Agriculture – Plan It!
Presented by the Maryland Chapter of American Planning Association
Friday, June 7th, 2019
Serenity Farms 6932 Serenity Farm Road, Benedict, Maryland 20612
**This event will proceed rain or shine**
Did you miss coming to this awesome event last year? Mark your calendar because you do not want to miss it again! Did you battle the torrential downpours to be there last year? Come back as we did not get to cover all of the topics and activities due to the weather!
I cannot promise what the weather will be like this year but fingers crossed. This is an incredible one-day workshop where you will hear experts speak on agriculture and how it needs to become an integrated part of planning as it is connected to development, tourism, and community experiences. This is an event you do not want to miss! Comments from participants last year were all positive: “Please have this event again.”, “This was the best APA seminar I have ever attended.”, “Sorry that the weather kept us from a full day but there was so much great information we received.”, “The speakers were absolute experts in their fields.”
Learn some background on Farming 4 Hunger, Inc. and how a field of potatoes expanded into numerous programs that other jurisdictions are putting into place nationwide. See the place that Bernie Fowler, Jr. discussed as the 2016 APA conference keynote speaker and view the wall of no return.
Hurry up and register! Deadline is closing soon, but if you have a last minute change and can go, we will be able to do registration the day of at the event.
Please indicate if you need a vegetarian or non-vegetarian lunch at the end of checkout.
A short tour and then relaxing in the garden will continue at the Running Hare Winery in Prince Frederick.
**This event provides at least 1 CM credit**
DRESS CASUAL!! LIMITED ATTENDANCE AVAILABLE – SIGN UP EARLY
REGISTRATION CUT-OFF IS MAY 31st, 2019
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SPEAKERS
Julie Oberg, Deputy Secretary Maryland Dept. of Agriculture
Greg Bowen, Executive Director of American Chestnut Land Trust (ACLT)
Shelby Watson-Hampton, Director of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC)
Bernie Fowler, Jr., Farming4Hunger Founder
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AGENDA
8:30-9:00 Registration, coffee and bagels
9:00-9:15 Welcome and Introduction by Olivia Vidotto, APA Southern Maryland Rep.
9:15-9:45 Opening – Julie Oberg, Deputy Secretary Maryland Dept. of Agriculture
9:45-10:00 Break
10:00-11:00 Steps Toward a Regional Food System
Presented by Greg Bowen, Executive Director of American Chestnut Land Trust (ACLT)
Maryland Agriculture in the 20th and 21st Century
The Local Food Movement and the Return of Regional Food Supplies
Regulatory and Policy Changes
How Counties Can Facilitate the Creation of a Regional Food System
Q&A
11:00-noon AgriVision: Planning for Agitourism Success
Presented by Shelby Watson-Hampton, Director of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC)
The importance of incorporating agricultural businesses into community planning.
Q&A
Noon-12:45 Lunch – Caney Creek Catering
12:45-1:15 Farming4Hunger background. Presented by Bernie Fowler, Jr.
1:15-4:00 Tour of Farming4Hunger, Inc. including the hydroponic greenhouse operation. This will be followed by experiential learning and breakout sessions.
4:00-4:30 Q&A and closing remarks
5:00 AFTER EVENT: Visit an agricultural use that covers many of our topics – vineyard, winery, event location and more. We will have a short tour and continue discussing the topics while relaxing in the garden.
We will provide cheese & crackers and the rest is on you. Wine tasting $10.
Running Hare Winery 150 Adelina Rd., Prince Frederick
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Sometimes a GPS will not locate the farm in Benedict, Maryland, and you have to enter Hughesville, Maryland, 20637
From Annapolis: Take Rt. 2 South (Solomon’s Island Road) until it merges with Rt. 4 South. Continue on Rt. 2/4 South to Prince Frederick. Make a right turn onto Rt. 231 toward Hughesville. Cross the Rt. 231 Bridge and the farm will be on right.
From Lexington Park: Take Rt. 235 to Rt. 5 towards Hughesville. Turn right on Rt. 231 toward Prince Frederick. The farm will be on your left, before the Rt. 231 Bridge across the Patuxent.
