What

1
What Why You Should Know about MDFC
2
What is MDFC?

• MDFC is the Maryland Delaware Forage Council
• It consists of
• An Executive Board that holds quarterly meetings
  and are open to all members
• The board has industry, grower, and university
  reps from both MD and DE and from the western and
  eastern shores
• The members themselves who receive a number of
  benefits

3
Member Benefits

• Membership in AFGC (American Forage and Grassland
  Council)
• Holds an annual educational/trade show meeting
  w/exciting opportunities to learn new things and
  make valuable contacts
• News, events, information comes via email to you
  as The Forage Leader
• A quarterly issue of Foraging Around from the
  Lancaster Farmer
• Periodic issues of the MDFC publication Forage
  Bits

4
Membership Benefits

• Invitation to MDFC pasture walks, tours, and
  other educational programs
• Knowledge of the latest information important to
  forage producers, marketers, and users
• A means to make/keep the importance of forages
  before the public and legislators

5
Objectives of MDFC

• To promote profitable
• Production
• Marketing
• Use of forage as the prime feed resource for
  livestock
• To act as a conduit of information to and from
  industry and public/private agencies

6
MDFC Objectives

• To encourage research and identify forage
  research topics of concern to you
• To promote forage legume use as a N source for
  hay and pasture
• To provide leadership on forage issues and
  promote the value of forages

7
Who Can Join?

• ANYONE with an interest in forage production,
  marketing, or use

8
How Expensive is it?

• Expense--15/year
• Equivalent to
• One dinner meal out
• Two or three visits alone to Micky Ds
• Ten20 oz bottles of soda
• Distribution of fee
• 5 stays in the MDFC to support programming,
  pasture walks, tours, and other events
• 10 goes to the AFGC for your membership in that
  organization

9
How Do I Join?

• Fill out a membership application from our
  brochure
• Pay the membership fee (15 annually per person)
• This also includes a membership for you in AFGC
• Send the application and check to
• MDFC ? Gabe Zepp
• Carroll Co. Economic Development
• 225 N. Center Street
• Westminster, MD 21157

10
Questions

• Contact one of the Executive Board members
  through the address in the brochure available
• Ask your county agricultural agent, your states
  university-based agronomist or forage specialist,
  or the forage specialist with the Natural
  Resource and Conservation Service (state or
  county based)

11
Concerns and Needs of Delmarva Producers

• What concerns or needs do you have that youd
  like carried back to the MDFC?