Maryland Celebrates National Agriculture Week March 4-10

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 2, 2012) – Did you know that most of life’s necessities – food, fiber, clothing and shelter – start with agriculture? Recognizing that agriculture is one of Maryland’s most important industries, the Maryland Department of Agriculture is celebrating National Agriculture Week March 4-10, 2012.  One-third of Maryland’s land is in farms. On those 2 million acres, farmers produce 42.5 million pounds of apples, 1.4 billion pounds of chicken, and 4 million tons of peaches among many other food products for citizens to eat.

“Maryland’s agriculture industry is vital to the long-term health of the state’s economy, environment and quality of life.  Agriculture week is a great time to recognize the hard work of our farm families and the important role they play in providing a safe and abundant food supply and protecting the environment,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. “The O’Malley Administration is committed to sustaining the beauty of our countryside, the health of our soil and water, the strength of our economy, and the safety of our food, as well as meeting the energy needs of our shared future.”

National Agriculture Week provides an opportunity to recognize the accomplishments and uniqueness of agriculture in each area of the State.  From the mountains of Western Maryland with its dairy farms, maple syrup and hay, Central Maryland with its greenhouse, fresh market vegetables, livestock and equine industries, to the Eastern Shore’s thousands of acres of corn and soybeans, poultry and nursery businesses. Maryland truly grows something for everyone.

The following list highlights seven ways Marylanders can celebrate Maryland Agriculture during National Agriculture Week:

1.    Serve a meal with local products. Ask your grocer for local products or visitMarylandsBest.net to learn where you can buy local products near you.
–    Did you know Maryland has more than 12,800 farms and more than 100 farmers’ markets with at least one in every county and Baltimore City?

2.    Plan your garden. Spring is almost here and now is the time to plan for your gardens. Maryland farmers have initiated a homeowner education campaign,  “Take it from Maryland Farmers: Backyard Actions for a Cleaner Chesapeake Bay” to help gardeners by offering gardening and backyard conservation tips and online resources. Be sure to get a soil test before fertilizing and check out the University of Maryland Extension’s Grow it Eat itwebsite.
–    Did you know that horticulture is Maryland’s second largest agricultural sector with total gross receipts from nursery and greenhouse crops and landscaping in 2007 totaling $1.96 billion?

3.    Sow a vegetable garden and repair lawns with certified seed.  Seeds are the foundation of an abundant food garden.  Be sure to test your soil quality before applying any fertilizer.  Click here for more info.
–    Did you know that MDA is responsible for ensuring the continued availability of high quality seed to Maryland’s seed consumers? Click here to learn more.

4.    Ride a horse. Sixty percent of the horses in Maryland are used for recreational purposes while 40 percent are for racing. Visit marylandhorseindustry.org  to find a riding trail or licensed stable near you.
–    Did you know there are more than 87,000 horses in Maryland and according to the American Horse Council, the Maryland horse industry has an annual economic impact of $1.6 billion?

5.    Pack a local lunch for your children. Maryland farmers grow and produce a wide variety of food including fruits, vegetables, bread, cheeses and meats for lunches and snacks that are available from farmers’ markets, grocery stores, and community supported agriculture farms (CSAs).
–    Did you know Maryland has a strong “Farm to School” program to help educate students about where their food comes from, how it is produced, and the benefits of a healthy diet as well as to expand markets for Maryland farmers? Learn more atmarylandfarmtoschool.org.

6.    Visit a winery. Touring a winery or a vineyard in the countryside, tasting some of Maryland’s fine wines, and enjoying the company of friends are wonderful ways to spend a springtime day.
–    Did you know that Maryland has five wine trails and 50 wineries that offer more than 420 different wines?  Learn more at marylandwine.com.

7.    “Meet” a farmer. By visiting Farmersfeedus.org through April 3, consumers can register for a chance to win one of four grand prizes of “Free Groceries for a Year,” a $5,000 value as part of the Farmers Feed Us sweepstakes.

Find out more about agriculture at the county level by looking at the 2007 Census of Agriculture. Visit MarylandsBest.net to find locally grown products or find out more aboutNational Ag Day.

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Facts about Maryland Agriculture:

• Agriculture is the single largest land use in Maryland with two million acres, or roughly one-third of the State’s total land area, used for farms and forests.
• There are 12,800 farms in Maryland with an average size of 160 acres.
• 94 of Maryland’s farms practice organic production.
• The poultry industry is Maryland’s leading agricultural sector, accounting for $640 million (40 percent) of farm income in 2009.  Maryland broiler production ranked eighth among states in broilers produced in 2010.  Most of the grain grown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore is used for chicken feed.
• Horticulture is Maryland’s second largest agricultural sector with total gross receipts from nursery and greenhouse crops and landscaping in 2008 totaling $1.96 billion.
• Maryland has about 54,000 dairy cows which produce about 1 billion pounds of milk each year.
• Maryland has the greatest ratio of farmland preserved to total land mass by any state in the nation.  The Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation program has permanently preserved over 279,000 acres of farmland, with land preserved in each of Maryland’s 23 counties, representing a public investment of over $588 million.

Facts about Agriculture in the United States:

• Agriculture is America’s # 1 Export
• Two out of every three bushels of corn in the world originate in the United States.
• Agricultural land provides habitat for 75 percent of the nation’s wildlife.
• More than three million people farm or ranch in the United States.
• Today’s American farmer feeds about 155 people worldwide. In 1960, that number was 26.
• Family partnerships or family corporations operate almost 99 percent of U.S. farms.
• With modern methods, one acre of land in the United States (about the size of a football field) can produce: 42,000 pounds of strawberries, 11,000 heads of lettuce, 25,400 pounds of potatoes, 8,900 pounds of sweet corn, or 640 pounds of cotton lint.
• According the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, U.S. farmers receive only 15.8 cents of every dollar consumers spend on food.
• Visit farmersfeedus.org  for more fun facts about agriculture.