New Morning Farm, one of the top farmers’ market producers in the region, started out very small. In fact, the owners, Jim and Moie Crawford, began in 1972 by just selling vegetables from local farms to Washington D.C. farmers markets. They were good at it. The...
In need of exercise this weekend? Try a five, thirteen, twenty-nine, or sixty-two mile Crop Hop bicycle ride in rural St. Mary’s County! The idea came from Christie Balch, University Maryland Extension agent in Prince George’s County who grew up on a small farm...
Last week, the Maryland Department of Planning held the first Maryland Symposium on Planning and the Food System. It was about time. In the last decade or so, many agricultural entrepreneurs seeking to start a new enterprise found planners to be an impediment to...
By Mark Dattilio Six a.m., the alarm goes off. It’s still dark. I left the windows open last night and the loft is filled with a cool breeze and the sounds of waking birds and beasts. I turn on NPR, the only news channel that comes in on the radio, and start brewing a...
Like Southern Maryland, the money crop of the farm belt in Southwestern Virginia was tobacco. This region is located far from major consumer markets, but that didn’t matter. Tobacco is a commodity that has a long shelf life and travels easily. Like Southern Maryland,...
