2015 Montgomery County Farm Directory
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by Caroline Taylor The Ag Reserve is a big place, about 100,000 acres, and there is much to explore. We will populate this post with as much as we can, when we can. Shoot us an email with suggested additions: [email protected]. If you just aren't sure what the Reserve is all about and what it has to offer, may we suggest checking out our film Growing Legacy? Our goal to to inspire exploration and consumerism of the wonderful places and goods the Reserve has going on.
2015 Montgomery County Farm Directory by Caroline Taylor The Ag Reserve is a big place, about 100,000 acres, and there is much to explore. We will populate this post with as much as we can, when we can. Shoot us an email with suggested additions: [email protected].
by Kristina Bostick Friends of Ten Mile Creek Board Member (and Audubon Naturalist Society Water Quality Monitoring Program Coordinator), Cathy Wiss, has produced a brilliant photo essay (Part 1 and Part 2) detailing the short and long-term damage that would be caused by the sewer options that WSSC has proposed.
by Kristina Bostick That Happened: Friday, February 27 at 10am - St. Paul Community Church, 14730 Sugarland Road, Poolesville
by Kristina Bostick Our Land Link program has achieved another match! We started Land Link to overcome what local farmers identified as the biggest hurdle to starting or expanding local farms- the astronomical cost of land- as explained by Woody Woodroof from Red Wiggler Community Farm in our "Growing Legacy" Film.
Click here to see our Land Link site and sign up to find or offer land for lease. by Caroline Taylor EventGROWING LEGACY - Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital
1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28 Presented with the inaugural Montgomery County GreenFest, a free event for all ages to enjoy while learning about going green. GROWING LEGACY (USA, 2014, 30 min.) The most successful farm protection effort in the country is just 20 miles from the White House. This film profiles the challenges of growing food and cities in harmony. Directed by Mark Leisher and Caroline Taylor. Produced by Pat Ratkowski and Montgomery Countryside Alliance. Panel discussion, moderated by Caroline Taylor, Executive Director, Montgomery Countryside Alliance, follows screening. Panelists: Anthony Cohen, President, The Menare Foundation; Tanya Spandhla, Participant, New Farmer Project, Montgomery County Department of Economic Development and Gene Kingsbury, Owner and Operator, and fifth generation farmer, Kingsbury Orchard, Dickerson, Md. FREE. Reservations encouraged. Montgomery College (Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus), Cultural Arts Center, 2nd Floor Theater, 7995 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Md. (Metro: Silver Spring, then transfer to Ride On Bus Route 17 or 18.) by Kristina Bostick Now that our "Growing Legacy" film is complete, we would like to thank all the individuals and organizations that made it possible. You can support the film by purchasing a DVD or hosting a free screening.
The Joe & Doris Letourneau Family Fund The Kay Family Foundation The Ruth M Knight Foundation The Ithaka Foundation “Growing Legacy” IndieGoGo Campaign Supporters MCA Members (like you!) by Kristina Bostick Sewer Plan Threatens Ten Mile CreekImportant Sewer Meeting: Show your support for keeping sewers out of Ten Mile Creek by attending the first meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the WSSC Clarksburg-Ten Mile Creek Sewer Study on Thursday, Feb 12th from 7-9pm. The meeting will take place at the Montgomery County Government Upcounty Regional Services Center, Room A (12900 Middlebrook Road, Suite 1000, Germantown, Maryland 20874). The public is invited to attend and there will be time at the end of the meeting for public comment. Three board members of the Friends of Ten Mile Creek are on the Citizens Advisory Committee and we welcome you to attend and show your support. And if you can't make this meeting, don't worry -- there will be others so please stay tuned.
MCA now has T-shirts! Designed by our own amazing board member Dolores Milmoe and grown/sewn/made/ printed in the USA
by Caroline Taylor 2015 GMC Update: Our Attorney, Michele Rosenfeld, delivered oral argument before the Court of Special Appeals in early December 2014 in both of the ongoing legal challenges. The site plan approval challenge that MCA filed in partnership with Sugarloaf Citizens Association is strong and was favorably heard by the Appeals Court. The oral argument in the suit filed by community members involving the Church's required secondary access road bisecting residential property bound by long standing neighborhood covenants, also quite strong, was also heard. We are waiting for opinions in both cases. Awaiting decisions in both cases. Read on below..
by Caroline Taylor ![]() The Ag Reserve's promise grows with the success of new farm ventures. Montgomery County's New Farm Program, now past the pilot point with a number of successful ventures launched, is ready for Round Two! The New Farmer Project provides mentoring and specialized business training like marketing, accounting, business planning and advanced sustainable farm practices. By matching new farmers with private land owners (with assistance from MCA's Land Link program) throughout the Agricultural Reserve, the program's participating farmers are singularly focused on growing their businesses instead of finding new real estate. by Kristina Bostick What has MCA done for me lately? Well... Our Shared Environmental Resources Supporting a Strong Ag Sector Connecting New and Expanding Farmers with Land Strengthening the Producer Community with a Listserve and Summits Successfully Pushing for a New Farm Pilot Program Proud Lead Organization of the Farming at Metro's Edge Conference Supporting A proposed year-round daily farmers market in North Potomac Connecting farmers with new opportunities under the new County Zoning Code Community Producing "Growing Legacy" film about the Reserve for students and the public Creating an Ag Reserve Candidate Questionnaire/Voter Resource Creating an Ag Education Pilot - 180 students reached so farHelping to Found the MoCo Food CouncilKeeping Monocacy Elementary Open Zoning No Commercial Recreation or Camps in the Ag Reserve No Sewer Extension for Mega Churches Battling Back Plans for Massive Cell Towers Currently working on supporting new farm businesses and expansion of sourcing local farm products in County stores/restaurants. We are pushing to add to our farmland inventory for the LandLink program. Our education initiative has expanded and we are working with MC Farm Bureau to secure funding for mobile ag science lab for the use of the County's elementary schools. How about that! Every elementary school student should have exposure to what farming is all about and why our Ag Reserve is so special. And the list goes on and on... help us add more victories to this list- join MCA - a yearly membership is just $25 by Caroline Taylor ![]() Montgomery County Ag Services has posted the data from the 2012 Ag Census. Looks like MC equine industry is flourishing. What about the other ag businesses? Check out the summary here. In this chart comparing 2007 data to that of 2012 - Good News! You will see an increase in land in production and the market value of products sold. With a resurgence of interest in farming and the burst of consumer interest in locally produced food products, the forecast is good for our area farms. by Kristina Bostick Please join us for the 2014 Royce Hanson Award, celebrating Montgomery County's Ag Reserve and this year's awardee, the late Poolesville Attorney Bill Roberts, learn more about Bill here.
by Kristina Bostick Growing Legacy Premiere
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MCA is proud to announce that we have been recognized for a third time as one of the best small charities in the D.C. region by Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington. A panel of 110 expert reviewers from area foundations, corporate giving programs, and peer non-profit organizations evaluated 270 applications.
MCA is known as an effective and innovative non-profit whose efforts to preserve and promote Montgomery County’s nationally recognized 93,000 acre Ag Reserve have brought increased public and governmental support of local food production and farmland and open space preservation. Most importantly, MCA’s efforts are putting more farmers on the ground and keeping them there. |