Current Checkoff Awards  

Checkoff Program    Current Awards     Current Results

ü2006

Market Development 

National Corn Growers Association - $63,000
Cooperation with other states through NCGA allows MGPUB to combine resources and provide a strong voice nationally for issues of importance to the corn industry. Current items of focus include ensuring the ethanol RFS is implemented in a timely and effective manner, work toward monitoring Missouri River transportation issues, lock modernization, availability of rail cars, and work on NCGA’s farm bill recommendations.

U.S.Grains Council - $25,000
The Council is the only organization dedicated to building export markets specifically for U.S. grains. They market barley, corn and sorghum internationally. State check-off funds from the 24 supporting programs are used to leverage federal market development and industry funds to expand overseas markets. Key priorities for 2006 include representing grain producers in trade agreement talks with countries such as Colombia, Peru and Thailand, educating international and foreign national policy makers on the science-based information of agriculture biotechnology, staff member promoting DDGS world-wide through feeding trials.

National Barley Growers Association - $1,473
NBGA is the national organization looking out for the barley growers across the nation. Their future priorities include preparation for the 2007 Farm Bill, acceptable outcome in the ongoing Doha Development Round negotiations, reforming crop insurance, accelerating pesticide registrations, conservation funding for working lands and competitive transportation system and improved service.

E-85 Marketing and Infrastructure Development - $15,125
Sustainable Energy Strategies Inc works directly with the alternative fuels industry, primarily on ethanol, biodiesel and propane issues. They assist local dealerships, station owners and fuel distributors with fueling and infrastructure contracting, tax and technical related questions. They will work with MGPUB to further promote increased agricultural profitability and sustainability through the use of high level blends of ethanol.

Oil Seed Crushing & Bio-diesel Processing Facility Feasibility Study - $7,500
MGPUB support will help fund a feasibility study to determine the viability of constructing an oil seed crushing and bio-diesel processing facility in central Maryland Windridge Farms plan on using three additional feedstock supplies (rapeseed, corn germ and animal renderings) to supplement their proposed soybean crushing operations.

Maryland Grain Producers Association - $63,000
MGPA services to MGPUB include the following: preparing informational newsletters, news media and website promoting expansion of utilization of grain and grain agriculture, conducting an annual meeting to promote MGPUB functions, and a scholarship program for agricultural program students.

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Education 

National Agriculture Day - $500
National Agriculture Day raises Americans’ awareness of how food and fiber are produced and celebrates the contribution agriculture makes to our daily lives through their development and distribution of Ag Day materials and tools including a web site, media and classroom resources, Ag Day Poster, Planning guide and fact cards.

Kids Growing with Grains - $1,800
This program provides 4th graders from Washington County with a hands-on learning experience at the Western Maryland Research and Education in Keedysville, Maryland. Students learn about grain production, utilization and importance of grain products for good health.

Kids Growing with Grains - $2,850
An extension of the Washington County program, this grant provides 4th grade students in Frederick County to learn about the importance of grain. Students are predominantly from inner-city schools and this activity is primarily their only hands-on link to agriculture.

Kids Growing with Grains and Animals, Too! - $1,000
MGPUB supports this Western Maryland program that enables inner-city fourth-grades to have a hands-on agricultural experience. Activities include a wagon tour of a farm discussing planting, growing and harvesting grains, the food and non-food uses of corn, farm animals and the food chain, and health benefits of whole grain products.

All About Grains - $750
Funds provided for over 500 youths to participate in Caroline County 4-H agricultural awareness classes, two “Progressive Farmer Farm Safety Day Camps” reaching over 300 youth, and the purchase at six elementary schools of reading books about farming practices and the impact that framing plays in students daily lives.

Close Encounters With Agriculture - $2,000
This program designed for 4th grade students will have approximately 3,000 students, parents and teachers participating in an 11 days program emphasizing agriculture production, the environment and nutrition. Participants will grain knowledge of grains grown in the state, how farmers protect the environment and the importance of grain products in their diet. Teaching packets with learning activities and a field trip to the Farm Park are part of the program.

Maryland Envirothon - $4,000
A well rounded, year long, environmental education program, with emphasis on knowledge of renewable and non-renewable natural resources, including agriculture, ends in a final competition in June for approximately 900 high school students. By having natural resource professionals conduct the testing and training, students receive information on career opportunities in this field.

Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc. – $6,000
This grant will provide funding to sponsor the use of the Maryland Agriculture Showcase mobile and 3 traveling science labs, enabling students and teachers to learn interactively about Maryland Ag products, biotechnology, food and fiber, and aquatic science. It will also continue the work of the initiative, Maryland Ag on the Move, which develops state-specific resources to educate citizen about the Maryland agricultural industry.

LEAD Maryland’s Agricultural Leadership Development Program - $15,000
Realizing the importance of rural and agricultural leaders in our community, MGPUB continues to supports this leadership development program through grants and providing candidates learning opportunities on local, state, and national levels to aid them to seek solutions and communicate in ways that will enhance the future of Maryland agriculture.

Bunny Burkett Racing Team - $8,000
Bunny’s Funny Cars #1 and #2 utilizing ethanol are a frequent site at County and State Fairs and on the racing circuit. The use of the ethanol logo on their race cars, trailer, uniforms, and website further the education of the general public about the production process and virtues of ethanol.

Wheat Foods Council - $5,000
Wheat Foods Council serves as a credible voice to promote the positive message about grain foods in the diet. They train dietetic professionals to use appropriate messaging and create innovative promotional tools that aim to impact consumer behavior on the importance of wheat-based foods for good nutrition.

Wheat Export Trade Education Committee - $2,000
The Wheat Export Trade Education Committee engage in educational, research and lobbying activities that support the priorities of Maryland wheat producers on fair trade agreements.

FFA Agricultural Education Programs - $4,000
MGPUB will sponsor leadership workshops, career development events, and career and personal development opportunities that enhance the education and development of Maryland youth enrolled in FFA programs.

Ethanol Issue Brief - $3,500
Ethanol Issue Briefs promote ethanol as an alternative fuel, an economic booster, and an environmentally friendly product. This grant will support the development of the third issue of informational briefs.

Statewide Grain Marketing Educational Program - $4,000
Realizing that smart marketing of grains enables Maryland farmers to increase net income, MGPUB will help sponsor 2 grain marketing workshops to teach farmers how to avoid common mistakes in grain marketing and key elements of a pre harvest marketing plan including crop insurance and hedging strategies. It will also support 6 regional grain marketing workshops to revitalize producer’s interest in grain marketing programs and Grain Marketing Clubs in Maryland.

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Research                          

Control of Perennial Weeds in Corn   Control of Perennial Weeds in Corn - $5,660
Funding from MGPUB to the Department of Natural Resource Sciences and Landscape Architecture, UM., will support research to couple new products like 2,4-D, Banwel or Roundup with conventional and genetically engineered corn hybrids to provide a cost effective and useful weed management program for the farmer that is burdened with perennial broadleaf weeds. Celebrity Plus, and all glyphosate formulations when applied late, provided over 80% johnsongrass control by the last rating. Depending upon rate, KIH-485 provided 50-70% seedling johnsongrass control when applied preemergence. When applied postemergence with Roundup Weather Max, KIH-485 provided 90% or better seedling johnsongrass control by the last rating. Stinger provided best control of Canada thistle.

Genetic Improvement and Testing of Small Grains for Maryland - $20,000
An ongoing project to increase the quality and the number of new varieties of high yielding, disease resistant small grains, this project will continue their tests on several hulless barley trials, a new soft, red winter wheat variety (Chesapeake) with high yield, high test weight, and excellent resistance to powdery mildew in tests, in addition to two white wheat lines with potential as specialty wheat. Tests also continue on select wheat lines with scab resistance.

Development of Hulless Barley as a Value-added Crop - $5,000
MGPUB supports the continual research in the development of a hulless variety of barley that has a lower concentration of fiber, reduced phytic acid and higher metabolizable energy bringing its feed value closer to that of wheat and maize.

Control of Weedy Grasses in Small Grains - $5,660
Some weedy grasses continue to escape conventional control practices in both wheat and barley. This grant provides additional testing toward developing a cost-effective, sound weed management program for the control of Italian ryegrass, annual bluegrass, rough-stalk bluegrass, bromegrass and bulbous oatgrass in small grains. The approach is to screen new herbicide candidates, examine new technologies such as utilizing Clearfield wheat, provide necessary data to the agrochemical industry, seek state labels for use of said products and promote these practices through tours, field days, Extension Bulletins and winter meetings.

State Corn Hybrid Test: Inclusion of Benchmark Hybrids - $1,500
Since some seed corn companies have a policy not to enter any hybrids into University coordinated hybrid testing programs, a gap in the availability of unbiased information about the performance of some popularly grown corn hybrids exists. Since 2001 MGPUB has provided funding support to ensure that popular representative hybrids commonly grown in Maryland are included as check hybrids in the annual corn variety testing programs providing growers with more meaningful yield comparisons information before they purchase their seed.

Evaluation of Wheat Variety Resistance to Wheat Spindle Streak Mosaic Virus - $5,000
An ongoing project, this research aims at finding varieties of wheat that are resistant to the Spindle Streak Mosaic Virus, testing them and relaying their resistance information to producers. Only a few seed companies have any information on resistance of their varieties to these viruses and it is often listed as resistance to the soil-borne virus complex. The project will work to develop a reliable, controlled resistance screening procedure for this virus.

Evaluation of Three Mid-Late Season Tests in Corn for Predicting Fall Nitrogen Requirement for Winter Wheat - $9,000
Field comparisons will be conducted using three tests on previous corn crops to determine their potential as a tool for predicting fall nitrogen requirements for wheat planting in the fall.

Enhancing Maryland-Grown Soft Wheat Consumption for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention - $9,000
University of Maryland Food Scientist Lucy Yu will research soft wheat varieties rich in antioxidants for preparing value-added functional foods for health promotion. This research will determine the possible COX-2 inhibitory components in Maryland grown soft wheat varieties to promote their utilization in reducing risk of cancer and inflammation.

Evaluating Application Timing of Harmony Extra Herbicide with Fluid Fertilizers for Maximum Efficiency and Yield in Notill & Minimum Tillage Wheat Following Notill Corn and Single Crop Notill Soybeans - $4,000
This grant will continue the support of a three year study designed to evaluate either late fall, early & late spring and a fall and spring application of Harmony Extra herbicide on barley and wheat fields to control many winter annual weeds and partial control to other weeds such as Canada Thistle and Vetch. Ron Mulford, the primary investigator, will look at wheat grain yields evaluating different Harmony Extra application rates, application timings and application of the Harmony Extra in a fertilizer solution or water.

Utilizing Conservation Tillage to Minimize Nutrient Losses from Poultry Litter Applied in Grain Production Systems - $25,000
Field demonstration sites will be established with the purpose of demonstrating that commercially available conservation tillage technology can be successfully used to partially incorporate poultry litter in reduced tillage grain production systems, preserving surface residue and soil conservation conditions, while reducing nitrogen and phosphorus losses in surface runoff and atmospheric ammonia emissions.

Improving the Efficiency of Surface Applied Poultry Manure in Notill Corn Production - $5,000
This is the second year of a three year study designed to supply information to farmers and others in the Mid-Atlantic Region who are trying to find a tillage method with minimum soil and residue disturbance to improve nitrogen efficiency of surface applied poultry manure in no tillage corn production.

Management and Selection of Hulless Barley - $5,000
This three year project aims to identify hulless barley varieties that have the best genetic potential to maximize yield and starch production. Additionally, they will develop nitrogen management recommendations for hulless barley that are agronomically sound and cost-efficient for the farmer, and determine optimum planting dates and seeding rates that will become best management recommendations for hulless barley production.

Wheat Fusarium Head Blight Fungicide Evaluation - $4,000
Scab, or Fusarium head blight, affects wheat by causing sterility of flowers, reducing seed weight and infecting the seed. In 1998 a Uniform fungicide trial was conducted providing data on efficacy of five products reducing FHB when applied at heading. This study done by Dr. Grybauskas at UMD would obtain data on the timing of the application. What happens if an application gets delayed by a few days, and can late heading applications be as effective as those applied at early flower.