NEWS RELEASE www.mda.maryland.gov
Office of the Secretary 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Changes to Lawn Fertilizer Law to take Effect October
Annapolis, MD—(September 14, 2018) The Maryland Department of Agriculture has announced that new regulations regarding the use of fertilizer products will take effect October 1, 2018 as a result of changes made to Maryland’s Lawn Fertilizer Law during the 2018 session of the Maryland General Assembly. The changes make the regulations regarding organic fertilizer products consistent with those for synthetic products. Additionally, they give professional fertilizer applicators more choices in the products they can use. Specifically, the new law:
· Allows lawn care professionals to apply up to 0.5 pound of soluble or insoluble nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. from November 15 through December 1. Currently only soluble nitrogen is allowed during this time period.
· Removes the requirement that organic fertilizer products be “low phosphate.” The change allows these products to be applied according to University of Maryland recommendations and soil test results.
The Fertilizer Use Act of 2011—also known as Maryland’s Lawn Fertilizer Law—authorizes the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Management Program to regulate the use of fertilizer on turf not used for agricultural purposes. It requires both homeowners and lawn care professionals to follow University of Maryland fertilizer recommendations and use best management practices when fertilizing lawns. In addition, the law requires lawn care professionals to be licensed and certified by the Maryland Department of Agriculture to apply fertilizer to the properties they manage. The department maintains a list of certified lawn care professionals along with additional information on Maryland’s Lawn Fertilizer Law on its website at www.mda.maryland.gov/fertilizer.
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Updated for 2018
TT-77 Recommended Turf Cultivars For Certified Sod Production And Seed Mixtures in Maryland 2018.pdf
Dear Turfgrass Field Professionals,
We need you! To educate legislators on durable grass fields and funding for grass fields - to tell them that GRASS CAN TAKE IT!
Please consider writing testimony and perhaps testifying in person March 7. Either way- If you want Senator Manno’s office to make and deliver the required 30 copies for you please see instructions below and email the testimony to roger.manno@senate.state.md.us no later than NOON on March 5th. Please also cc michelskm2016@gmail.com shpfc.contact@gmail.com and sheldon.fishman@gmail.com
(and just a warning- as soon as you talk about $50,000 per year or more for maintenance they jump on it as "grass can’t take it" because the high cost of grass maintenance vs quoted $10,000 for synturf which needs more maintenance to be safe but often doesn’t get that maintenance or testing
HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP
WE NEED TO ADD GRASS and GRASS BUSINESS INFO to our message. Please recommend additional references and language)
Who will be resubmitting/ submitting written testimony by March 5 (see instructions below)?
WE NEED to add more athletes, coaches, GRASS INDUSTRY/ BUSINESS EXPERTS and PARENTS who will be able to testify March 7 for the Senate Bill 1 pm
PLEASE WRITE and PLEASE INVITE OTHERS TO WRITE -In just ten minutes, you can make a HUGE difference to protect both children and the environment from hazardous materials on sports fields and playgrounds. Please provide Testimony on: SB0763: "Use of Public Funds - Playground and Athletic Field Surfaces - Preferences and Prohibitions" On March 7th, at 1 PM. SB 0763 will be presented in the Maryland State Senate. http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?pid=billpage&stab=01&id=sb0763&tab=subject3&ys=2018RS “Establishing a preference for the use of state-of-the-art natural surface materials in any projects to construct playgrounds or athletic fields using public funds; prohibiting the use of State funds to finance any portion of a project to build a new, or replace an existing, playground or athletic field with a synthetic surface; and providing for the prospective application of the Act.” Some background: If you want to do some more research or want more information please see: Www.safehealthyplayingfields.org ; Www.ehhi.org; Www.synturf.org
By the end of 2018 at least 100 million pounds of plastic and tire waste will have entered air water and landfills from disposal of synthetic turf fields. An equivalent amount of petroleum-based plastic will be used to create new fields. Children face unique risks from toxins, heat, hardness and abrasions playing on plastic fields (with any kind of infill) or playgrounds made from tires. Infection due to abrasions is one major risk). For a good overview about the health hazards see: http://www.center4research.org/nchr-letter-dc-city-council-artificial-turf/. Here are some basic background documents: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YVdM6ddWmm117NRhnTWVOyifaz0A0NUl Instructions on how to submit your testimonial:
Testimony Letter Format Click Here
MTC Board of Directors Needed
Please send all information and / or have any further questions to: Vernon Cooper at Execdir@mdturfcouncil.com or 410-745-9643.
Court strikes down Montgomery County’s ban on lawn pesticides
By Rachel Chason August 3
Original Article by The Washington Post
A Montgomery Circuit Court judge on Thursday overturned the county’s ban on the use of cosmetic pesticides on lawns, dealing a major setback to environmental advocates who argued that chemicals in the products are unsafe.
Judge Terrence McGann said that the law — the first of its kind for a major locality in the region — would conflict with federal and Maryland state regulations that allow the use of the pesticides. The case was just one example of Maryland counties’ “insatiable appetite to tamper with existing state laws,” McGann said.
Counties have also “tried to hijack a portion of the existing field of law” in areas including tobacco, guns and minimum wage, he said.
The law, passed by a divided County Council in 2015, was to take effect in 2018. It bans pesticides that have been approved by the federal government but contain chemicals that some studies say may cause cancer. The law exempts agricultural land, gardens and golf courses, and does not prohibit the sale of lawn pesticides in the county.
A provision of the bill eliminating the use of herbicides and pesticides on certain county properties, which was not part of the lawsuit filed by a group of homeowners and pesticide companies, took effect in July.
Council member George Leventhal (D-At Large), the bill’s chief sponsor and a candidate for county executive in 2018, said he was “very disappointed” by McGann’s ruling, which he said “sets a worrisome precedent for the ability of local governments to protect their residents on vital issues of health and safety.”
The county has 30 days to appeal McGann’s ruling.
Timothy Maloney, an attorney for the plaintiffs, including Scotts Co., a major manufacturer of lawn-care products, called the ruling a “significant victory for consumer safety.”
If the ban had been upheld, he said, it would have set a legal precedent for the 187 jurisdictions in Maryland to have their own regulatory systems for pesticides.
“There would have been total chaos and confusion in the marketplace,” he said.
McGann said the desire to “avoid confusion from diverse requirements” that could endanger public health is the reason that the state legislature adopted pesticide rules that work with federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations. The Montgomery County ordinance, he said, would disrupt the uniformity established by the legislature.
But environmentalists who support the ban say federal regulations are inadequate — especially now that the EPA under President Trump is rolling back some Obama-era regulations.
“Look at the EPA right now: It is a weak institution,” said Julie Taddeo, an environmental activist and leader of Safe Grow Montgomery who was in court for the ruling. “It’s not doing enough to protect our kids.”
She accused McGann — who frequently makes jokes from the bench and on Thursday quipped that pesticide label-reading was a “cure for insomnia” — of not taking activists’ concerns seriously.
Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner (D), who also is running for county executive, said he has asked the county attorney to advise the council on whether to appeal the decision and on other possible legal options for reducing residents’ exposure to chemicals.
“With federal safeguards in the areas of public health and environmental protection dwindling, I believe that it is more important than ever for county government to work to protect the health and safety of its residents and our environment,” Berliner said in a statement.
Maloney scoffed at an appeal as “a tremendous waste of taxpayer dollars.” Trump’s election, he said, does not change the “well-established findings and protocols on pesticides” that exist across the United States.
Membership Drive at Camden Yards on St. Patrick's Day! When March 17, 2017 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM Tickets $0.00 Members $25 Non-Members Directions Camden Yards 333 W Camden St. Baltimore, MD 21201 REGISTRATION TO CLOSE END OF BUSINESS TODAY 3/13/17. Don't miss out! MASTMA brings you the luck of the Irish next week on St. Patrick’s Day in the heart of Baltimore City. Check out our speakers: Ryan Bjorn, Maryland SoccerPlex, MASTMA President Ryan will discuss the progress of the newly formed MASTMA, introduce you to the Board of Directors, highlight member benefits, and give you a sneak peek into what MASTMA has to offer its members in 2017. Dr. Joseph Roberts, University of College Park, MASTMA Board Member Dr. Roberts will provide a brief overview of turf microbiology as it pertains to turfgrass health, discuss current industry trends that have a significant impact on altering soil microflora, and gain insight from the audience on future directions for useful turfgrass research projects. Nicole McFadyen, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, MASTMA Secretary Nicole will discuss the challenges with the unique surface at Oriole Park and the factors that contributed to the decision to install a new playing surface in December. She will provide an on-field equipment demonstration and give us a “behind the scenes” tour of this iconic facility. This amazing morning closes with lunch, networking, and Q&A session with these esteemed turf industry professionals. This is your opportunity to learn from the best! Join your MASTMA friends after the event for green beer. You don’t want to miss this unique opportunity at Camden Yards on St. Patrick's Day. We hope you can join us! Register Now Cost of admission is FREE to members! Complete yourmember application online now. Don’t forget to return to the event page to register. Not ready to join? No problem! Come check us out for a nominal $25 event registration fee.
March 17, 2017 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM
$0.00 Members
$25 Non-Members
Camden Yards 333 W Camden St. Baltimore, MD 21201
Check out our speakers:
Ryan Bjorn, Maryland SoccerPlex, MASTMA President
Ryan will discuss the progress of the newly formed MASTMA, introduce you to the Board of Directors, highlight member benefits, and give you a sneak peek into what MASTMA has to offer its members in 2017.
Dr. Joseph Roberts, University of College Park, MASTMA Board Member
Dr. Roberts will provide a brief overview of turf microbiology as it pertains to turfgrass health, discuss current industry trends that have a significant impact on altering soil microflora, and gain insight from the audience on future directions for useful turfgrass research projects.
Nicole McFadyen, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, MASTMA Secretary
Nicole will discuss the challenges with the unique surface at Oriole Park and the factors that contributed to the decision to install a new playing surface in December. She will provide an on-field equipment demonstration and give us a “behind the scenes” tour of this iconic facility.
This amazing morning closes with lunch, networking, and Q&A session with these esteemed turf industry professionals. This is your opportunity to learn from the best! Join your MASTMA friends after the event for green beer.
You don’t want to miss this unique opportunity at Camden Yards on St. Patrick's Day. We hope you can join us!
Cost of admission is FREE to members! Complete yourmember application online now. Don’t forget to return to the event page to register.
Not ready to join? No problem! Come check us out for a nominal $25 event registration fee.
January 30th-February 2nd
-FREE Pesticide and Professional Fertilizer Re-Certification to active MTC members.
For full program, directions, and more information please go to:
www.Turfconference.org
Preview YouTube video Turkey Bowl 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXhanyQc4Q0&authuser=0
The Maryland Turfgrass Council P.O. Box 389, St. Michaels, MD 21663 Phone: (443) 742-6618
