Governor O’Malley Appoints New Members to Maryland Agriculture Commission

Note: When this release was first distributed, the members representing organic and vegetable industries were accidentally transposed. The information below is correct.

ANNAPOLIS, MD –  Governor Martin O’Malley has appointed eight new members and re-appointed six members to the Maryland Agricultural Commission, an advisory body comprised of representatives from different commodity groups who provide the Agriculture Secretary with information and recommendations on policies and issues facing the agriculture industry. Members serve three-year terms and are eligible to serve two consecutive terms.

There are currently 30 members of the commission, representing: poultry, dairy, livestock, nursery, horticulture, field crops, vegetables, veterinary medicine, Maryland State Grange, Maryland Farm Bureau, at large agriculture services, agri-business, turf, equine, consumers, organic farming, direct farm marketing, viticulture, agriculture education, tobacco, forestry, aquaculture, food processing, biofuels and agri-tourism as well as the University System of Maryland.

Newly appointed members are:

• Representing the biofuel industry is David Burrier, the owner and operator of Linganore Farm, a 1,200 acre corn, soybean, wheat and hay farm in Frederick County. Burrier is the current chairman of the Southern States Cooperative Board of Directors and a board member of the Mid-Atlantic Soybean Association. He has been a member of the Frederick County Farm Bureau since 1976, serving as a board member between 1981 and 1984.   

• Representing the consumer interest is Kimberly Manuelides of Baltimore County, a partner and seasoned litigator at Saul Ewing LLP. She is the co-chair of the Maryland State Bar Association Special Committee on Agriculture Law. In keeping with her extensive livestock background before law school, Manuelides is a member of the firm’s Agriculture and Food Law Working Group. Her work with this group includes assisting producers and agri-businesses in connection with general business law issues, regulatory and administrative oversight and compliance issues, land use, veterinary practice management issues, and organic food marketing and regulation.  

• Representing the dairy industry is Timothy Bishton, a third generation dairy farmer from Kent County. Bishton works on his family farm, Lepter Farms, Inc., in Kennedyville. The family farms 700 acres and milks 250 cows. A few years ago the farm was recognized for their environmental practices with the Soil Conservation Service’s Cooperator of the Year Award. Lepter Farms has also received quality milk awards from Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers. Bishton is a Kent County Farm Bureau board member as well as a member of the American Agricultural Law Association and Alpha Gamma Rho Alumni Association.  

• Representing the direct farm marketing industry is Katherine Mason Kraszewski from Queen Anne’s County, the owner and operator of Mason Farms Produce in Centerville. She oversees all aspects of the business including the management of 15 acres of fresh market vegetables, grown in the field and in high tunnels. Prior to returning home to manage Mason Farms Produce, Kraszewski was a marketing specialist at the Maryland Department of Agriculture.   

• Representing the food processing industry is Cheryl DeBerry, a natural resources business specialist in the Garrett County Economic Development Office. She is the marketing manager and general laborer of DeBerry Farm Fresh Produce. Ms. DeBerry holds many leadership positions including her current appointment to the Governor’s Intergovernmental Commission for Agriculture, Tucker Community Foundation board member, Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area Advisory Board of Directors, Maryland Farmers Marketing Association Advisory Committee, and Maryland Agriculture Marketing Professionals. She is also a member of Future Harvest, LEAD Maryland Alumni, Mountain Fresh Producers Association and Morgantown Farmers Market Grower’s Association. 

• Representing the livestock industry is William (Bill) Edwards, the owner and operator of S.B. Farms in Dorchester County. Half of the farm is dedicated to a bison livestock operation and the other half to commodity crop and hay operation. The bison produced from the cow-calf operation are raised to maturity and sold to other producers or harvested and sold through their retail meat sales business. Edwards was a founding member of the Chesapeake Bay – Choptank Tributary Strategy Team and holds memberships in many agricultural organizations. He has held leadership roles in the Maryland Farm Bureau, the Dorchester County Farm Bureau, the National Bison Association, the Eastern Bison Association, and the Eastern States Bison Co-op.    

• Representing the vegetable industry is Alison Howard, co-owner of Homestead Farms, a first generation 77 acre organic, community supported, family farm in Queen Anne’s County. The Howard family is passionate about growing certified organic food with a commitment to sustainability, organic farming, public outreach and education. Howard holds memberships in many agriculture organizations including the Maryland Horse Council, the Chester River Association, Master of Foxhound Association, Friends of Penmarydel Foxhound and the United States Pony Club.  Prior to launching Homestead Farms, she worked for Queen Anne’s County Soil Conversation District for the 12 years and as a herdsman for Horizon Organic Dairy. 

• Representing the organic industry is Marian Fry of Kent County who has been a partner in Fair Hill Farms, Inc. since 2007 and is the current bookkeeper and agri-tourism director for Maryland Sunrise Farm in Gambrills. Maryland Sunrise Farm has 570 acres in production agriculture. The farm raises vegetable, Angus beef, hay and grain crops. In 2012, the Fry Family was inducted into the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame. Together, Edwin and Marian were the northwest recipients of the 2006 Patrick Madden Award for Sustainable Agriculture and the Chester Riverkeeper’s Award for practices contributing to cleaner water for the Chester River.In addition, Marian took the lead in restoring a house built on the Fair Hill farm in 1760 and which is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Fry is a member of the Kent County Farm Bureau and is a life member of the University of Maryland Alumni Association.   

In addition to the new appointments, six commissioners were reappointed to their post representing. They are listed below.  

• Representing the aquaculture industry is Talmage Petty, owner and operator of Hollywood Oyster Company in St. Mary’s County.  . 

• Representing the equine industry is John William (Bill) Boniface of Harford County, the partner and general manger of family owned and operated Bonita Farm since 1963.  Bonita Farms is a 400 acre Thoroughbred Horse Breeding and Training operation in Darlington.  

• Representing the Farm Bureau is Milly B Welsh of Anne Arundel County. She owns and operates Rover’s Content in Prince George’s County, a 97-acre farm developed and managed for the training and trialing of hunting and field trial dogs. She also owns and operates Graden, a 20-acre horse farm in Anne Arundel County.  

• Representing the Grange is Paul Stull, a resident of Frederick County and member of the Maryland State Grange. Stull served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1995 to 2011 where he was a member of the Environmental Matters Committee, the Maryland Rural Caucus, and subcommittee on Program Open Space and Agricultural Land Preservation and many other agriculture focused committees and subcommittees.  

• Representing the nursery industry is Marion Mullan who, along with her husband Robert Mullan, founded Mullan Nursery Company in 1983 which provides residential and commercial landscaping, maintenance  and design.    

• Representing the poultry industry is Charles Carpenter of Somerset County who is the director of hatcheries and primary breeders for Perdue Farms, where he oversees the continuous improvement of Perdue’s proprietary breed of chicken and for the breeder operations and hatcheries that provide chicks to the farms that raise Perdue chickens.  He is currently the Vice Chair for the Maryland Agricultural Commission.

For a complete listing of Commission members see: http://mda.maryland.gov/about_mda/Pages/md-ag-commission.aspx

For more information about the Maryland Agriculture Commission, contact Jessica Armacost at MDA at 443-883-0217 or by email at Jessica.Armacost@maryland.gov

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