Cage-free egg bill cracks under pressure

A bill promoting cage-free eggs once got people excited but now it’s stuck in committee, leaving sponsors uncertain if its future is on the sunny side. 

Maryland advocates push specialty crop support, conservation for 2023 farm bill

The bill authorizes billions of dollars in a dozen areas ranging from crop price supports to forestry, with most funding set aside for nutrition programs.

Double cropping insurance expansion protects Maryland farmers

The practice of double cropping, which has been done in Maryland for years, is now automatically protected for farmers by a national insurance coverage expansion granted by the USDA.

Maryland turkey farmers have high sales and high costs

Maryland’s small turkey farmers faced higher costs this year, but Thanksgiving has allowed many to sell their entire inventory well before the holiday.

High fuel costs have led to high feed prices, according to a local farmer, leading some to raise turkey prices while others absorb the hit.

Chesapeake farmers target runoff reduction, lawmakers seek conservation funds

MIDDLETOWN, Maryland — A gaggle of excitable white turkeys gobbled and clucked in their pen at Open Book Farm on a chilly afternoon in late October. Most days, the birds roamed free in one of the farm’s pastures, scratching and…

Sponsor of bill to legalize hemp in Maryland thinks this is the year

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland — Proponents of industrial hemp say legalization of the cannabis relative offers many potential benefits, and, if a bill in the state Legislature is approved, Maryland might be part of a growing acceptance of the plant. A key…

Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay defenders hold breath, wait on Senate

WASHINGTON — If the Senate does not restore a deep, House-passed cut in federal funding to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program, the ripple effect on Maryland conservation efforts could be far larger than what the state would lose…

Threats mount against Chesapeake Bay conservation efforts

After years of steady progress for Chesapeake Bay clean-up efforts, the conservation outlook is increasingly bleak for the country’s largest estuary—and the state that depends on it most, Maryland—says bay advocates.

Scientists Probe Food, Energy, Water Solutions at World Bank Workshop

Researchers from across the globe brainstormed ways to meet future resource needs at a meeting earlier this week.

Baltimore Teams with Farmers to Help City Employees, Poor

BALTIMORE – It’s a rainy Thursday afternoon in the Abel Wolman Municipal Building downtown and boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables are being carted up to the conference room by a local farmer. Baltimore City employees line up, plastic and…