anchor Mission Statement
The Office of Agriculture (OAG) was created in July 2016 and exists to promote agriculture as a viable component of the County's economic sector, as well as to preserve farmland as a resource for future agricultural production. The goal of the OAG is to promote Montgomery County as a leader in the agricultural industry by providing support to our farm community and working to educate our residents.
anchor Budget Overview
The total approved FY21 Operating Budget for the Office of Agriculture is $991,853, a decrease of $14,519 or 1.44 percent from the FY20 Approved Budget of $1,006,372. Personnel Costs comprise 67.90 percent of the budget for eight full-time position(s) and one part-time position(s), and a total of 4.15 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 32.10 percent of the FY21 budget.
County Priority Outcomes
While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:
- A Greener County
- A Growing Economy
- Thriving Youth and Families
Program Descriptions
Agricultural Services
OAG is responsible for the coordination of programs offered by its partner agencies, which are all co-located at the Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood. These Federal, State, and local partners include University of Maryland-Extension, the Montgomery Soil Conservation District, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the Farm Service Agency....
Program Performance Measures | Actual FY18 | Actual FY19 | Estimated FY20 | Target FY21 | Target FY22 |
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Technical assistance contacts with farmers | 649 | 731 | 650 | 700 | 700 |
Acres of land under easements inspected by Agricultural Services | 3,650 | 6,017 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
Percent of easement acres under most restrictive easement disallowing development | 31.7% | 31.7% | 31.7% | | |
Percent of participants who learned or benefitted from Agricultural Services event, training, or farm tour 1 | N/A | N/A | 90% | | |
Read More Soil Conservation
The Montgomery Soil Conservation District (MSCD) is a political subdivision of the State staffed by County, State, and Federal employees. Staff members assist farmers and agricultural landowners with resource conservation practices implemented on their land. The mission of the Soil Conservation District is to improve the quality of the...
Program Performance Measures | Actual FY18 | Actual FY19 | Estimated FY20 | Target FY21 | Target FY22 |
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Soil conservation contacts with farmers and landowners to provide technical assistance | 154 | 191 | 164 | 176 | 174 |
Water quality plans completed | 18 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
Percent of interagency site visits coordinated within one business day of agricultural complaint | 85% | 90% | 90% | | |
Pounds of nitrogen reduced through conservation and best management practices | 26,818 | 26,155 | 34,394 | | |
Read More University of Maryland-Extension (UMD-Extention)
The Montgomery County Extension Office serves as the agricultural outreach and education component of the University of Maryland. This agency is funded cooperatively through local, State, and Federal governments. Farmers, families, and youth are the primary audiences of the Extension Office. Educational programs for farmers include raising crops and livestock,...
Program Performance Measures | Actual FY18 | Actual FY19 | Estimated FY20 | Target FY21 | Target FY22 |
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Nutrient management plans completed | 94 | 108 | 120 | 120 | 120 |
4-H youth development program participants | 7,610 | 7,326 | 5,291 | 6,000 | 6,000 |
Average pre- to post-test score increase of Close Encounters with Agriculture participants on agriculture, nutrition, and the environment 1 | N/A | N/A | 49% | | |
Percent of Food Supplement Nutrition Education youth participants who try new healthy food 2 | 42% | 42% | 42% | | |
Percent of participants who purchase produce they learn about from Food Supplement Nutrition Education farmers market programming 3 | 92% | 92% | 92% | | |
Read More