Charles County hosted the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the Secretary of Agriculture, Kevin Atticks for a county farm tour and roundtable discussion on May 20. Charles County is home to 47,747 acres of farmland and brings in over $20 million in agricultural revenue. This tour showed the diversity of agriculture in the county. A variety of staff from the Maryland Department of Agriculture, State Delegates, Charles County Commissioners, and other Charles County staff were in attendance. A roundtable discussion was held to gain insight from many producers and agriculture stakeholders.
The farm tours included visits to Shlagel Farms, StoneMur Vineyard, Zekiah Ridge Farms, and then Bunker Hill Farm for an agriculture roundtable. Shlagel Farms LLC is a generational farm that raises beef, cut flowers, produce, and pick your own strawberries. Freshly picked strawberries were served for the group to try one of Shlagel Farms most known products. The farm has an on-farm market with fresh local products and supports ag education by welcoming many fieldtrips for schools and community organizations throughout the year.
The next stop was at StoneMur Vineyards in Bryantown. StoneMur Vineyards is a member of the Southern Maryland Wine Growers Cooperative. They grow a variety of grapes that are part of the wine from Port of Leonardtown Winery. Grapes grown at StoneMur are featured in the Old Line Red and Chardonnay wines at Port of Leonardtown Winery. The farm is diversifying their vineyard by adding cattle to graze on open pastures. Adding grass fed feeder cattle will promote soil health and added nutrients.
The afternoon started with lunch and a farm tour of Zekiah Ridge Farm, which is also home to Bliss in the Barn. Owner Cindy Bliss shared how she came back to her childhood farm and made a tobacco barn into a source of income as a permitted barn for events and weddings. She shared her struggles in creating this business, as she was a trailblazer in this kind of business. The tour rounded out in Newburg, at Bunker Hill Farm. A roundtable discussion was held with producers of various enterprises, agricultural stakeholders, and elected officials. Topics related to the potential of electric vehicles and farm equipment, agricultural education, and the future of nutrient management.
Throughout the day, Secretary Atticks and many other staff from the Maryland Department of Agriculture commented on the beauty and serenity of rural Charles County. The scenic roads featured many farms and views of the Wicomico River.
It was a common theme among the visited farms and producers in attendance at the roundtable, that preserving Charles County farmland by using best management practices is abundantly important. Producers utilize nutrient management plans to ensure local waterways and the bay are protected. Another common topic was the importance of agricultural education throughout the community and encouraging future generations to continue farming in Charles County.
View photos of the day at https://charlescountygovernment.smugmug.com/Secretary-of-Agriculture-Visit
