Join Us for the Statewide Rural Roundtable
The Rural Maryland Council is pleased to join with the Maryland CASH Campaign and
the State Office of Rural Health to host the
Statewide Rural Roundtable -- a one day event where rural leaders from around the state will
discuss the issues most important to rural areas and ways organizations can
collaborate. Issues to be addressed will include rural health, rural/agricultural development,
and asset building and financial education.
When: Thursday, October 22, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: Doubletree Hotel Annapolis
Registration: $55 per person
Exhibit Space: $125 (includes 6-foot skirted table, registration for one)
Register Now
New!
See a description of the workshops now being developed.
Don't have a travel budget this year? The Maryland Rural Health Association, a
501(c)3 nonprofit, is offering scholarships to those who need financial assistance.
Need not be in health care to apply. For
an application.
RMC Announces Opening of FY 2010 Rural Families Grant Program
The Rural Maryland Council is pleased to announce that it is now accepting
applications for the FY 2010 Rural Families Grant Program. Applications will be
accepted through August 7, 2009.
Since 2006, the RMC has administered the
Strengthening the Well-Being of Rural Maryland Families, a direct service
grant program, with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The overall goal
of the Rural Families program is to strengthen the economic
stability of low income rural families by helping them develop the financial
skills they need to save money and increase their knowledge and understanding of
the financial management practices that can help them overcome barriers to economic
success. For more information and application
materials.
Rural Maryland Broadband Coordination Board Elects New Chairman
(June 29, 2009) - James J. Stakem, President, Allegany County Board of
Commissioners, has been elected to a one-year term as chairman of the Maryland
Broadband Coordination Board, beginning July 1, 2009. He replaces former
Garrett County Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Charlie Ross whose term expires
June 30.
Coordination Board members are appointed by their respective organizations;
however, the chairman is elected by members of the Coordination Board. Mr. Stakem
was elected unanimously.
Established by the Maryland General Assembly in 2006, the Rural Broadband
Coordination Board is responsible for overseeing efforts to deploy broadband
infrastructure in rural and underserved areas of the state. The Board is also
responsible for reviewing and approving all disbursements from the Rural
Broadband Assistance Fund, which was also established in 2006, and contains
both state and federal funds appropriated for broadband construction. During
the last three years, the Coordination Board has been responsible for disbursing
more than $23 million in state and federal funding.
Since the Coordination Board was established, the broadband network has been
constructed throughout the Eastern Shore, from NASA's Wallops Island facility
through Salisbury, Cambridge and is now on the western side of the Bay Bridge
and moving into Southern Maryland. Plans are to build out the network into
western Maryland as soon as adequate appropriations are available.
The Rural Maryland Council staffs the Broadband Coordination Board.
Rural Maryland Council Announces Annual Meeting
(June 5) The Rural Maryland Council will hold its Annual Meeting on October 21 in
Annapolis - the day before the
Statewide Rural Roundtable.
The purpose of the meeting is to elect Board members and Board officers to
serve on the Executive Board for the next year.
All elected positions are for one year and start on January 1. There are no term limits.
A Nominating Committee is being established. If you are interested in serving
on the RMC Board or attending the Annual Meeting, please email us at:
rmc@mda.state.md.us.
Board Seats: The following board seats are elected by the RMC general membership.
(Note that the people who fill one of the first seven seats listed below must
live or work in the counties listed.)
- Board member representing District 1 (Garrett, Allegany and Washington Counties)
- Board member representing District 2 (Frederick, Carroll and Harford Counties)
- Board member representing District 3 (Charles, Calvert and St. Mary's Counties)
- Board member representing District 4 (Cecil, Kent and Queen Anne's Counties)
- Board member representing District 5 (Caroline, Dorchester and Talbot Counties)
- Board member representing District 6 (Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset Counties)
- Board member representing District 7 (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's Counties).
- Board member representing Nonprofit Organizations
- Board member representing For Profit Organizations
- Board member representing the State At-Large
Board Leadership: RMC Officers are elected by the general membership
to serve for one year, beginning January 1. Officers are:
- Chairman - Must be someone who has served on the Executive Board for at least one year;
- Vice Chairman
- First Vice Chairman
The following Board members are elected by the Executive Board.
- Three or more representatives of federal agencies, including the USDA State Director
- The president of the Rural Maryland Foundation
- One or two additional people who bring significant experience or skills to the work of the council
- Four members to the Board of Trustees of the Rural Maryland Foundation.
Note: the RMC Chair and the RMC Executive Director are ex-officio, non-voting
members of the Foundation Board and are not among the four the RMC Board elects)
MDA Announces Speciality Crop Grant Program
Application Deadline is July 10
The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced a new grant program
to fund projects that solely enhances the competitiveness of specialty crops.
The USDA defines speciality crops as fruits,
vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops.
For a comprehensive list of
eligible specialty crops.
MDA has set up a competitive grant process to award these federal funds in 2009.
The Department will be administering funds totaling $500,623 for the development
of projects that will benefit Maryland's existing specialty crop producers. MDA
intends to fund projects that can produce the highest degree of measurable benefits
to Maryland specialty crop producers in relation to each dollar spent. Grants
will be issued from $25,000 to $200,000 per project in Maryland.
Eligible applicants are non-profit organizations, government
entities, for-profit organizations and universities. Eligible projects are those that aim to
promote or enhance the production of and access to Maryland specialty crops.
Applicants must reside or their business or educational affiliation must be in
Maryland.
Electronic grant applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on July 10, 2009.
Paper applications must be postmarked by July 10, 2009. MDA will conduct a
conference call on June 10 to review programs details. For questions about the
grant application, to register for the conference call, or to download the application, visit
www.mda.state.md.us/pdf/specialtycrop.pdf or contact
Karen Fedor at
FedorKM@mda.state.md.us or 410-841-5773. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program was established by the 2008 Farm Bill.
Limited MAERDAF Grants Available
The Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development
Assistance Fund (MAERDAF), administered by the Rural Maryland Council, has a
very limited number of grants available in FY 2010. Applications are now
being accepted. The deadline for applying has been extended to July 6.
For more information.
RMC To Help Prevent Medicare Fraud in Rural Areas
The Rural Maryland Council is pleased to be partnering with the
Maryland
Department of Aging to expand the Senior Medicare Patrol program into six rural
counties that do not currently have one. Those counties are Garrett, Allegany,
Washington, Calvert, Charles and Cecil. The SMP helps Medicare and Medicaid
clients learn how to recognize and report health care fraud, waste, abuse, or
error. The RMC's partnership with SMP is also working to develop innovative
methods to reach isolated rural populations and finding models that work and
can be replicated in rural areas across the county.
Read more about Maryland SMP
Take it from Maryland Farmers - Backyard Actions for a Cleaner Chesapeake Bay
Visit
"I Want Maryland's Best" for a series of fact sheets that highlight
various conservation measures that farmers use to produce healthy crops and
protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
Homeowners can apply these same conservation measures to home, lawn, and
garden projects. Working together, we can make a difference for the Bay.
Special RMC Programs
The Mission of the Rural Maryland Council is to build a bright future for Rural Maryland
by helping to address its unique concerns. The RMC works towards achieving effective solutions
by bringing together a diverse partnership of federal, state, and local government officials and
representatives from the private nonprofit and for-profit sectors to form a strong collective
voice dedicated to addressing the critical issues facing Rural Marylanders. The success of the
RMC depends on the strength of its Executive Board, membership and Working Committees. Our
general membership includes several hundred people -- each of whom brings a unique perspective,
background, knowledge, and skill set to the table. Any Maryland citizen is eligible to become a
member of the RMC. There is no fee for joining, just fill out an application form, mail or fax
it back to us and we'll be in touch. Click here for a Membership Application.
Read More About Us
