Agricultural preservation in Southern Maryland

Fast-forward 14 years, and you see the outcomes from the quote above happening in Southern Maryland. The region has diversified and strengthened after tobacco. Today you see farmers trying new crops in our region, such as growing wine grapes and organic vegetables,...

Interview: Farmer, Susie Hance-Wells, Part 2

The first interview is with Susie Hance-Wells of Taney Place farm in Calvert County. The farm recently started a new retail venture called Battle Creek Beef. In Part 1, Susie discussed the farm operation, and tips for new and beginning farmers. In Part 2 below, she...

Can Maryland be food self-sufficient?

As recently as 70 years ago, Maryland was virtually food self-sufficient, with local farmers providing nearly all the food staples. Since then, modern agriculture practices, food business models, and improved transportation systems have reduced food prices and...

Saving family farms in Maryland

Farming in the U.S. has gone through an incredible transformation in the last century, from highly diversified to highly specialized. Over that period, we’ve gone from 6.4 million farms to 2.1 million farms. Meanwhile, average farm size in the U.S. has increased...

We want our food money back!

By the middle of the 20th century, we had lost the capacity to feed ourselves. As the century progressed, we had become increasingly enamored with everything shiny and new. By the 1960s, people were even walking on the moon! Innovation seemed limitless. Everything new...