Bringing State Lawmakers to the Farm

By Secretary Joe Bartenfelder

With the General Assembly Session right around the corner, state legislators are sure to get an earful from many sources about a wide range of issues. I want to make sure that when bills that impact farmers and the agricultural sector are introduced, our lawmakers understand what the impact will be. In fact, I want them to see, first hand, the impact that current regulations, good and bad, are having on farming operations.

Toward that end, I invited local, state and federal lawmakers to join me on a series of four farm tours across the state during the last two months. Thirty-one lawmakers or their staff members attended at least some of the tours. All together, we visited 16 farms in seven counties. The tours included big, medium and small operations. Those on the tour met and talked with farmers that raised poultry, cows, pigs and horses. We took a tractor tour of a nursery operation, and we walked through farms that produced grain, fruits and vegetables, and value-added agriculture. These are just a few of the more than 12,000 farms in our state that work every day to provide the food and fiber needs of our state and nation – even the world. Together, they are the backbone of our local rural economies.  

I think it is safe to say that everyone who came along not only enjoyed a first-hand look at Maryland farming but also learned more about the difficulties and challenges facing our farmers and the great successes farmers manage to have every day. They understood even more the diversity, the breadth and the critical importance of the agricultural industry to our state’s overall economic health. My only regret is that more lawmakers were not able to join us.

My thanks to all the legislators and staff members, as well as local county representatives who spent their valuable time with us.

And, of course, my deep thanks to the farms who opened their doors to our tours and showed the group how they do business and shared their thoughts about this industry, including: Bell Nurseries in Burtonsville; Boyle Brothers Seed Cleaning in Queen Anne’s; Butlers Orchard in Germantown; Ernst Grain and Livestock in Clear Spring; Lippy Brothers Inc. in Hampstead; Manor View Farm  in Monkton; Misty Meadow Creamery in Smithburg; Nagel Farm Service in Cordova; Richardson’s Farm and Market in White Marsh; Rigbie Farms in Darlington; Rinehardt Orchards in Smithburg; Ruppert Nurseries in Gaithersburg; Stoney Castle Farm in Poolesville; Thanksgiving Farms in Adamstown; Triple Creek Winery in Cordova; and Winterhawk Farm in  Greensboro.

My thanks also to MARBIDCO, Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit and Delmarva’s chicken industry for providing lunch on these tours.

For everyone else who has never been on a farm but also wants to see what they’re like, now is the best time of year to visit one. Many farms are still open for the fall with corn mazes, pumpkin picking and other events. Check out Maryland’s Best website (www.marylandsbest.net) and search for an agri-tourism farm near you.

To see some photos of the tour, visit our Flickr page.