Frederick County, Maryland is blessed with a pleasant climate and productive farmland soils.
Historic barn near Urbana
Frederick had 181,512 acres of farmland in 2012, according to USDA Ag census figures, the most farmland of any county in the state. The market value of agricultural products was $150 million. However the county lost 20,500 acres of farmland between 2007 and 2012, the greatest loss of farmland in the state.
Paul Goeringer, legal specialist at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland, and I held a class at the Frederick County Association of Realtors to equip 26 realtors with the tools and information necessary to help their clients identify, analyze and purchase or lease farmland.
Paul Goeringer speaking to the class
The future of agriculture depends on the next generation of farmers being able to get access to of farmland. Being so close to Washington D.C., Frederick could help feed the huge metropolitan area or it could become a victim of suburban sprawl. I was happy to see so many Frederick County realtors interested in selling and leasing farmland and wanting to know about the tools and resources available to help farmers in the land selection process.
Their names names and contact information will be added to the List of Realtor Graduates on Maryland FarmLINK’s Realtor Resources pages. Maryland FarmLINK is a free resource and there is no charge to post a property for sale or lease.