Knowledge does not automatically result in action. We know we should not eat certain foods. We know we should exercise more. And yet often we are not motivated to do what our brain tells us we should do. On the other hand, we are sometimes motivated to do things that...
Each year, the American Planning Association holds its annual conference in a different city. Having heard of the work of several urban farming groups in Chicago and nearby Milwaukee, I perused the conference program in the hope that it would include sessions in local...
A new survey compares states in their commitment to raising and eating locally grown food. Vermont ranks #1 and Maryland ranks #39. The survey uses data from government sources (principally USDA and US Census data) from 2010 and 2011. The Locavore Index measures the...
One of the best kept secrets in Maryland is the economic value of its forestland. According to the Department of Natural Resources, there are 2.6 million acres of forest in the state and most of us have not begun to utilize their economic potential or explored how...
Senators Middleton and Dyson have  introduced SB 586 that would establish a task force, including SMADC, to study a “Hub and Spoke Program” in Southern Maryland. Delegates Jameson, Bohanan, Murphy, and Wilson filed a companion bill HB 1019. This study...
In August 2012, I posted a discussion “Family farm successions and transitions” which highlights what I learned from the Farm Link and Transition Pilot Workshop held in Virginia. Last week, I had the opportunity to hear another excellent presentation on...
