First Frederick County Farm Enrolled in State Agricultural Certainty Program

ROCKY RIDGE, MD – Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Joe Bartenfelder today recognized Ron and Bonnie Albaugh as the first farm to be certified by the Maryland Department of Agriculture for the Agricultural Certainty Program in Frederick County and only the second in the state.

“Maryland is one of only nine states that either have a certainty program or are developing one,” said Secretary Bartenfelder. “Certainty programs reward the conservation efforts that farmers have already made to protect water quality. Maryland farmers should be proud that they are recognized as leaders in protecting the environment not only in the Bay watershed, but across the country.”

The Albaughs run Peace and Plenty Farm, which has been in their family since 1959. They grow about 70-acres of soybean, small grain and hay in central Frederick County. The farm serves as an educational site for high school and college agricultural and environmental students. Ron is an adjunct instructor of biology and environmental science at Hood College. To maximize water and air quality, soil conservation, and wildlife habitat, the Albaughs use many best management practices on their farm, including: cover crops, critical area planting, riparian buffers in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), diversions, grassed waterways, stream protection, contour farming, conservation tillage, crop residue management, crop rotation, nutrient management, and Integrated Pest Management. The Albaughs have established a two acre pollinator habitat, which has been the site for several Hood College research projects focusing on the impact of pollinators on soybean yield and another on increasing insect diversity. The farm is also certified through the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program.

The voluntary Agricultural Certainty Program allows participating farmers to conduct business in a predictable regulatory setting while providing assurance that agricultural pollution controls are being implemented. The program, created by the Maryland General Assembly in 2013, gives Maryland farmers a 10-year exemption from new environmental laws and regulations in return for installing best management practices that meet State or Chesapeake Bay Total Daily Maximum Load (TMDL) goals ahead of schedule. The program is administered by the Maryland Department of Agriculture in coordination with the Maryland Department of the Environment. All farms that quality for the Certainty Program must address nutrient and sediment runoff on farms using a Soil Conservation and Water Quality​ Plan and a current Nutrient Management Plan.

“Our goal is to make this farm a model for sustainable agriculture and demonstrate our ability to be an exemplary Maryland conservation steward. The Agricultural Certainty Program is one more management tool that strives to control nutrient and sediment runoff while increasing water quality,” said Ron Albaugh. “It just seems like it is the right thing to do from both an economic and an environmental standpoint. I encourage farmers to go through the certification process with the confidence that the program and soil conservation district staff will be helpful and supportive throughout the entire process.”

For more information, visit http://mda.maryland.gov/resource_conservation/Pages/agricultural_certainty_program.aspx

The first farm in the state to be certified under the Agricultural Certainty Program was the Claggett Farm in Prince George’s County, owned and operated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

# # #

Photo (L-R): Maryland Department of Agriculture Resource Conservation Specialist Kenny Favorite, Frederick County Soil Conservation District Manager Denny Remsburg, Maryland Assistant Secretary of Resource Conservation Hans Schmidt, Bonnie Albaugh, Ron Albaugh, Maryland Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder, Office of the County Executive’s Margaret Nusbaum, Senator Michael Hough’s Staffer Rachel Sledge