At a recent Future Harvest event in Baltimore County, Marilyn Anthony, Executive Director of Lundale Farm in Pennsylvania, raised the notion that the future for farming may be “land lease” rather than “land ownership.” Her reasons were simple...
In my lifetime, most families in America have lost their connection with the land, even those of us who live on a farm. Farms have gone from highly diversified to highly specialized–producing only a few crops. Most U.S. families no longer freeze or can food. We...
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 sheriff...
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...
