Resource Based Industry Development News Today

Maryland Farm Bureau worked protect the Doe Harvest Challenge and fended off costly regulations for PFAS and cage-free eggs in this year’s legislative session.

From October 3 – 6, nearly 30 local economic development and agricultural marketing professionals from Maryland and Virginia gathered just west of Richmond for the Maryland-Virginia Agriculture Development Conference. The

What will that look like this year? “As we learned over the past year, farmers markets are a critical source of fresh, local food products for many communities across our state,” said Maryland Ag Secretary Joe Bartenfelder, himself a farmers market farmer. “Throughout the pandemic, we have seen consistent demand and market managers have done an outstanding job ensuring that markets remain open as safely as possible.” Maryland has about 100 farmers markets spread throughout i...

Land: how to get it? That was the big question asked on the opening day of the annual Future Harvest CASA Conference. It is a recurring question, especially for beginner farmers, who, according to the National Young Farmers Coalition, cite land access as their No. 1 barrier to entering the field. Panelists said they wanted to buy land because it would help them scale up and maintain continuity in their operation, allow them to invest in infrastructure and soil health, and give them a valuable l...