Scholarships Awarded by Maryland Grain Producers

Matthew Fry and Julie Roop each received a $2,500 scholarship from the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board (MGPUB) during the Maryland Commodity Classic on July 27. This scholarship program has been in effect for nine years to assist students in their pursuit of a career in agriculture. “This program was started to demonstrate our commitment to education and to the agricultural industry,” said Jason Scott, president of MGPUB. “Education is a long-term investment – the young folk who attend college today will come back into our industry and help us grow and prosper. For this reason MGPUB allotted $5,000 to support two $2,500 scholarships for students enrolled in agricultural programs.”Matthew Fry, son of Ed and Marian Fry, plans to return to the family owned and operated grain and dairy operation on the Eastern Shore after he graduates from Virginia Tech with a major in dairy science. He plans on a double minor in crop and soil sciences and applied Ag economics. Matt achieved a 3.92 GPA at Kent County High School and maintains a 3.0 GPA at VPI.Julie Roop, daughter of Samuel and Mary Jane Roop, is majoring in Agricultural and Environmental Education at West Virginia University. She plans on returning to Maryland as an Ag teacher. She graduated from Catoctin High School with a GPA of 4.0 and maintains a 3.74 GPA at West Virginia. She currently serves as an intern for Maryland Farm Bureau and is involved with several other volunteer activities.“These two teenagers both have a strong agricultural interest and will be an asset to our industry in the future,” stated Scott.

Maryland Grain Producers Honor Lynne Hoot with Miller Award

Lynne Hoot is the 2006 recipient of the prestigious Dr. James R. Miller award, presented by the Maryland Grain Producers Association (MGPA) at the Maryland Commodity Classic on July 27. Established in 1988, this award recognizes a professional, non-grower for his/her contributions to the grain industry. Ms. Hoot became the first woman to be honored with this award when Secretary of Agriculture Lewis R. Riley made the presentation, citing Lynne for her untiring dedication to Maryland agriculture.Through her business, Maryland Agricultural Associates, Ms. Hoot serves as Executive Director/Administrator to six agricultural associations, the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, Maryland Grain Producers Association, Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts, Maryland Pork Producers Association, Delaware-Maryland Agribusiness Association, and Mid-Atlantic Certified Crop Advisor Program. “Lynne’s exceptional work and commitment to the Maryland grain industry, and the whole state agricultural industry, made her the ideal candidate in this year’s selection process,” stated Jason Scott, president of MGPA. “She has advanced ethanol and grain projects, worked relentlessly to improve regulatory issues with the General Assembly and state agencies, and promotes our agricultural industry continuously.”Ms. Hoot previously served as the Executive Secretary for the Maryland Agricultural Commission within the Maryland Department of Agriculture for eight years. She has a BS degree in Agriculture, which she obtained from Nottingham University in England. She and her husband Jerry, and their two children live in Edgewater. Hoot was presented a clock and will have her name engraved on a perpetual plaque housed at the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

State Checkoff Program Receives Unprecedented Support

When the votes were counted, the Maryland Grain Checkoff Program referendum passed with an unprecedented margin of 95%. While voter turn out was lower than the 2001 vote, the margin in favor of the program increased by 10%. Eligible voters are those financially engaged in the growing of grain as a landowner, tenant, or sharecropper.Under state law, a referendum is required every five years to reaffirm support for the checkoff program. The vote was held in County Extension Offices on Friday, July 28, or by previous absentee ballot, with the official counting of the two-hundred and sixty-four votes taking place on Aug. 1st at the quarterly meeting of the Maryland Grain Producers Association. “We are very pleased that Maryland’s grain producers are in such strong support of the Checkoff Program,” stated Ed Stanfield, president of the Maryland Grain Producers Association and a grain farmer from Baltimore County. “Projects funded through the checkoff program expand uses of grain and improve the market for our state’s grain industry. Farmers recognize the importance of this program and how it improves the profitability on their farm.” The mandatory checkoff states that a farmer must pay an assessment of one half of one percent (.5%) to be collected on the net value of each bushel of grain sold. The checkoff will be deducted at the first point of sale on all grain, with the exception of soybeans, which is already under a national checkoff program. Any producer who does not wish to participate in the program can get a full or partial refund upon written request.The checkoff program is administered by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilitzation Board, a twenty-member board board representing grain producers from six regions throughout the state. Funding is used for education, research and market development. The fifteen-year-old Maryland Grain Checkoff Program will now continue for another five years beginning October 1, 2006.