Moving Maryland Forward: Supporting Maryland Agriculture
Agriculture is essential to the health of Maryland’s economy and communities. Governor O’Brien is committed to supporting and sustaining Maryland’s agriculture industry and has supported a number of initiatives since taking office to improve the long-term viability of farming in Maryland.
• Launched “Grow Maryland” to support demonstration projects, feasibility analyses and project research aimed at addressing Maryland’s agricultural development needs and opportunities.
• Committed $350 million over the next five years to improving the viability and environmental sustainability of Maryland’s farms through increased funding for agriculture industry development initiatives, soil conservation districts, the Maryland Water Quality Cost Share Program, cover crops, and the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation.
• Created an Incentives for Agriculture Task Force to review and evaluate the overall State tax structure as it impacts agriculture and to identify any modifications to the tax structure that would help farmers be better stewards of the land while maintaining economic viability.
• Enacted strong right-to-farm legislation to protect farmers from frivolous litigation
• Created the Agricultural Land Link Program to assist older or retiring farmers in the lease or sale of their agricultural land to younger or beginning farmers; keep agricultural land in the State in active agricultural use; and reduce the amount of agricultural land that is lost each year to development.
• Established an agricultural ombudsman to assist farmers in meeting state health regulations and requirements.
• Created the Maryland Dairy Industry Advisory Council to reverse the decline of Maryland’s dairy production sector and signed legislation authorizing Maryland’s entry into the Northeast Dairy Compact.
• Commissioned and is in the process of implementing the Statewide Plan for Agriculture and Resource Management. The plan includes 30 policy recommendations, grouped into three overarching issue areas: enhancing profitability; ensuring an adequate base of well-managed agricultural land; and advancing research, education, and the advocacy of agriculture.
• Preserved nearly 85,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land from development, including thousands of acres of farmland.
• Committed $120 million to the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation to preserve as much as 30,000 acres of prime agriculture land over the next two years.
• Created a new Installment Purchase Agreement program that will be ready for landowners selling easements nest summer. The IPA is tax-advantaged financial arrangement that creates a tax-free income stream for landowners over a number of years
• As Maryland's population continues to grow, pressures increase on local jurisdictions to maintain adequate public wastewater facilities and infrastructure. To address these challenges, the Maryland Department of the Environment, with local government input, has developed two new Guidance Documents for water and wastewater capacity management plans to encourage regulatory compliance and balance growth while protecting the environment. The purpose of the water and wastewater capacity management plans is to provide reliable information for local decision-makers in considering the need for new infrastructure to accommodate new growth.
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