Pennsylvania farmer nearly set to display electricity, energy producer

A Northwest Pennsylvania farmer is within months if not weeks of unveiling a mechanism that converts bales of switch grass into a burnable heat source, according to The Associated Press.

Calvin Ernst of Crawford County said the wood-like pellets that are generated also can produce electricity or can absorb moisture. The 71-year-old and his son have been working on the contraption and are pleased with their progress thus far. The plan is to have the device up and running in April, when it will generate five tons of pellets per hour.

"We have like 25 different motors in this thing all trying to work together. It would be easy for something to go wrong," he told the news service.

The pellets that come from processed switch grass generate 5 percent less energy than pellets that come from wood. Yet the switch grass pellets are capable of producing two times as much energy in one year per acre.

The effort is funded by an $896,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Department. Ernst's idea has long been in the planning stages as he planted 1,000 acres of switch grass in 2007.

Dairy farmers struggle to keep up with organic milk demand

Organic dairy farmers throughout the country are running low on organic milk amid high demand for the product.

High feed and fuel prices have also contributed to the difficulties farmers have encountered when trying to meet the demand for organic milk, according to USA Today.

The news provider reports that there have been organic milk shortages before but that this time things might not rebound, in part due to a sharp jump in the prices of organic feed needed for the cows.

Molly Keveney, a spokeswoman for Horizon Organic, the top-selling organic milk brand, said that organic milk demand is expected to increase 7 percent, without a corresponding increase in production.

"The market has surged faster than supply, and at the same time we had high feed costs reduce supply, so we had a double hit here," George Siemon, the chief executive officer of Organic Valley, the country's largest cooperative of organic farmers, told the news provider.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2.7 percent of dairy cows in the U.S. are certified organic.

Pennsylvania is one of the more involved states in the mid-Atlantic region when it comes to organic farming, as there are 420 such operations in the state, according to the USDA's Economic Research Service.

Maryland to consider allowing farmers to brew beer

One Maryland farmer is hoping to try something innovative to help save his property: brewing beer.

Adam Frey says that it has been difficult to keep his family farm afloat due to competition from places like Brazil, reports CBS Baltimore. However, instead of giving up, Frey made the decision to try to convince state legislators to allow farms in Maryland to also operate micro-breweries.

The news provider reports that some lawmakers intend to introduce a bill to allow Frey and others to do just that. After all, Maryland wineries are thriving, why shouldn't it work for a brewery?

Even if the bill gets passed, Frey isn't planning to become the next Adolphus Busch, he still wants to operate his farm.

"And basically create something more than just a family farm. Give us a few extra options as far as farming goes. It's me against the global market. We need some kind of buffer in there," he told the news provider.

The Brewer's Association of Maryland - which was founded in 1996 to promote the brewing industry in the state - lists 15 members on its website.

West Virginia to help farmers with nutrient management planning

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture recently announced that it would be offering nutrient management planning services to farmers in the state free of charge.

According to a release from the department, proper nutrient management plans will not only help farmers reduce the environmental impact of nutrient runoff but will help them maximize their profitability as well.

West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass said in a release that such planning is important and that it was the job of the government to help farmers put these plans in place.

"Nutrient management planning is a vital conservation practice because it provides the framework for many other conservation activities," he said. "I have always believed that farm conservation should be a cooperative venture with government and not an enforcement action by government."

According to West Virginia University's Extension Service, there are four necessary steps that all nutrient management plans must touch on. They are: proper manure storage, correct land application of manure, site management for each particular field and record keeping regarding land practices.

The WVDA says that nutrient management plans stop excess nutrients from making their way into waterways.

Stink bugs are best dealt with in the winter

Many farmers might consider the winter to be a time of planning ahead for the next season rather than actual agricultural work. However, there are a few things farmers can attend to during the colder months to ensure a successful spring and summer.

The past few years has seen a rapid increase in the presence of a foreign pest that can be dealt with even during off-peak seasons. According to the Staunton News Leader, the Mid-Atlantic area has been experiencing a massive uptick in the number of stink bugs infesting area farms. Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania are being hit particularly hard.

One of the best things that new farmers can do to make sure that their land isn't infested once again come spring is to clear the area near their fields of Trees of Heaven. These invasive plants, also known as Ailanthus altissima or China Sumac, are native to Asia and provide a home to the stink bugs that also originate there. Reducing the number of this flora found near plots of land will go a long way toward preventing these kinds of infestations.