Lower Shore Agronomy Day exposes farmers to new technology, research advancements

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The University of Maryland Extension’s Lower Shore Agronomy Day event had a goal to educate local farmers on advancements in the industry and connect with industry professionals.

“It’s an opportunity for specialists and others that work for the university to give updates on the latest research they’re doing in agriculture and what farmers may want to be aware of to help their operations,” Agriculture Agent, UMD Extension Agriculture Agent Sarah Hirsh said.

Extension personnel said the event brought out more than 150 farmers and agriculture service providers as topics from soil health, weed control, and crop management were up for discussion. “Farming is a business, so it’s always a challenge to make that business viable. Inputs are expensive and have been more expensive in recent years. So, the big push is trying to be efficient,” Hirsh said.

Speakers dove into one of the biggest challenges facing farmers here on the Eastern Shore which is water management. “We want to make sure how we can adopt these kinds of technologies specifically in combination of both irrigation as well as drainage,” UMD Extension Precision Agriculture Specialist Hemendra Kumar said. “It also brings up the problem of saltwater intrusion. We want to be sure that if the water is being applied on top, how we are going address what’s happening below the ground.”

Looking at priorities for the state, Hirsh said there’s also a big emphasis on conservation due to the Chesapeake Bay. “So, trying to keep our nutrients on the farm and efficient technologies with that,” Hirsh said.

Farmers who apply pesticides and nutrients on their fields had the opportunity to receive continuing education credits to maintain their licenses or other vouchers for operations.

For those who weren’t able to make it out Friday, Extension officials told us they have a variety of resources available year-round.

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