Archive for the ‘gov’t-quasi gov’t’ Category

ANNAPOLIS – Maryland producers of pasture and hay, and beekeepers can apply for the group risk protection by enrolling in the Rainfall Index Program.  Offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency, the Rainfall Index uses National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data to trigger crop insurance payments.  Crop insurance agents are searchable on the RMA Web site.

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BALTIMORE – CityBizList has the story about how Maryland’s business climate favors unions.  The state scored poorly on factors like the strength of collective bargaining agreements, compulsory union dues, binding arbitration, construction contracts favoring union wages, lack of laws requiring secret ballots for union representation, secret negotiations on contracts and lack of a right-to-work law.

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ALL OVER – Venture capitalists invested $96 million in 23 deals in Maryland during Q2, says the Dept. Business and Economic development (this included eight investments from TEDCO’s Maryland Technology Transfer and Commercialization Fund). Activity was up 60% over Q1, but down 17% on a semi-annual basis.

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ANNAPOLIS –   The Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp. and the Anne Arundel Soil Conservation District have produced the first Agriculture Harvest Guide.  The guide helps citizens locate locally grown products, area farm services and agencies, and regional farm supply dealers.

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ANNAPOLIS – Maryland has certified nearly 25% of the 600 marinas in the state as Clean Marinas, which help protect the waterways with pollution-prevention practices.

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ALL OVER – Maryland added 6,261 new jobs and $1.6 billion in capital investment in the first six months of the year, says a new report by DBED.  The numbers were tallied from 207 announced projects of which 39 were businesses new to the state and 168 were expansions of existing businesses.    A couple of highlights:

• Howard County had the most at 31 new/expanding projects (29 for Baltimore City, 25 for  Baltimore County, 24 in Montgomery and 23 in Anne Arundel)
• AA led the state with 8 new projects totaling 171 jobs.

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NORTH COUNTY – Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation has secured a grant from the Maryland Transit Administration to create in 2013 a shuttle service to link job seekers and major employment centers.  AAWDC and the BWI Business Partnership are partnering on the effort.

SOMEWHERE IN THE FIELDS – Gov. O’Malley announced record cover crop acreage this year as a way to control soil erosion on farms and reduce the amount of nutrients washing into the bay over the winter.  The Gov has approved 550,000 acres of winter grains to date in the Cover Crop Program.

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HOWARD COUNTY – The One Maryland Broadband Network has pre-qualified 62 small and minority vendors as potential contractors.  The network will help establish a single high-speed broadband network that will connect every county in the state of Maryland.

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BALTIMORE – Maryland is looking at a $1.1 billion shortfall for the fiscal year beginning July 2012, and service cuts without revenues is problematic to closing that gap. Since 2008 the state has cut $5 billion, says the Maryland Budget & Tax Policy Institute. Time for the bake sale?

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