For Montgomery County residents and other Maryland communities, the future of agriculture is connected to many issues we care about: secure and accessible farmland, clean water, climate resilience, wildlife habitat, equitable access to fresh and healthy local food, and thriving farm businesses. The farmers who manage Maryland’ s working lands are already adapting, experimenting, and leading. The opportunity now is to build partnerships, investments, and support systems that help those efforts succeed.
If the lessons from Regenerate Maryland are any indication, the path forward is less about prescribing a single model of agriculture and more about weaving an interconnected ecosystem of support that helps farmers continue to improve, innovate, and thrive. It will not be perfect, and it will never be finished. But if we approach the work with patience and a willingness to learn from the land and from one another, Maryland can grow a regenerative agriculture movement that is grounded, durable, and worthy of the communities it serves.
Landscape
Design, Land Planning, and Environmental Consulting
tjaden. design n 301-253-1702 n Laytonsville, MD
Deere Valley Farm
Five generations of farming in the shadow of Sugarloaf Mountain
Farm raised beef, pork and lamb • local chicken products soft serve ice cream • raw milk artisan cheeses • dairy products local baked goods • local honey, spices and sauces
please check our website for current hours
Helpful resources
Montgomery County Office of Agricultural Services 18410 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855 301-590-2859 • montgomerycountymd. gov / agservices
Maryland Department of Agriculture Leaders in Environmentally Engaged Farming( LEEF) Email: LEEF. MDA @ maryland. gov Mda. maryland. gov / resource _ conservation / Pages / LEEF. aspx
Million Acre Challenge“ MAC Dispatch” a monthly e-news with practical updates, opportunities, and insights relevant to regional agriculture https:// millionacrechallenge. org / blog-2 / subscribe-and-follow /
American Farmland Trust Elizabeth Beggins, ebeggins @ farmland. org
www. deerevalleyfarms. com 22919 Dickerson Rd • Dickerson, MD 20842 farm office: 301-349-4020 • market: 301.349.2510
Elizabeth Beggins is the Mid-Atlantic Communications and Outreach Senior Specialist for American Farmland Trust, a former specialty crop producer, and a creative nonfiction writer who publishes on Substack. Amanda Cather is the Mid-Atlantic Deputy Director for American Farmland Trust and a first-generation pastured livestock farmer at Plow and Stars Farm in Poolesville.