One of my favorite quotes is from Eric Sannerund “Without the farmer you would be naked, hungry, and sober.”  

 

It's not just a quip - it's reality.  Farming is “Maryland’s largest commercial industry employing 350,000 people.  In economic impact, Agriculture contributed approximately $8.25 billion annually to the State’s economy and covered nearly 2 million acres of Maryland in 2022.” (Maryland Department of Agriculture, 2025).  

 

Yet farming is not treated equally as other industry sectors, such as data centers, bio tech, or the federal sector, in the state.  The fact that data centers are currently paying no personal property sales tax, is a stark example of this discrepancy.  

 

It's time we start treating farming as the major commercial sector it is in Maryland.  

 

One place to start is for the state and county to stop allowing one industry to push out an existing major industry (agriculture).   We need to change the script if the goal is to preserve the farming industry to support diversification of their business, enter into agreements with the state and county to ensure agricultural space is protected for the next generation of farmers, and provide for agricultural options for retirement, health insurance, and job security.

 

Starting with fully funding agriculture preservation and land preservation programs.  We can also change the zoning laws so that local land use decisions cannot shift zoning on a whim.  

 

We will also need to address the fact that many farmers' retirement and overall assets are wrapped up in land prices.  Since 1982, farmers could open SEP IRAs, but according to the IRS, in 2024 only 40% of farmers invest in qualified retirement accounts — or in other words, not farmland.

 

Next, it is essential that we modernize and streamline the laws and regulations around agriculture options for diversification such as processing facilities, local supply chains, and value-added agriculture.

 

In 2025 the Maryland Department of Agriculture published the Statewide Guidance and Analysis: Maryland’s Value-Added Agriculture and Agritourism outlining a comprehensive update to existing law.  It recommends bringing in modern concepts, eliminating discrepancies between sections of law (land use, farming, food production, storm water management, etc), and providing consistent statewide definitions of agriculture terms in order to reduce the burden of inconsistent laws, over regulation, and restrictive local ordinances.

 

These proposed changes in State laws and regulations will provide farmers greater flexibility to diversify the use of their land to include clean energy options alongside grazing, value-added options, and agrotourism.  All of which is a path for growth and stabilization of the agriculture business. 

 

As part of these efforts it would help if the State were to recognize and support farmers as one of our biggest assets for combating climate change, Chesapeake bay conservation, and environmental protection.  But we cannot expect farmers to do it for free.  Like all other industries there should be incentives for no-till farming, planting cover crops, planting tree screens, and transitioning to rotational grazing in preserving Maryland’s lands, streams, waterways, and the Bay.  

 

We also need to find a reliable and responsible way to balance Maryland’s energy generation, transmission infrastructure, grid reliability, and affordability with the equally important need to protect agricultural land and preserve working farms. Let's be clear, this is a balance between two commercial industries.

 

As important as maintaining the energy grid is to a modern society, it should not put at risk our food security and industries.  Like any other industry, utilities should be forced to use existing resources (lines and easements) whenever possible, instead of relying on taxpayer handouts to pad their bottom line.  

 

I am not saying we don’t have programs to support farmers, but they are often focused on food security, not on promoting a thriving industry for generations to come.  For example, food subsidies for such things as eggs, milk, bread, rice are not designed to help the farmers, but to keep prices below market value so all Americans can afford the basic food necessities.

 

Another example is that State-owned wildlife such as deer, geese, and other wildlife that feed on farm crops cause a significant loss in production. What other industry is it okay for the state to do damage to their product with little recourse.  

 

While the 2025 Wildlife Damage Prevention and Reimbursement Fund bill (HB1511/SB736) was a good start, it needs to better address state animal management plans and no-kill options. We need a new approach to an industry wide issue that will provide economic stabilization to farmers, balance a volatile commodities market, and work with state and local food scarcity organizations to bolster the farm economy to improve statewide food security

 

In short, the time has come for Maryland’s laws, not words, to embrace the reality that: “There is no Maryland without the farmers, growers, and agricultural workers who provide food, fiber, and fuel for our communities.  They are the backbone of our economy and the foundation of our way of life.” (Governor Moore, 2026)