Salisbury, MD. (October 11, 2016) – Jason Spicer, a 39-year-old row crop farmer from Dorchester County, is the newest member of the Maryland Soybean Board.

Spicer began his first three-year term on the board on Oct. 1, succeeding William Layton, who farms near Vienna. Layton completed the board’s maximum three, three-year terms on the 10 farmer-member board.

Jason Spicer Named Director on Maryland Soybean Board

Spicer owns and operates Holly Lane Farms, near Cambridge in the area of Church Creek. He is a member of and the expansive and well-known Spicer family scattered through Dorchester County.

“If the name is Spicer and they live in these parts, we are all related,” he said.

Holly Lane Farms tills about 1,200 acres – some owned, some rented – in the traditional rotation of corn, soybeans and wheat. “We bale some hay and straw,” Spicer said, adding that the farm also includes an important timber cutting operation. “We do logging to pay for the farm,” he said with a smile.

Spicer’s wife, Holly, is a teacher at Sandy Hill Elementary School. The couple has a daughter, Sophie, who will turn three years of age on Nov. 2. Spicer himself will turn 40 on Nov. 2. “I can never forget her birthday, or mine,” he said with a chuckle.

The Maryland Soybean Board administers soybean checkoff funds for soybean research, marketing and education programs in the state. One-half of the checkoff funds stay in Maryland for programs; the other half is sent to the United Soybean Board.

In Maryland, farmers grow about a half a million acres of soybeans, producing more than 20 million bushels of beans each year. With a value of $173 million to the state’s economy, soybeans are one of Maryland’s top crops. For more information on the Maryland Soybean Board, visit www.mdsoy.com.  

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Aug. 31, 2016) – While there isn’t a consensus from consumers on the definition of sustainability when it comes to food and farming, the fact that it is an important topic to consumers means Maryland’s farmers should participate in the discussion.

That was the key message delivered to farmers during Sustainability Communications Training at the Maryland Commodity Classic held recently at the Queen Anne’s County 4-H Park. Hosted by the Maryland Soybean Board and Maryland Grain Producers, the training was presented by Nancy Kavazanjian, a director on the United Soybean Board and chairman of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. The session drew more than 50 farmers from Maryland.

Kavazanjian referenced a recent U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance Sustainability online survey, which found that half of surveyed consumers couldn’t provide a concrete sustainability definition, although they recognize its importance. Half of those surveyed were Millennials ages 18-34, along with consumer food connectors, or those very active on social media platforms on food issues, and members of the general public. Half of the Millennials surveyed were parents.

Consumer concerns about sustainability are often directed toward food manufacturers, Kavazanjian said, which then filters through to farmers. That means Maryland’s farmers need to help shape the narrative about sustainability in the minds of consumers.

“What consumers care most about is the environment around the farm,” Kavazanjian said. “That means the soil; the water, both quality and quantity; the air; and the habitat in general. They want to know where their food comes from and they want to know the story behind their food, how it’s grown and raised and the impact on humans. That includes human health, and the access to safe, nutritious food.”

William Layton, chairman of the Maryland Soybean Board, is a third-generation farmer from Dorchester County. “Maryland farmers, as a group, are among the most progressive and innovative-minded in the nation when it comes to the environment,” he said. “Sustainable practices are a way of life here. They are good for the environment, they are good for our farms, and that’s good for our families. Maryland farmers embrace ways to protect our land, water, air and wildlife habitats, and the Chesapeake Bay.”

Through the federally mandated and farmer-funded soybean checkoff program, another recent study found that soybean production proves to be more efficient today than it was 20 years ago. Soybean farmers have reduced energy and irrigated water use and reduced carbon emissions per acre, among other energy and environmental improvements in U.S. soybean farming and processing.

Added Jennie Schmidt, president of the Maryland Grain Producers Association and a Queen Anne’s County, Md., farmer: “A lot of people believe that sustainable production only occurs on ‘local’ or ‘organic’ farms. While that can be true, it’s equally true that many crops are grown sustainably thanks to practices like conservation tillage; planting buffers to protect our waterways; and cover cropping to reduce soil erosion, reduce energy consumption and emissions and build our soils. Maryland farmers just enrolled another record number of acres for cover crops – a sure sign of our commitment to sustainability and the environment.”

The Maryland Commodity Classic is held annually by the Maryland Grain Producers, with additional support from the Maryland Soybean Board.

While experts already know how the kudzu bug spends its summers – destroying crops by munching on kudzu vines and other hosts, including soybeans – researchers want to know more about how these insects spend their winter.

That’s the focus of two studies funded by the Maryland Soybean Board (MSB) this summer. The checkoff board granted more than $200,000 to support 16 research projects for the benefit of soybean farmers.

University of Maryland researcher Jessica Grant wants to know just how cold it needs to be in order to kill a resident population of kudzu bugs.

Previously, Grant has performed observations of the number of days to hatch, percent which survive, days to adulthood, average age per female, and longevity of the insects in four different controlled temperature regimens. She also looked at which point the bugs will actually freeze and die, trying to correlate that with what they would experience in the field.

The primary issue lies in the fact that kudzu bugs overwinter in leaf litter which serves as an insulating microhabitat for the insects. Thanks to funding from MSB, Grant will continue research on degree-day development and overwintering in microhabitats, as well as validate a model of phenology and share her results with growers and media alike.

At the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Simon Zebelo also is looking at kudzu bugs. His research is focused on developing alternative practices for the management of populations of kudzu bug.

By studying the behavior and habits of kudzu bugs, Zebelo hopes to develop a strategy that reduces or eliminates pesticide use that may adversely affect non-target insect populations. He knows that kudzu bugs, unlike other stink bugs, have a low tendency to move from a suitable host and that they tend to aggregate and colonize on field margins, due to their social tendencies.

The other 14 research projects are examining issues ranging from the development of a new fish food to control of Palmer Amaranth to a study of Sulphur and whether its use might improve both the quality and yield of soybeans.

The Maryland Soybean Board administers soybean checkoff funds for soybean research, marketing and education programs in the state. One-half of the checkoff funds stay in Maryland for programs; the other half is sent to the United Soybean Board.

For more information on this and other research being performed as a result of Maryland Soybean Board funding, visit www.mdsoy.com.

For More Information:
Sandra Davis, Executive Director
Office: 410.742.9500
sdavis26@verizon.net

All-farmer board accepting proposals for funding projects in areas of soybean promotion and use

SALISBURY, MD. (June 2, 2016) – Got any bright ideas on how to use soybeans, or soy byproducts? Or new ideas on promoting “the magic bean”?

If so, the Maryland Soybean Board would like to hear from you.

The all-farmer board, which administers the national soybean checkoff program, in Maryland, is accepting proposals for funding projects in the areas of soybean promotion and use. The board is particularly interested in projects that reach out to groups such as moms, “foodies,” and medical personnel. In addition, the board seeks projects that promote agricultural literacy to audiences ranging from elementary ages through adulthood. While these audiences are a priority for the board, potential projects are not limited to these topics and audiences.

“The soybean in all of its forms — oil, protein, meal or the whole bean — is found in literally hundreds of products which we use — or eat — every day,” said Bill Langenfelder, an Eastern Shore farmer who is  chairman of the board’s Promotion  and Producer Communication Committee. “But we are always anxious to hear new ideas for using and promoting our product at different events and venues.”

The Maryland Soybean Board was first formed in 1980 and became a part of the congressionally authorized federal program in 1991.

Written proposals with detailed budgets are due in the board office no later than July 1. The address is Maryland Soybean Board, PO Box 319, Salisbury MD 21803.