Howard County, Maryland has a total land area of 161,394 acres
- of which
approximately 25 percent is farmland.
Agriculture is among the top five industries in the county - accounting
for more than $200 million in sales each year.
There are 318 farms with an average size
of 125 acres.
Howard County's major crops include dairy and livestock, corn and small
grains, and hay and pastures. Tree fruit, small fruits, and vegetables
add to the farm income. Pick-your-own operations, roadside stands, and
on-the-farm markets are important outlets for these commodities.
New
emerging agricultural products in Howard County include nursery
products, turf, bedding plants, and landscaping materials.
A supply of beautiful
2012 calendars are available at the Howard Soil Conservation District
Office. These calendars, free for the taking, were developed by the
Maryland Grazers Network. Each month, the calendar offers valuable tips
on good grazing techniques. The calendars are large and provide plenty
of space for writing daily notes and appointments for each day.
The pictures of grazing
dairy cows, beef, and the occasional goats and sheep are great. You
might even learn something! Stop by and pick one up at the District
office located at 708 Lisbon Center Drive, Woodbine (in the Lisbon
Shopping Center. They are free, no cost to you.
Got e-mail? If you would
prefer to receive your monthly meeting reminders by the much more
economical e-mail route, then please inform Merhlyn Barnes at
merhlynbarnes@aol.com
On Sunday, August 7, 2011, the
opening day of the 66th Annual Howard County Fair, Katie Loveless,
17, was chosen to be Miss Howard County Farm Bureau. She is the
daughter of Joe and Carol Loveless and lives on Pipe Dream Farm,
Woodbine, where she raises goats and pigs.
Katie is a very active member of
the Poplar 4-H Club, and carries projects including sewing, home
environment, crafts and fine arts and is Co-Chair of the Howard
County Fashion Revue. She is also involved in Junior Leadership,
market goats and showmanship, market swine, dairy leasing and
livestock judging. She has an internship with Howard Soil
Conservation District and works at Woodcamp Farm.
A senior at Glenelg High School,
Katie is Vice President of Student Government, Founder of Leader
of Future Educators of America, and a two-year member of
Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She does track and field, cross
country and is a member of the concert choir.
First alternate is Anna Larrimore,
17, who is currently President of the West Friendship 4-H
Livestock Club, where she has held multiple offices. Her projects
include swine, horticulture, photography, crafts and baking.
Anna, daughter of Tom and Barbara
Larrimore, is a senior at Glenelg High School. She is Captain of
the Glenelg Dance Team and the Senior Dance Company. She is also
Secretary of the Teen Republican Republican Club, a member of the
Spanish Club, and on the Student Leadership Council. Active in
community Service, she volunteers at Days End Farm Horse Rescue,
the ARC of Howard County, and is a Teen Board Member of the
Glenwood Community Center.
Others in the outstanding 2011
court included Catherine Brigante, Cynthia Garner, Allie Pickens,
Taylor Rhodes, and Meghan Ross.
Congratulations to Ellie
M. Feaga and Kevin Spicer
Our 2011 Little
Miss Howard County, is Ellie M. Feaga, age 9 of Woodbine who
attends Bushy Park Elementary School, Glenwood, MD. She is active
in the 4-H Dairy Club, showing Holstein cattle. She also sews &
has been in the 4-H Fashion Review; grows vegetables, herbs and
flowers. Ellie has hosted bake sales, contributing proceeds to the
American Red Cross and to Susan G Koman.
Kevin Spicer, 2011 Ho. Co. Future
Farmer, age 10 of Ijamsville, MD attends Kemptown Elementary
School. He is a 4-H Dairy Club member and shows market steers,
lambs, sheep, rabbits, poultry and breeding heifers. He is also a
member of All Star Baseball Team, Book Club, Cub Scouts, Radio
Spot and likes to play basketball.
[Photo, Left to Right: Mathew
Chaney, 2010 Future Howard County Farmer; Nichole Lynn King, 2010
Little Miss Howard County Farm Bureau; Ellie M. Feaga, 2011 Little
Miss Howard County Farm Bureau; Kevin Spicer, 2011 Future Howard
County Farmer; and Tess Cavagan, 2010 Miss Howard County Farm
Bureau.]
This video is
dedicated to farmers, both past and present who have endured to
provide our safe, affordable and abundant food. Please take a
minute and thank farmers for all of their efforts.
Smiling
contestants in the Miss Howard County Farm Bureau, Little Miss and
Future Farmer competitions participate in the 66th Annual Howard
County Fair Opening Day Parade, August 7, 2011.
Show Your Pride in
Preservation
By now, you’ve
probably seen the beautiful new "Farmland Forever" sign posted on
a neighbor’s farm. The sign is available to any property owner
whose land is in the Howard County Agricultural Land Preservation
Program (ALPP). All you need to do to let others know that you’ve
made the commitment to preserve your farm is fill out a form.
There will be no cost to program participants for the sign or its
installation. The sign is made of aluminum and is 24" x 30" in
size, and a sample of what it looks like is on the ALPP website,
along with the form. The County will construct the sign post and
do the installation.
If you would
like to show your pride in preservation, please complete and
return the on-line form to Joy Levy, ALPP Administrator, at 3430
Court House Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043. Joy can also be
reached at 410-313-5407 or
jlevy@howardcountymd.gov The link to the ALPP web page
is
http://howardcountymd.gov/DPZ/agriculture.htm
Maryland Farm Bureau
On-Line Membership Processing
You can go to the
Maryland Farm Bureau website and join our organization with a
valid credit card. Likewise current members can go to the website
and renew their membership, eliminating the need to mail in the
renewal notice with a check. Renewing members will need their
membership number.
Just go to
www.mdfarmbureau.com and click on
"Become a Member Today" in the top right hand corner.
