Agriculture holds a critical stake in Howard County, from farmers markets to taxes to the Howard County Fair, which runs through Saturday.
“I think people will go to the fair and learn about farming and maybe seek out a farmers market,” said Linda Brown, who runs the three-year-old farmers market at the Glenwood Library.
“All this ties together and helps keep us afloat.”
Efforts to preserve rural land were announced Monday with plans to double the amount the county would pay for land under agricultural easements, which are agreements that restrict the use of land to agriculture.
Farmlands also affect city living at the tax base, agricultural economic development specialist Ginger Myers said.
When a farmer pays $1 in local taxes, he or she might use only 50 cents in services, while a city dweller may use more than $1 worth of county services, such as schools and emergency services. This balance is necessary, she said.
One advantage of the development boom is farmers have an increased customer base, said Joy Levy, administrator of the Agricultural Land Preservation Program.
“There are lots of people who are affluent and looking to spend money on local products,” she said.
There are 75 farmers markets in Maryland, up from 20 markets 15 years ago, Myers said.
In Howard County, more than 14,000 people visit the markets each year. A new market recently opened in Oakland Mills, bringing the county total to four.
Buying locally also gives consumers a chance to understand where their food comes from, how it?s grown and even how to cook and store it, said Joan Schulz, the state?s Farmers Market Nutrition Program administrator.
“Talking to the farmer is very important,” she said. “You don?t have that at a grocery store.”
