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Issue 4
Volume 3 Fall 2013
Inside this issue:
Inside this Issue
Annie’s Reunion 2
Young Farmers
break the bank 3
Young Farmers
cont. 4
Resources for
Women In Ag 4
Back to School
Computer Tips 5
Facebook Contest
Winners 5
Agriculture in
Maryland 6
Recipe Corner 6
Upcoming Events 7
Annie’s Project Newsletter is a quarterly update on all areas of
farming, families and women involved in agriculture.
We hope you enjoy this newsletter and keep the network of women in
agriculture strong. Please send us updates on your farm, business and
anything you would like to share.
*****************************************************************************
MidAtlantic Women in Agriculture is hosting a Fall Farm Tour in Kent County,
Maryland
9am– Grand View Farm
Swine Operation: Operated by the 5th and 6th generations of the Langenfelder family.
11491 Still Pond Road Worton, MD
10:30- Mason’s Dairy Farm & Eve’s Cheese-
www.evescheese.com
23991 Melitota Road Chestertown, MD
12noon– Lunch @ Crow Farm
Guest Speaker Judy Gifford– SARE
1pm– Crow Farm and Vineyard
www.crowfarmmd.com
12441 Vansant’s Corner Kennedyville, MD
Tour of the vineyard ending with wine tasting available.
* Wine Tasting will be an additional $5*
Cost of the tour is $20/person and will include lunch.
RSVP by Sept. 11th to Victoria: [email protected] or 410-708-5578 or register online
www.midatlanticwomeninagriculture.eventbrite.com
MidAtlantic Women In Agriculture’s
Fall Farm Tour September 18, 2013
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Still Time to Register for the Annie’s Reunion
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Annie’s Project Reunion
6:00 p.m.—Welcome and networking
6:30 p.m.—Cookout-style dinner
7:15 p.m.—Program discussion
Shannon Dill & Jenny Rhodes, MD/DE Annie’s Project Coordinators
Valerie Connelly, Maryland Farm Bureau
8:30 p.m.—Dessert and farewell
cookout and networking social
You’re invited to an
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
6:00 p.m.—9:00 p.m.
Harford County 4-H Camp
8 Cherry Hill Road, Street MD
RSVP by August 28, 2013 You are welcome to bring a friend who is interested in learning more about Annie’s Project! Cost is
$10 per person. Please make checks payable to “Harford EAC” For more information contact
Sara at (410) 638-3255 or [email protected]
Page 3
Young Farmers Break The Bank Before They Get To The Field
Page 3 Volume 3
As the average age of the American farmer has crept up to 60,
fewer young people are filling in the ranks behind them. That's
prompted some to ask if young people even want to farm
anymore.
The quick answer is yes, just not in the same numbers as they
used to. And surveys indicate many of them don't want to farm in
conventional ways.
A 2011 survey from the National Young Farmers Coalition
showed access to land and capital to be the single biggest factors
keeping young people from getting into farming or ranching. The
survey also indicated young people are concerned about the environment — they're "generation organic" —
and interested in small-scale operations.
But it can be difficult to turn dreams of a farm life into reality.
In Longmont, Colo., Eva Teague, 31, has learned how difficult it can be to start a pig farm. Teague is a grad
school dropout turned farmer, originally from the East Coast. Jaded with academia, she moved to Colorado
and began working as a farm apprentice. She bought her first pigs a couple years ago.
"[I] didn't have that much cash, so I paid for feed with the credit card just to get going," Teague says.
Right now, her biggest challenge, like many other young farmers, is access to capital. She recently secured a
low-interest loan from the federal Farm Service Agency, but it's not enough to get her business off the ground
completely. Teague still spends her days on the farm and every evening working full-time as a waitress. Next
year she plans to take a big leap: She wants to quit her off-farm job and rely solely on her farm income to
sustain herself.
After searching for plots of land on Craigslist, Teague lucked out and scored a lease for 15 acres at the base of
the Rocky Mountains. She taught herself Quickbooks accounting software, and she relies heavily on the skills
she picked up during a handful of apprenticeships throughout Colorado. In short, Teague is part of the
millennial generation of farmers, a group that often eschews traditional forms of agriculture and favors small-
scale operations.
"It's a very rare person who's not grown up on a farm that's going to go out and say, 'I want to plant 100,000
acres of corn. I want to invest $300,000 in a tractor. I want to get a confinement hog barn with 300,000 pigs,' "
Teague says.
Of course, the millennial generation isn't exclusively made up of farmers who've jumped on the local food
movement. There are still young people out there who want to get involved with more conventional forms of
agriculture, but many of them still find their options limited.
"There's no way I'll ever be able to own my own ranch," says Bo Bigler, 25, a graduate student at Colorado
State University. He'll graduate in August with a master's degree in beef management, which almost ensures a
career working at large feedlots.
"The price to buy into it, it's too much; the cost of land is unreal," Bigler says. "The only way that somebody
can get into it is if a ranch was handed down to them, unless they're millionaires to begin with."
Continued on Next Page-
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Page 4 Volume 3
Young Farmers Break The Bank Before They Get To The Field cont.
Ranch and farmland, not just in Colorado, but across the plains, is going for several thousand dollars per acre,
keeping aspiring farmers from buying. Leased land is available, but it leaves farmers at the whim of a landlord
who could choose to cancel or refuse to renew a lease agreement.
“There's no way they can pay the student loan and pay a land payment and still have enough money left over
to live on," says Kraig Peel, a professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University.
Many of Peel's students come into his classes with idealistic ideas about farming and ranching. These days
about 80 percent of his students have grown up in an urban setting. They quickly learn to realign their expec-
tations, he says.
"It's very frustrating for a lot of these students that would like to [run a farm or ranch]," Peel says.
"Economically it just doesn't make sense."
Still, there's a need to bring in young people to large and small ranching operations. Sixty-four percent of the
nation's cattle ranches are owned by someone older than 55. But many of Peel's students have chosen to forgo
the financial difficulties of running a ranch and work for large agribusiness companies instead.
Teague is working on a multiyear business plan to make sure she can add on a few acres of vegetables and
some more pigs.
"I think a lot of young people want to work outside in sort of a 'farm camp' fun experience," she says. "There
are fewer people who would like to work really hard, like 50 to 60 hours a week for not a lot of money, which
is what working on a farm is."
Teague filled out a form for the latest agricultural census last year. When data is released in 2014, it'll become
clearer whether enough young people have joined the ranks to keep the average age of farmers from climbing
even higher.
For the complete article: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/08/21/213905983/young-farmers-break-the-bank-
before-they-get-to-the-field
A few months ago we mentioned that our websites were getting a make-over. Over the past few months we have
made some changes to both our Women in Agriculture and Annie’s Project sites.
Annie’s Project– www.extension.umd.edu/annies-project will continue to serve as your go to place for information
about the upcoming Annie’s Project classes, along with ALL class information when classes are confirmed for each
location. This website will also provide links to news
articles about Annie’s Project Chapters in other states.
Women In Agriculture–
www.extension.umd.edu/womeninag This site is now
dedicated to empowering women across all interests of
agriculture! Not only will you be able to get information
about the Annual Women In Agriculture Conference, but
now this site will also have a links to resources that will
help women grow their passion for agriculture! Check
back often as new content is added regularly!
Websites that Provide Resources for Women in Agriculture
Page 5
Computer Tips to help keep children safe this school year
Be aware of computer risks. Children may unknowingly acquire virus-
es by clicking on a link while researching for homework or stumble upon
disturbing images.
Encourage kids to use child-friendly search engines that filter search
results for schoolwork. These search engines give assurance that kids will
not be directed to inappropriate sites. Firedog's recommended sites in-
clude: Yahoo Kids, Ask for Kids, Kids Click and AOL Kids.
Keep computers in a central location, such as the kitchen or family
room, so parents can keep track of what children and teens are doing on
the Internet.
Add monitoring and filtering capabilities to family computers so par-
ents are constantly aware of a kid's computer use, even when they are not
at home.
Use white listing, which allows access to a pre-approved list of sites
deemed appropriate on a computer.
Set time limits on Internet access for children.
Install software to scan computers frequently and remove malware and viruses.
Follow technology trends. There are so many social networking sites and personal technology applications out there, it can be
hard to keep up. Making certain parents are knowledgeable about current technology will help guarantee child safety.
To read to complete article: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/firedog-announces-must-have-computer-tips-for-
back-to-school-100281009.html
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To keep the summer fun, we have been running a few Facebook contests.
Winners of Tervis Tumbler Giveaway:
Laura Bartlett
Jennifer Kraus
Photo Contest Winners:
Jennifer Hutton (farm photo shown)
Dixie Blades (woman with carrots photo shown)
We will have at least one more contest in late summer / early fall, so make
sure to follow us on Facebook!
www.facebook.com/MidAtlanticWomenInAgriculture
Congratulations Summer Facebook Contest Winners
Page 6
Recipe Corner
Peach Salsa– Peaches add a delicious twist to this salsa recipe!
3 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted and diced
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 red onion diced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Combine the all ingredients except cilantro in a large nonreactive pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and
simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Add the cilantro and remove from the heat.
Ladle into jars or bowls. Cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 week
Page 6 Volume 3
A New Series Highlights Agriculture in Maryland
The Maryland Public Television/Maryland Department of Agriculture series of programs about agriculture in Maryland
will premier on Maryland Public Television high definition on Tuesday, November 19 at 7:00 p.m. All 13 segments of
the series will air on Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. and then be repeated on Thursdays at 11:30 p.m., Sunday mornings at
6:00 a.m., and Friday nights at 6:00 p.m. on MPT2. The program will run for thirteen weeks, rest for thirteen weeks,
repeat for thirteen weeks, rest for thirteen weeks and then possibly have a premiere for season 2 in November 2014.
The Maryland Farm Bureau has posted a 3-minute promotion for the series on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=7mxM_tCuFtw&feature=youtube
This series of programs is intended to edu-
cate and inform viewers about food produc-
tion in Maryland.
Maryland Public Broadcasting
Tuesday, November 19, 2013, 7:00 p.m..
On MPT
Page 7
Upcoming Events
Page 7 Volume 3
The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression.
For more information on this newsletter or to submit articles
contact:
Shannon Dill 410-822-1244 [email protected]
Jenny Rhodes 410-758-0166 [email protected]
Victoria Corcoran [email protected]
2014 WIA Regional Conference
13th Annual WIA Regional Conference will
be on FEBRUARY 20, 2014 in Dover , DE
SAVE THE DATE!
Do you have an upcoming event at your
Farm or Small Business?
Please email the information to
[email protected] so that we can let others
know!
Follow us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/MidAtlanticWomenInAgriculture
THE MARYLAND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
PRESENTS
“How to Write a Nutrient Management Plan
COURSE DESCRIPTION
People new to the plan-writing process will benefit from this
course. Participants will learn how to write a nutrient
management plan from beginning to end and how to use the
nutrient management planning software, NuMan Pro.
Participants will not come out of this training with a finished
nutrient management plan; rather, they’ll have a better
understanding of the process and inputs needed to create a
plan. This program will award 6 Maryland Nutrient
Management continuing education credits.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Anyone who has recently attained Nutrient Management
Certification or who is interested in learning more about the
plan-writing process in order to be a better-informed
consumer of plan-writing services.
DATE & LOCATION
Friday, September 20, 2013
9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Wye Research & Education Center
124 Wye Narrows Dr
Queenstown, MD 21658 - Directions phone 410-827-8056
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Montgomery County Cooperative Extension
18410 Muncaster Rd
Derwood, MD 20855 - Directions phone 301-590-9638
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Call 410-841-5959.
