For the second year in a row, the Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro Ecology, based in Queenstown College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland will be hosting Nuffield Scholars from Australia.

This year, from June 18 through June 20, the traveling farm scholars will be visiting Southern Maryland to learn about the farming techniques and to understand the agricultural situation of our area. After June 20, the scholars will be on their way to other locations across the United States.

Hosting the Nuffield group locally will be Sarah Taylor-Rogers. In an exclusive interview with The Bay Net, Rogers described the program, its benefits, goals and objectives.

Rogers explained that the best farmers in Australia are selected for the yearlong study and tour of the world’s agricultural industry. “They each have areas that pertain to their specific type of agricultural needs and come to learn how others work on similar problems,” Rogers said.

She went on to explain that the Nuffield Scholars come to learn, but also provide helpful insight during their stay.

One such helping-hand came in the form of teaching Maryland farmers, in this case on the Eastern Shore, the advantages of planting cover crops. Rogers explained that when fields are harvested, without cover crops, the soil leaches away and nutrients are lost, which may cause a reduction in crop production in the future.

Planting a cover crop such as winter wheat, barley or other grains allows the soil to maintain or replace lost nutrients and keeps soil from eroding. “There is much we can learn from each other,” stated Rogers.

The Harry R. Hughes Center exists to promote the ecological viability of farms and forests. Rogers explained that with developers taking up more and more land once dedicated to agriculture, that there a real danger that in the future it may be difficult to sustain viable farming operations.

The Harry R. Hughes Center exists to ensure that does not happen. By cooperating internationally, there are hopes that solutions which work in one area may be adapted locally to solve problems. The Nuffield Scholars are Australia’s best at what they do and may very well provide some insight; local farmers need to continue viable farming operations.