Maryland Crop Improvement Association

Maryland Crop Improvement Association (MCIA)  is a agricultural organization in Preston, Maryland. It was established in 1982 and received its exempt organization status from the IRS and now brings in $165,855 in annual income, primarily through inventory income. With this annual  income, Maryland Crop Improvement Association  is slightly larger than the average Agricultural Organization in the United States (where median income is $144,698).It is a registered tax-exempt organization with the IRS. Maryland Crop Improvement Association  is funded primarily through inventory income. The organization is highly dependent on this type of funding, as it accounts for 91% of total income. This is atypical for its peer group – Agricultural Organizations this size are generally funded through program revenue. This association collects data from many different farmers and others in the agricultural industry to learn better seed uses and methods in the Maryland area. This association has been in operation for 34 years, which makes it older than other nonprofits in the state. Maryland Crop Improvement Association has significantly larger assets when compared to other nonprofits in Maryland. Joe Crank, a senior undergraduate Agriculture Science and Technology student, was recently awarded the Dr. James R. Miller scholarship by the Maryland Crop Improvement Association.  This scholarship is given to an outstanding graduate or undergraduate student with a strong interest in crop or soil science.  Because this scholarship comes directly from the farmers and seed processors of the state of Maryland, it is considered to be a distinguished award. Seed certification in Maryland, as authorized by state law, is the responsibility of the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA). The Turf and Seed Section of MDA administers this program. Other programs within the Turf and Seed Section are the state seed laboratory, seed regulatory, turfgrass certification, turfgrass regulatory, and supervised seed mixing. Crops certified in Maryland are wheat, barley, oats and soybean. Foundation seed is grown and distributed under the direction of the Maryland Crop Improvement Association in cooperation with the University of Maryland and MDA. MCIA is responsible for collecting royalties on all varieties grown in Maryland in which a royalty has been assessed. Royalties collected on Maryland released varieties grown outside of the state should be forwarded to MCIA.