Agriculture

Matt Harsh, co-owner and operator of Chesley Vegetable Farms, a 45-acre fruit and vegetable farm in Washington County, was appointed by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley as one of five new members of the Young Farmers Advisory Board. The board is comprised of representatives from different commodity groups who provide the agriculture secretary with information and recommendations on policies and issues facing the agriculture industry. Members serve three-year terms and are eligible to serve two consecutive terms.

Washington County Government has announced that Leslie Hart has been appointed to the Governor's Intergovernmental Commission for Agriculture. In this role, Hart will deliver recommendations and offer insights into programs and policies to help meet the needs of the agriculture community and the state's agricultural strategy goals. A subject matter expert within the agriculture community, Hart has served the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission as an agricultural business development specialist since 2008.

An agriculture business forum will be Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center off Sharpsburg Pike. Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Earl F. Hance, Maryland Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary S. Patrick McMillan, the Washington County Board of County Commissioners, county government division and department directors, and members of the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission...

ANNAPOLIS - A meeting of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Maryland Wine and Grape Growing will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday in the Executive Conference Room of the Maryland Department of Agriculture, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis. The agenda will include general business items. For further information, call Karen Fedor of the Maryland Department of Agriculture at 410-841-5773.

Have you ever had an "aha" moment? I mean one that really takes you by surprise. I write in this very paper 40 to 50 times a year with the intent of informing the public about agriculture. Well the other day my "aha" moment occurred in my office and centered on just how serious an image problem agriculture has. I mean I expect the uninitiated not to know much about agriculture and I have gotten used to my employer, the University of Maryland, forgetting their charge as a Land Grant University.

As you can imagine, I do a bit of reading on agriculture. But I do not limit my reading only to domestic sources. It is, however, necessary for the information to be in English. I was recently reading about international agriculture, in particular that of the Swiss. I had the distinct pleasure to visit Switzerland nearly 10 years ago and I can honestly say if pictures are worth 1,000 words, being there makes one speechless. The secret to the quaint beauty of Switzerland is no secret.

The Young Farmers Advisory Board is seeking nominations to fill four positions on the board.  Those interested must have direct experience in agriculture. The board promotes agriculture as a positive contributor to Maryland's economy, environment and scenic landscape; and makes recommendations to the secretary of agriculture related to economic development and legislative and policy issues that will assist young and beginning farmers, and other related businesses in creating and continuing profitable agriculture throughout the state.

Maryland Agriculture Secretary Roger Richardson and Deputy Secretary Buddy Hance will visit Washington County Thursday. JD Rinehart at Rinehart Orchards, 14511 Rinehart Road near Ringgold, will host Richardson and Hance from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Members of the local farming and agriculture community are invited to attend this informal discussion on agriculture events, programs and issues. Light refreshments will be served. To RSVP or for more information, call Leslie Hendrickson at 301-791-1504, ext. 21. Directions from Hagerstown: Take Md. 64 toward Leitersburg, Follow Md. 418 toward Ringgold.

Donald M. Schwartz Jr., longtime extension agent for agriculture science in Washington County, has been posthumously promoted to the rank of Principal Agent in Maryland Cooperative Extension, in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland. University President C. Daniel Mote said the honor "is a tribute to the contributions he has made to the advancement of knowledge and the service he provided to the agriculture community, the University and the State.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is mailing the 2012 Census of Agriculture to Maryland farmers, and the Maryland Department of Agriculture urges all Maryland farmers to complete the Census by the Feb. 4 deadline. The Census can be taken online or mailed in. For the first time, the 2012 Census contains questions asking for the number of acres under conservation tillage practices, acres planted to cover crops and acres under conservation easements. This information will be critical in documenting the work farmers are doing collectively to be good stewards of the environment.