The Potomac River creates a stark visual divide between the developmental sprawl of Loudoun County in Northern
Virginia and the 93,000 acres protected in Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve.
The ‘father” of Montgomery County’s Agricul-
tural Reserve, Royce Hanson combined a dis-
tinguished academic career with public service
as chair of the Montgomery County Planning
Board (1972-81 and 2006-10). Author of
many books and articles on local and state
government, planning, and constitutional law,
his latest book, Suburb: Planning Politics and
the Public Interest (Cornell, 2017) discusses
the planning and development of Montgomery
County since 1920, including a chapter on the
Agricultural Reserve.
6
PLENTY I SUMMER GROWING 2019
Montgomery-grown feedstock returns
home indirectly at the meat counter.
The food and fiber the Agricultural
Reserve produces will continue to change
as new generations of farmers enter and
tastes and markets shift. But in a hundred
years and more, the land will remain to
be worked and harvested anew. On the
following pages, find a seasonal guide to
celebrate Its gracious plenty and the
stewards of its lands.
Photo: Anthony Kuzak
The Agricultural Reserve*
93,000 Acres
558 Farms
n Fruits and Vegetable Farms: 442 Farms**
n Cash Grain Farms: 48,771 acres
n 10,000 Horses: 233 Farms
350 Horticutural Operations
$281,587,662 Economic Contribution
to Montgomery County
* Montgomery farm production, 2017
** Number of farms that produce any products for direct human consumption. For example: beef,
pigs, chickens, goats, fruits, veggies, etc.