Last week, I might have been one of a few people excited to see that Montgomery County had adopted new zoning regulations. I realize that ordinances are not fun to read. However, I see them as a window into the future land use patterns of a jurisdiction. Like them or...
A couple of weeks ago, the USDA released preliminary ag census data for the states. Since 1840, the U.S. government has been conducting censuses of agriculture. For the purposes of the ag census, a farm is any agricultural operation that “had $1,000 in sales in...
A farmer from Carroll County noted that there were still 26″ of snow on the ground at his farm, but he still made the trek from Carroll County on Feb. 15 to the Maryland Organic Food & Farming Association’s Winter Meeting. Throughout the day, the skies...
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how climate change is predicted to impact agriculture, according to USDA’s climatologists. The short answer for us is a longer growing season, more rain (with heavier rain events) and hotter summers. The short answer for California...
Over the last few years, we have not been used to compromise in Congress. However, the new Farm Bill represents a good show of bipartisanship and it holds new opportunities for farmers in Maryland. Most farm groups across the country appear to support the Bill. In an...
Recently, our minister preached on perfection. Basically, his message was perfection is a noble goal, rarely achieved. I view the pursuit of sustainability much the same way. Worthy of pursuit. Seldom understood. Rarely achieved. A number of companies in the food...
