LAND LINK Montgomery
Farmers seeking land
LAND LINK Montgomery
A program of Montgomery Countryside Alliance helping farmland and farmers find each other...
Land Link has matched 33 new and expanding farmers with long-term leases. Here are a few of the farmers who are still seeking land through the program.
n An African with 30 + years experience in farming back in my country and 4 years experience in gardening here in the USA looking for one acre of land to produce vegetables and, if possible, a small poultry operation to give my community the best vegetables and chicken. I will soon complete the Beginning Farmers training program with Eco City Farm and would like to apply my new knowledge learned.
n I am looking for farmland available for lease or partnership opportunities. Ideally, I need land suitable for cultivating fresh, organic vegetables, including leeks— especially a special variety from Afghanistan that is highly prized for its flavor and is in strong demand within the Afghan community here. I also plan to grow onions, garlic, cilantro, and other fresh produce.
n An emerging farmer with 5 + years of agricultural experience. For the last year, I have been leasing land in Brookeville where I am raising a mixed herd of myotonic and angora goats, as well as a flock of laying birds with the help of my fiancé. I also established a turnkey regional honeybee business and have beehives at outyards scattered across Central Maryland. I’ m putting out feelers for a land arrangement now that would ideally include on-site private housing for my fiancé and our dog, Open to any acreage. Fenced pasture with barn / shelter, water access, and storage desired.
n Local farmer with 10 years of experience in cultivating Gotu Kola( Centella asiatica), aiming to establish a small-scale operation dedicated to growing and harvesting this table crop plant with long-established benefits for mood, circulation and healing. Seeking 1 / 4-1 acre.
n Community herbalist ready to grow! I have been a grower of herbs in gardens large and small for many years and completed the Beginning Farmer Training Program at Eco City. Working with a mentor through Future Harvest and utilize sustainable growing practices. We grow a wide variety of aromatic medicinal plants and herbs, some culturally relevant vegetables. Looking to steward up to one acre. power grid to accept the energy generated by new solar projects is uncertain. The new law’ s sponsors argued vigorously that Maryland needs to generate more of its own energy— of all kinds: renewable, natural gas, nuclear, etc. But energy generation and distribution in the U. S. has always been shared among states, and decisions about siting and allocation are made by quasi-governmental authorities. In Maryland and 11 other Eastern states and DC, that entity is PJM Interconnection. PJM is on record stating that new solar projects in our region are significantly backlogged for addition to the grid.
How the new solar law will be interpreted, implemented and enforced, and what impact it will have on farming in the state and energy supply, remains largely unknown.
“ Pairing agriculture and solar— agrivoltaics— is a concept worth testing. We don’ t yet know how it will work out. Grazing sheep under panels has been successful in some areas and could work in Maryland. We plan to study this and closely track what farmers do.”
- kevin atticks, maryland secretary of agriculture
That said, it’ s certain that the law will take good quality farmland out of food production. In a worsecase scenario, that will happen even as climate change adversely affects farmers and food production over the next decade. These concerns argue for close scrutiny of the law’ s affect.
The solar bill was heavily pushed by the profitable solar industry. There’ s little doubt it serves their interest. Solar energy must absolutely be part of the solution to replacing fossil fuels. But whether this bill, on balance, serves the long-term interest of Marylanders is an open and troubling question.
Steven Findlay is the president of Sugarloaf Citizens Association. SCA and other groups advocated for changes in the solar bill. With Montgomery Countryside Alliance, Montgomery Farm Bureau and Montgomery Agricultural Producers, SCA issued a statement on the final version of the legislation in April. That can be found on MCA’ s and SCA’ s websites. These four groups are also party to PSC’ s proceedings on the Chaberton Solar projects mentioned in the article. We have opposed them.
Bethesda Beat profiled
“ The Faces of Land Link” at: bit. ly / BBLandLink
8 plenty I summer growing 2025
Mocolandlink. org