Farm-o-gram

300-400 lbs — $237-256

400-500 lbs — $225-269

500-600 lbs — $190-246

600-700 lbs — $135-229

700-800 lbs — $145-204

800-900 lbs — $150-160

900-1,000 lbs — N/A

Heifers:

300-400 lbs — $140-190

400-500 lbs — $190-202

500-600 lbs — $155-205

600-700 lbs — $135-180

700-800 lbs — $172-175

800-900 lbs — $166-172

900-1,000 lbs — N/A

Slaughter Cattle:

Breaker, $74-88

Boner, $69-81

Lean, $54-64

Western Pa. (New Holland) cash grain and hay prices

Cash Grain Prices, per bushel (as of May 9):

No. 2 Shelled Corn — $6.45-6.60

No. 1 Soybeans — $13.54-14.04

No. 1 Wheat — $6.28-6.43

Hay and Straw Prices — New Holland, Pa., per ton (as of May 8):

Alfalfa, small square — N/A

Alfalfa, large square — $160-320

Mixed hay, small square — $300-430

Mixed hay, large square — $180-410

Orchard grass, small square — N/A

Timothy — N/A

Wheat straw, small square — $215-235

Wheat straw, large square — $160-170

Wheat straw, round — N/A

Cost-Share is available for manure transport and injection

Cost-share funding is available to help transport and inject all types of liquid manure into fields. Injecting liquid manure lowers the potential for nutrient runoff to surface waters and reduces on-farm odors.

There is funding to pay for both spring and fall-planted crops. It may be used for:

• Transporting Manure
• Hiring Custom Operators
• Rent or Lease of Equipment
• Operating Costs for Manure Injection

Cost-share grants to transport dairy and livestock manure pay up to 87.5% of all eligible costs. Eligible farmers receive up to $45 an acre in cost-share to inject liquid manure into the soil based on a maximum application rate of 6,000 gallons per acre. Rates for manure transport are based on the distance between the manure source and the field. (Please note that manure injection may not be possible in some Garrett County soils.)

Applicants must be in good standing with the program and in compliance with Maryland’s Nutrient Management regulations.

Spring manure injection and transport must be completed by June 30, 2023. Claims for payment must be received by the department’s Conservation Grants Office by July 31, 2023.

For more information and to apply, please contact our office at 301-501-5886 or sethmetheny1@maryland.gov.

MDA Small Farm Cover Crop Program announced

Maryland Department of Agriculture’s new Small Farm Cover Crop Program is now accepting applications. This new program is for small-scale producers who do not qualify for other cover crop programs.

Growers who plant 10 or less acres of cover crops can receive up to $1500 in reimbursements for cover crops planted after a production crop. Both summer and winter cover crops are eligible.

Cover crops can be planted in fields, raised beds, or high tunnels following the harvest of vegetables, herbs, flowers, sorghum, soybeans, hemp, millet, or tobacco. In order to qualify, farms need to have a minimum of $1000 in sales annually.

For more information, please go to https://garrettscd.org/smallfarmcovercrops/. Applications should be made through the Garrett Soil Conservation District, 1916 Maryland Hwy, Ste C, Mt. Lake Park, MD 21550. Phone: 301-501-5886.

Farm and Food Workers Relief Program

Farm workers and meat packers may be eligible to claim a $600 payment for their work during the COVID19 pandemic.

This $600 payment is being administered by the Pasa Sustainable Agriculture non-profit, which is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to distribute these payments through the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program. In total, eligible farm workers in 13 states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia, along with the District of Columbia, can claim this payment.

Applications for this payment opened on March 1, and will remain open until the funds for this payment are depleted.

To be eligible for this payment, a claimant must provide photo identification and proof they were employed as either a farm worker or meatpacking worker in the United States between Jan. 27, 2020, and April 11, 2023. For additional information or to apply go to the PASA website at https://farmworkers.com.