UMES Extension & 4-H

10/09/2026

UPDATE: The deadline for ticket sales has been extended to Friday, Oct. 16! 🎉

The 23rd Small Farm Conference by University of Maryland Eastern Shore Extension will focus on enhancing small farm profitability.

10/08/2026

Ticket sales for the annual UMES Extension Small Farm Conference end tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 9. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn about non-traditional agriculture, farm business management, ag research and human health, all focused on small farms:

The 23rd Small Farm Conference by University of Maryland Eastern Shore Extension will focus on enhancing small farm profitability.

10/08/2026

Check out this amazing agritourism opportunity!

Thinking about hosting guests on your farm or ranch? There's funding to help you start. 🌾

Airbnb and American Farmland Trust have launched the Farm to Stay Grant Program. It offers $250,000 in total for farmers and ranchers who want to start or grow agritourism.

▪️ Awards of $5,000 to $10,000 per farm or ranch
▪️ About 25 to 30 grants
▪️ Funds can cover property renovations, getting ready for overnight guests, or launching farm tours, farm-to-table dinners and hands-on workshops
▪️ Applications open in late November 2026

Timing matters. AFT will accept about 350 applications and review them in the order they come in. Start gathering your information now so you're ready when applications open.

There are two free webinars on the application process. You need to register:
📅 Wednesday, October 14 | 5:00 p.m. ET
📅 Friday, November 13 | 12:00 p.m. ET

A farm stay can bring in extra income. It also lets guests walk the pasture, meet the herd and see what grassfed really means.

Learn more and register: farmland.org/farm-to-stay

Know a producer who'd be a good fit? Share this with them.

10/07/2026

🌽Join us at the Borlaug Dialogue : “Addressing Global Hunger and Food Security: A Time to Adopt New Paradigms" - exploring existing approaches to solving food security and identifying critical gaps.

📅 Wednesday, October 21 | 7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
📍 Iowa Events Center Rooms 319 and 320
🎟️ Register here: https://bit.ly/4jkwFzy
💼 Hosted by: 1890 Universities Center of Excellence for Global Food Security and Defense and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore

10/07/2026

Eighty-seven varieties of dahlias were on display, Oct. 3 and 4 at University of Maryland Eastern Shore's First Dahlia Cut Flower Show. The event included a kids' flower vase competition and hayride.

10/01/2026

It's not too late to learn about pasture-raised poultry! UMES Extension is offering a free tour for farmers who want to learn more about this alternative system of growing broiler chickens on Oct. 20. Register at https://wwwcp.umes.edu/extension/calendar_event/pasture-poultry-twilight-tour/
📷 by Todd Dudek, UMES Ag Comms

09/30/2026

Just for our followers, here's a little sneak peek at the schedule for our upcoming Maryland Agritourism Conference. Learn more and register at https://www.umes.edu/extension/community/agritourism-conference/

09/29/2026

Check out the webinar tonight @ 7 PM bit.ly/4yZn8CB

If you are a farm employer with even one W-2 worker, you will soon be required to provide employees family & medical leave under the state's new FAMLI Program.

We are hosting two information sessions about what this new law means for farmers and ask questions:

💻 Webinar: Tuesday, Sept. 29th @ 7 PM bit.ly/4yZn8CB
📝 In-Person: Monday, Oct. 5th @ 2 PM in Annapolis bit.ly/3VUpPXL

09/29/2026

Come see 87 varieties of dahlias from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3, and 10 a.m.-noon on Sunday, Oct. 4 at UMES' First Dahlia Cut Flower Show! The event includes a kids' flower vase competition on Saturday. Kids should bring their own vases. The flower field is located on College Backbone Road near Tom Nichols Road: https://ow.ly/CPyA50ZRxyH

09/27/2026

UMES Extension is gearing up for the Maryland Agritourism Conference, and if you are a farmer or rancher, we don't want the cost of a ticket to be a barrier for you to join us. A limited number of scholarships are available to cover the registration fee, farm tour, hotel, mileage and meals. Learn more and apply by Oct. 5 at https://ow.ly/3oTp50ZRwlG