(The Center Square) – Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order Monday expanding the state’s agriculture commission and assigning new responsibilities to help state agencies work together on farming issues.
The job of the commission will be to identify regulations that make farming harder, recommend policy changes to support agricultural businesses, and improve coordination between state and local agencies. The order also directs the commission to promote agritourism, strengthen the food supply chain, and support economic development in rural communities.
The order replaces a 2006 version of the Governor’s Intergovernmental Commission for Agriculture and adds new agencies to the group. It increases the number of voting members to 19, with representatives from farming organizations, local governments, and related industries.
It also adds 14 nonvoting members from state agencies, including the departments of labor, health, environment, energy, and education, as well as university and research leaders.
“For our state to succeed, our farmers need to succeed,” Moore said in a statement. “This order expands a commission that’s been the key forum for Marylanders to develop new solutions to challenges in agriculture for twenty years. And here’s the upshot for our farmers: stronger partnerships, greater measurements of economic growth, and a state that is unified in its approach and nimble in its execution.”
The Maryland Department of Agriculture will lead the commission. The group is required to meet at least twice each year and must submit a report to the governor by October 1 outlining its goals, progress, and any policy recommendations.
Maryland has over 12,000 farms covering roughly 2 million acres, according to the state agriculture department. Agriculture contributes more than $8 billion annually to the state economy.
The order took effect immediately on Monday and makes it clear that agencies need to coordinate more so farmers aren’t stuck dealing with red tape or falling through the cracks when it comes to state support.
