Leaders Unveil New Office Of Agriculture Serving Howard County

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Officials have created an Office of Agriculture (OoA), which is the third such office in the state. The creation of the OoA falls under the HoCo By Design plan.

“We have and will continue to do more to make sure that agriculture remains a viable business and lifestyle for today’s farming families and future generations,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball during a news conference. “The Office of Agriculture will create a physical space where all our agriculture-facing functions can collaborate toward a common goal of supporting farms and farmers. By locating the new Office of Agriculture at West Friendship Park, we envision a strong partnership between the office and the department of recreation and parks to develop and administer agricultural learning and recreational uses. These combined efforts will help develop and promote agricultural learning and agri-recreation among our residents and visitors.”

Located at West Friendship Park, the new OoA will bring agricultural resources closer to Howard County’s farming community. The office will bring together various agricultural programs and staff in a shared space to enhance coordination and impact and will provide co-working opportunities for the agriculture-facing functions of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, Department of Planning and Zoning and University of Maryland Extension. The OoA also will work with the county’s department of recreation and parks to provide agriculturally-focused recreational programming and learning opportunities for residents at the park.

“We are thrilled that Howard County is creating this new office dedicated to supporting agriculture,” said Kevin Atticks, secretary of agriculture with the Maryland Department of Agriculture. “It’s an acknowledgment of the incredible importance of the industry to the county and its residents.”

The OoA will have four full-time positions: administrator of agriculture, executive assistant, manager for the agricultural program, and manager for the Roving Radish Program. OCS’s agricultural coordinator position will also be reassigned to OoA. Ball plans to include money in his proposed fiscal year 2025 operating budget for the three additional positions.

“This is a great day for Howard County Agriculture,” said James Zoller, agricultural coordinator, Office of Community Sustainability. “The Office of Agriculture has been discussed by the agricultural community and leaders for years and I appreciate County Executive Calvin Ball making this a reality. This new office is going to create synergy between offices already providing services to our agricultural community allowing for better service and development of new programs to assist our farmers.”