Mission Statement

The Office of Agriculture (OAG) was created in 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 and strengthen the agricultural economy by providing support to our farm community and working to educate our residents.

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY26 Operating Budget for the Office of Agriculture is $1,532,515, an increase of $76,563 or 5.26 percent from the FY25 Approved Budget of $1,455,952. Personnel Costs comprise 63.24 percent of the budget for ten full-time position(s) and no part-time position(s), and a total of 5.90 FTEs. Total FTEs may include workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 36.76 percent of the FY26 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

Initiatives

• The OAG recently completed building its Composting Education Hub at the Agricultural History Farm Park. This initiative was done in partnership with the Institute for Local Self Reliance and University of Maryland Extension Master Gardeners. The project goals include increasing on farm composting within the County for the purpose of generating compost, increase access to compost for agricultural producers, reducing reliance on and limit the use of fertilizers, improve soil quality and health, encourage waste management and permaculture business development, increase rainwater absorption, reduce municipal food waste and diverting food waste from landfills.

• Moco Microhub Cold Storage - The MoCo Microhub was created in partnership between the OAG and the Montgomery County Food Council (who obtained a grant to fund the purchase of the cold storage unit). The unit which will be managed and maintained by the OAG will support small county farms with aggregation and storage of their products after harvesting before distribution to food programs for residents, including farm to school, farm to table, and farm to foodbanks.

• The OAG submitted a high tunnel policy reform which eliminated the permit fee and the need for a building permit on non-agriculturally assessed properties. This initiative has made it considerably easier and less expensive for urban and suburban growers, particularly in historically disadvantaged and low-income areas, to utilize high tunnels for food production. As a result, it is expected to boost racial equity in agriculture, increase local food production, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with food transport. Moreover, it enhances urban access to nutritious food, improving customer satisfaction and positively contributing to the community's health and environmental sustainability.

Program Descriptions

  Agricultural Services

The Office of Agriculture (OAG) provides the following services: implement agricultural policies and programs; provide financial and technical assistance to farmers; manage agricultural education programs; provide financial and staff support to its partner agencies; serve as a liaison between the Executive Branch and the agricultural community via the Agricultural Advisory,...

  Soil Conservation

This program is comprised of staff and other resources from Federal, State, and local agricultural agencies. It provides technical and outreach educational assistance to farmers/rural landowners for implementing best management and conservation practices. The Montgomery Soil Conservation District (MSCD) assists the County to achieve the nationally mandated, State-assigned, Rural MS4...

  University of Maryland Extension (UME)

The Montgomery County Extension Office serves as the non-formal outreach and education arm of the University of Maryland. This agency is funded cooperatively through local, State, and Federal governments to make non-formal education accessible to all Montgomery County residents. Adults, families, and youth are target audiences. Extension programs serve across...