,” Wayne Stafford, Maryland Farm Bureau President said. “We are pleased to see their dedication and ability to work in a bipartisan manner to support the livelihoods of our farmers.”

The USMCA is expected to result in a $65 billion increase in gross domestic product. Canada will increase quotas on U.S. dairy products, benefitting American dairy farmers by $242 million. Canada will also treat wheat imports the same as domestic wheat for grading and pricing.

President Trump is expected to sign the USMCA soon, the final step to enacting the agreement.

The USMCA vote comes just one day after the United States signed a new trade agreement with China, which promises to increase agricultural exports overseas by tens of billions of dollars.

Additional trade agreements worthy of attention include the U.S.-European Union negotiations, as well as an agreement with the United Kingdom as it leaves the European Union.

January 18, 2020 – Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester County Farm Bureaus teamed up to hold their second annual Doe Harvest Challenge, January 10-12. More than 300 deer were harvested, and 30 were donated to the Maryland Food Bank through the Challenge.

The Doe Harvest Challenge was established to address the growing issue of wildlife crop damage through responsible deer management. The lower shore was identified as a targeted area of severe wildlife crop damage.

“We had a very successful year last year with the Doe Harvest Challenge, which is why we decided to continue it this year,” said Lee Richardson, Wicomico County Farm Bureau board member. “We continue to see our field crops ravaged by wildlife. This Challenge is a great way to help responsibly manage the deer population.”

For each doe or antlerless whitetail or sika deer harvested in one of the three lower shore counties, hunters were entered into a prize drawing. Ten hunters were selected from the drawing to win $1,000 each.

Participating check-in locations included Longhorn Butcher Shop and Off the Neck Game & Butcher Shop in Wicomico County, Non Typical Outdoor Supply in Worcester County, and Wink’s Sporting Goods in Somerset County.

Participants in the Challenge who donated their antlerless deer to the Maryland Food Bank had their processing fee paid for by the Challenge.

Financial support for the Challenge was provided by Farm Credit, the Maryland Food Bank, the Maryland Grain Producers Association, Somerset County Farm Bureau, Wicomico County Farm Bureau, Worcester County Farm Bureau, and Wright Brothers Butcher Shop.

January 18, 2020 – The American Farm Bureau Federation, in partnership with Farm Credit, announced the Final Four teams advancing in the 2020 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. Baltimore-based company HiveLend will compete on Sunday, Jan. 19 in a live-pitch competition for Farm Bureau Entrepreneur of the Year and People’s Choice Award.

“After watching all the amazing competitors yesterday, I am humbled to get to move forward,” says Dawn Music, co-founder of Hivelend. “The Ag Innovation Challenge has provided the incredible opportunity to learn from other teams about so many critical and niche areas in agriculture that entrepreneurs are addressing.”

HiveLend was founded by Musil and Nick Zajciw to make connections between beekeepers and farmers simple and convenient. The company aims to promote conscious sustainable agriculture, improve crop yields and reduce travel times, decrease paperwork by simplifying the process, and help facilitate the sale of hive products for beekeepers.

The Ag Innovation Challenge provides an opportunity for individuals to showcase ideas and business innovations in agriculture. This is the sixth year of the Challenge, which was the first national business competition focused exclusively on rural entrepreneurs launching food and agriculture businesses.

Other Final Four teams include:

·         HydroSide Systems LLC, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

·         Innovative Agricultural Technologies, LLC, Carthage, North Carolina

·         Rantizo, Iowa City, Iowa

The winner of the Farm Bureau Rural Entrepreneur of the Year award will receive a total of $30,000 for their business. The People’s Choice Award winner, chosen by public vote, will receive a total of $25,000.

Farm Bureau would not be able to recognize and support these rural businesses without generous funding provided by sponsors Farm Credit, Bayer Crop Science, John Deere, Country Financial, Farm Bureau Financial Services and Farm Bureau Bank.

To learn more about the Challenge visit www.fb.org/challenge.

January 15, 2020 – Maryland Farm Bureau announced today it is partnering with MJM Global Insurance Brokerage Group to equip members with a new benefit of accessing healthcare coverage options. This additional benefit will enable members to reduce their healthcare costs, as well as provide better healthcare coverage for themselves, their families, and their employees.

“We continue to hear from many of our members about the rising cost of healthcare coverage and the lack of options or control,” Wayne Stafford, Maryland Farm Bureau President said. “We are offering this new member benefit as an option for members to compare and contrast what we can provide – an 8-12% reduction in healthcare coverage – versus what is available from other comparable private or government-run healthcare exchanges.”

“I am confident that offering the ability to access healthcare coverage via FarmBureauHealthCare.com will enable MJM to provide unprecedented service levels, at below Affordable Care Act plan costs,” Rick Reiman, Vice President of MJM Global Insurance stated.

FarmBureauHealthCare.com, the marketplace launched by MJM Global, uses the collective purchasing power of Farm Bureau^® to reduce healthcare premiums, while maintaining flexibility in plan design and provider. This benefit enables members to take control of their true healthcare costs. Bundled with the coverage at no additional cost is Prosper Benefits, a suite of non-insurance benefits including Health Advocacy, Medical Bill Saver, Telemedicine and Confidential Counseling.

”Since the signing of the Affordable Care Act, group health insurance plans have increased at over three times the rate of general inflation. Ninety-seven percent of Americans do not know what their insurance covers, and the process of shopping for and enrolling in coverage remains a significant burden to employers and employees. Farm Bureau^® and MJM Global have made significant movement to help resolve that situation,” Reiman added.

MJM Global Insurance Brokerage Group is rich in family tradition, spanning three generations over seventy years, providing reliable insurance for all types of commercial and personal risk to the jewelry industry. They launched FarmBureauHealthCare.com to help Maryland Farm Bureau members find immediate and significant savings on one of the largest expenses incurred by families and small businesses today, in addition to turning an otherwise complicated health insurance buying process into an easy to use system. 

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Maryland Farm Bureau is a grassroots organization that serves as the united voice of Maryland farm families. Maryland Farm Bureau’s organizational strength comes from the active participation of over 16,000 individual and family members who belong to the state’s 23 county Farm Bureaus. Since 1915, Maryland Farm Bureau has been committed to promoting and protecting Maryland agriculture and rural life. Maryland Farm Bureau is a proud member of the American Farm Bureau Federation. For more information, visit www.mdfarmbureau.com.

MJM Global, a proud member of the Independent Insurance Agents of America (IIAA) and the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA), serves the needs of more than 3,000 businesses, professionals and households throughout the United States and abroad. MJM works diligently to innovate the most effective ways to manage all aspects of the total cost of risk and provide reliable insurance for all types of commercial and personal risk. For more information, visit www.mjmglobal.com.

January 16, 2020 – Governor Larry Hogan released his FY2021 budget proposal Jan. 15 highlighting urgent priorities of the state. The proposed budget includes funding for several key programs to protect environmental resources and support agricultural viability.

“Maryland Farm Bureau is pleased to see the Governor’s continued commitment to the agricultural industry,” said Wayne Stafford, Maryland Farm Bureau President. “We appreciate the inclusion of critical funding and technical assistance needed to achieve the conservation initiatives outlined in the Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan. We look forward to working with legislators to ensure this funding remains in the final budget.”

Highlights of the budget proposal include:

• $250.5 million to programs funded by the transfer tax, which offers support for state and local land preservation programs, Maryland Park Service operations, and capital maintenance and development projects in state parks;

January 3, 2020 – A listening session at Maryland Farm Bureau’s 104^th Annual Convention discussed procurement of Maryland agricultural products by the state. Buying local is a growing trend, but current processes and infrastructure make it difficult to by Maryland grown foods.

Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, representing District 20, has been a staunch advocate to reform the current food procurement system by state agencies.

“We spend a lot of Maryland money buying food, and the vast majority of Maryland money spent buying food goes to food grown well outside of Maryland,” Charkoudian said.

According to the USDA, “local food” consists of any food grown within a 250-mile radius. A large portion of food purchased in Maryland comes from North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Charkoudian noted that food production is more expensive in Maryland due to farmers taking on additional costs to protect the Chesapeake Bay. She argued the State should be investing their money back into the local economy when purchasing food.

Delegate Charkoudian and Senator Katie Fry-Hester, District 9, are preparing legislation to address two of the main issues in the current food procurement system: distinguishing Maryland farmers from other “local” farmers and building out local aggregators.

Phase one consists of establishing a preferred local farmer procurement program, based on nutrient management participation and other standards that Maryland farmers already qualify for. The legislation would create an office within the Maryland Department of Agriculture to house the program and create a requirement for state agency contractors to reach out to local farmers for food procurement.

Phase two would focus on creating a grant program to build out local aggregation systems around the state. Through these local processors, small farms could work collaboratively to satisfy larger contracts.

In November, the Maryland Farm Bureau Board of Directors sent a letter to Governor Hogan in support of this initiative.

January 8, 2020 – Maryland Farm Bureau is hosting three farm trucking forums throughout the state in early 2020. Representatives from the Maryland State Highway Administration, Maryland State Police, and Maryland Vehicle Administration will be on hand to present and answer questions.

These forums will be held from 9:30am – 12:00pm at the following locations:

• Thursday, January 30th at the Baltimore County Agricultural Center
• Thursday, February 20th at the Frederick County Fairgrounds
• Friday, March 20th at Chesapeake College

December 19, 2019 – Recipients of various awards were recognized at Maryland Farm Bureau’s 104^th Annual Convention in Ocean City, December 7-10.

Distinguished Service to Farm Bureau
Donald Cole of Baltimore County was presented Maryland Farm Bureau’s highest honor – the Distinguished Service to Farm Bureau award. Cole has been a Farm Bureau member for over 60 years, devoting decades of service to the Maryland farming community.

Agri-Woman of the Year
Mary Lou Brown of Dorchester County was recognized by the Maryland Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee as the first-ever Agri-Woman of the Year – an award which honors women for their service to agriculture and Farm Bureau. Brown received a plaque in recognition of the honor, along with a credit to attend the American Farm Bureau’s 2021 FUSION Conference. 

Discussion Meet
Wilson Davis of Cecil County won the Young Farmers and Ranchers Discussion Meet competition. Wilson will represent Maryland at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Convention in Austin, TX in January. The Discussion Meet is a competitive event that stimulates a committee meeting where discussion and active participation are expected from each participant. 

Silver Bowl
Carroll and Washington County Farm Bureaus were recognized as Silver Bowl award winners based on the success of programs implemented within the county Farm Bureau. Silver Bowl winners are selected by a panel of judges that determine the counties with the best overall programs.

Membership
Baltimore and Garrett County Farm Bureaus were recognized for their dedication to membership growth. These counties increased their membership of farmer members by 1% in 2019. They each received a $250 bonus check sponsored by Local Seed Company.

Nationwide Recognition
Select Nationwide agents around the state were recognized for their exceptional service to Maryland Farm Bureau members, and their commitment to improve risk management on farms. Nationwide agents recognized were:

• Carey Insurance and Financial Services, LLC, Princess Anne
• Crow Insurance Agency, Inc., Middletown, DE
• Heltebridle-Bounds, Inc., Taneytown
• Mann & Gray Insurance Associates, Fruitland
• Reeder Insurance and Financial Services, Inc., Nottingham
• Riddleberger Insurance, Denton
• Staples & Associates Insurance & Financial, Salisbury
• Whitten Group, LLC, Cambridge

December 11, 2019 – Wayne Stafford of Cecil County was elected president of Maryland Farm Bureau during the organization’s one hundred and fourth annual meeting Tuesday morning. John Draper of Queen Anne’s County and Jonathan Quinn of Kent County will serve as first and second vice presidents, respectively.

Stafford was elected to a two-year term as president. His family raises black Angus cattle, row crops, and hay in Elkton, Maryland. He served as a board member for Maryland Farm Bureau for several years prior to being elected as first vice president in 2014. Stafford succeeds Chuck Fry of Frederick County as president.

Draper was elected to a one-year term as first vice president. He is a row crop farmer in Centreville, Maryland and also works as the farm manager for the University of Maryland’s Wye Research and Education Center in Queenstown. He has served as a member of Farm Bureau’s board of directors since 2013.

Quinn was elected to a one-year term as second vice president. He farms in Kent and Cecil counties growing grain and spinach. Quinn previously served on the Maryland Farm Bureau board of directors from 2013 to 2018.