{"id":1894,"date":"2010-07-29T15:41:58","date_gmt":"2010-07-29T15:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=1894"},"modified":"2012-10-04T18:13:14","modified_gmt":"2012-10-04T18:13:14","slug":"secretary-hance-kicks-off-farmers-market-week-during-governor-omalleys-capital-for-a-day-in-baltimore-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2010\/07\/29\/secretary-hance-kicks-off-farmers-market-week-during-governor-omalleys-capital-for-a-day-in-baltimore-city\/","title":{"rendered":"SECRETARY HANCE KICKS OFF FARMERS’ MARKET WEEK DURING GOVERNOR O’MALLEY’S CAPITAL FOR A DAY IN BALTIMORE CITY"},"content":{"rendered":"

Encourages Marylanders to Visit Local Farmers’ Markets, Tours Urban Agriculture Enterprise<\/em> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

BALTIMORE CITY, MD (July 29, 2010) \u2013 Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance today kicked off Maryland Farmers\u2019 Market Week (Aug. 1-7). Governor Martin O\u2019Malley designated this special week to encourage consumers to support Maryland agriculture and visit a farmers\u2019 market in their area.
\nAs part of Governor O\u2019Malley\u2019s Capital for a Day Celebration being held in Baltimore City the same day, Secretary Hance and Deputy Secretary Mary Ellen Setting visited the Johns Hopkins University Farmers\u2019 Market; ate lunch at Faidley\u2019s at Lexington Market, which is known for award-winning crab cakes, with an editor of Zagat Survey, which released its Washington, DC\/Baltimore Restaurant Survey this week; and toured Real Food Farm to learn more about its innovative urban agriculture enterprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaryland Farmers\u2019 Market Week is another great example of the O\u2019Malley Administration\u2019s commitment to the local food supply and the farmers and watermen who bring their products to us,\u201d said Secretary Hance.\u00a0 \u201cEvery dollar spent on local agricultural products contributes to the state\u2019s economic health, helps create jobs, keeps our land in farming, and supports a smart, green and growing future for Maryland.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maryland\u2019s farmers are now offering their freshest products at farmers\u2019 markets across the State.\u00a0 Every county in Maryland and Baltimore City boasts at least one farmers\u2019 market where consumers can buy farm-fresh, locally-grown, healthy produce, plants and baked goods while connecting directly with the farmers who grow the food. In 1991, there were only 20 markets and this year there are more than 110.\u00a0 In a telephone survey of 800 Marylanders last year, 78 percent of Marylanders said they are more likely to buy produce that is identified as having been grown by a Maryland farmer.\u00a0 In Maryland, 97 out of 117 farmers\u2019 markets are authorized to participate in WIC Farmers\u2019 Market Nutrition Program and Senior Farmers\u2019 Market Nutrition Program so that qualified women, children, and seniors have access to fresh fruits, vegetables, cut herbs, and honey (for Seniors only).<\/p>\n

\u201cFarmers\u2019 markets provide an important source of income for farmers as more and more consumers seek the freshness, quality, and wide selection of locally-grown produce,\u201d said Hance.\u00a0 \u201cThey also serve as integral links between urban, suburban and rural communities as well as community meeting places.\u00a0 By talking one-on-one with farmers, consumers can learn about fresh produce including preparation and storage tips.\u00a0 Consumers also develop a bond of trust with our growers and reap the health benefits of fresh, nutritious food.\u201d
\nDuring their visit to Real Food Farm, Secretary Hance and Deputy Secretary Setting and MDA Marketing Director Mark Powell met with farm manager and students involved in Real Food Farm, a Civic Works\u2019 innovative urban agricultural enterprise in Clifton Park, to learn about the operation and discuss possible partnerships.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> for a list of farmers\u2019 markets in Maryland, or call 410-841-5770.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Follow MDA on Twitter @MdAgDept.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Encourages Marylanders to Visit Local Farmers’ Markets, Tours Urban Agriculture Enterprise BALTIMORE CITY, MD (July 29, 2010) \u2013 Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance today kicked off Maryland Farmers\u2019 Market Week (Aug. 1-7). Governor Martin O\u2019Malley designated this special week to encourage consumers to support Maryland agriculture and visit a farmers\u2019 market in their area. As part  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1894"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1895,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1894\/revisions\/1895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}