For many Marylanders, March means cheering on the Terps in the NCAA tournament or celebrating St. Patrickâs Day. For my fellow Maryland farmers, March is the start to one of the busiest times of the year â planting season.
Farmers are hard at work from sunrise to sunset, preparing their fields for this seasonâs crops. Maryland farmers are required to use nutrient management plans to guide their use of when, where and how fertilizer is applied. These plans help ensure that nutrients are being used by crops and not washed into local waterways.
Those of us who live in farm country know, and can probably smell, that farmers have begun spreading manure on their fields. Manure is an all-natural crop fertilizer and soil conditioner packed with nutrients that are essential for plant growth.