{"id":25263,"date":"2021-03-22T09:47:01","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T13:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/?p=25263"},"modified":"2021-03-22T09:47:27","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T13:47:27","slug":"governor-hogan-announces-maryland-agriculture-week-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/press-release\/2021\/03\/22\/governor-hogan-announces-maryland-agriculture-week-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor Hogan Announces Maryland Agriculture Week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/a>10 Ways to Celebrate Maryland Agriculture<\/i><\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n

ANNAPOLIS, MD <\/b>\u2013 Governor Larry Hogan has declared March 21-27, \u201cMaryland Agriculture Week,\u201d highlighting the important work that goes into producing food and fiber for people throughout Maryland and beyond. This week-long celebration coincides with <\/span>National Ag Day<\/span><\/a> on March 23. <\/span><\/h4>\n

\u201cAgriculture is a leading contributor to the state\u2019s economy, environment and quality of life,\u201d said Governor Hogan. \u201cMaryland agriculture has worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that our food supply chain remains intact, and has gone above and beyond to provide safe, reliable access to fresh, local food products.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The past year has been a stark reminder of how important agriculture is to our daily lives. Despite the challenges of a global pandemic, Maryland agriculture has largely been able to adapt and ensure continuity of production. While this has been a tough year for all industries, agriculture has shown great resilience and ingenuity in its efforts to remain open as safely as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Agriculture is one of Maryland\u2019s top industries with an <\/span>economic impact<\/span><\/a> of $19.6 billion and 83,000 jobs across the state. The state is home to 12,429 farms on nearly 2 million acres of land. The average farm size in Maryland is 160 acres and 96% of the farms across the state are family owned. Maryland\u2019s top agricultural commodities are poultry; grain; nursery and greenhouse production; dairy; and fruits and vegetables.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis year more than ever, Maryland farmers have played a critical role in keeping food on our plates through unprecedented challenges,\u201d said Secretary Joe Baretnfelder. \u201cMaryland Agriculture Week is a great time to reflect and express appreciation for the commitment of the hard working men and women that continue to work the fields, tend to animals, and provide fresh, nutritious food for all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Secretary Bartenfelder will celebrate Maryland Agriculture Week by joining students from Hereford High School (Baltimore County) for a virtual panel discussion on March 23, where he and other industry leaders will discuss the important role agriculture plays in the economy and the exciting career opportunities available in agriculture.<\/span><\/p>\n

See below for the Maryland Department of Agriculture\u2019s (MDA\u2019s) 10 suggestions to help citizens recognize National and Maryland Agriculture Week:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Watch <\/b>Maryland Farm and Harvest<\/b><\/a> on <\/b>Maryland Public Television<\/b><\/a> or <\/b>online<\/b><\/a>. <\/b>The hit series, which recently wrapped up its eighth season, takes viewers on journeys across the state telling hundreds of stories about the farms, people, and technology required to sustain and grow agriculture in Maryland.<\/span>
    <\/span><\/li>
    \n
  2. As products become in-season, serve a meal with local food or pack a local lunch for your children.<\/b> Ask your grocer for local products or visit <\/span>MarylandsBest.net<\/span><\/a> to find out <\/span>what\u2019s in season<\/span><\/a> and where you can buy local products near you. 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 (CSA) farms. 
    <\/span><\/li>
    \n
  3. Check out MDA\u2019s <\/b>Manure Happens<\/b><\/a> campaign. <\/b>Learn about how and why farmers use manure as an organic crop fertilizer and soil conditioner. Manure Happens is a public education campaign that aims to help Marylanders understand how field-applying manure helps farmers with crop production, and outlines the scientific guidelines farmers follow to protect our natural resources from nutrient runoff.<\/span><\/li>
    \n
  4. Take It from Maryland Farmers: <\/b>Backyard Actions for a Cleaner Chesapeake Bay<\/b><\/a>.<\/b> This helpful education campaign provides homeowners with information and tips from farmers that they can use to do their part to help improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The initiative offers a series of helpful fact sheets.<\/span>
    <\/span><\/li>
    \n
  5. Plan your garden and repair lawns with certified seeds.<\/b> Spring is almost here and now is the time to plan for your gardens and lawns. Be sure to get a soil test before fertilizing and check out the University of Maryland Extension\u2019s <\/span>Grow it Eat it website<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>
    <\/span><\/li>
    \n
  6. Visit a <\/b>winery<\/b><\/a>, <\/b>brewery<\/b><\/a> or <\/b>distillery<\/b><\/a>. <\/b>Maryland is home to a thriving craft beverage industry with plenty of locally produced beer, wine and spirits to sample across the state. Did we mention March is also <\/span>Maryland Wine Month<\/span><\/a>?<\/span><\/li>
    \n
  7. Ride a horse.<\/b> Sixty percent of the horses in Maryland are used for recreational purposes, while 40% are for racing. Visit one of Maryland\u2019s 40 <\/span>Horse Discovery Centers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>
    <\/span><\/li>
    \n
  8. Meet a Maryland Farmer.<\/b> If you can\u2019t get to a real farm, visit <\/span>My Maryland Farmers<\/span><\/a> to learn more about the important work our farmers do each day, or check out the <\/span>Maryland\u2019s Best YouTube<\/span><\/a> channel for a virtual farm tour.<\/span>
    <\/span><\/li>
    \n
  9. Read a book about Maryland agriculture.<\/b> Learn more about the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation\u2019s <\/span>2021 Ag Literacy Campaign<\/span><\/a>. This year\u2019s 2021 ag literacy book is \u201cTales of the Dairy Godmother: Chuck\u2019s Ice Cream Wish,\u201d a children’s story that shares the importance of the dairy industry and teaches readers how ice cream is made.<\/span>
    <\/span><\/li>
    \n
  10. Follow MDA on <\/b>social media<\/b><\/a>.<\/b> The department shares industry updates on <\/span>Facebook<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Twitter<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Flickr<\/span><\/a>. You can also connect with MDA\u2019s Marketing Program, Maryland\u2019s Best Agriculture, on <\/span>Facebook<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Twitter<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Instagram<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>YouTube<\/span><\/a>. Follow Maryland\u2019s Best Seafood on <\/span>Twitter<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For more in depth information about Maryland agriculture see the <\/span>2020 Maryland Agricultural Overview<\/span><\/a>, compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Find fun facts about agriculture and more information by visiting the <\/span>National Ag Day<\/span><\/a> website.<\/span><\/p>\n

    # # #<\/span><\/p>\n

    Follow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Twitter <\/span>@MdAgDept<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    10 Ways to Celebrate Maryland Agriculture ANNAPOLIS, MD \u2013 Governor Larry Hogan has declared March 21-27, \u201cMaryland Agriculture Week,\u201d highlighting the important work that goes into producing food and fiber for people throughout Maryland and beyond. This week-long celebration coincides with National Ag Day on March 23.  \u201cAgriculture is a leading contributor to the state\u2019s  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":168,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25263","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\/168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25263"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25270,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25263\/revisions\/25270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}