At the Rural Coalition workshop Transitioning to Organics held on September 24th, Patuxent Riverkeeper Fred Tutman wove a colorful tale of the history of his family farm in Upper Marlboro. He pointed to a “hanging tree†where legend has it that a 19th century...
Beginning farmers usually don’t get into the business to get rich and most tend not to be “cash-heavy”. Therefore, they find access to farmland to be a challenge. Over the last 60 years, Maryland lost a little more than 1 million acres of farmland,...
Last month, the newly formed START Farmers’ Network leadership decided it was time to visit farms. Surveys have shown that a large percentage of new and beginning farmers (both part-time and full-time) are interested in growing livestock. So our first trip was...
For most new Maryland farmers today, farming is a choice, not an expectation as it was in centuries past. There are many career options in this semi-urban state that typically has lower than average unemployment rates. New farmers are drawn to the land to grow healthy...
We Americans are used to seeing larger businesses outperform and consume smaller businesses. That trend is apparent in the agriculture industry, where four corporations control 80% of all meat processing and a just a few control control nearly all the seeds sold for...
