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Agricultural Profitability: Small Farm Program

• Success Stories
• Integrated Pest Management Programs
• Chesapeake Bay
• Water Conservation
• Forest Stewardship Ed.
• Small Farm Program
• Dairy Farms
• Land Use/Managed Growth
• Environmental Horticulture
• Commercial Horticulture
• Child Care
• Managing Family Financial
• Public Issues Education
• 4-H Youth Development
• Diabetes Education
• Food Safety
• Food Insecurity & Hunger
• Obesity
• Leadership Development
• Composting to Reduce Waste
• Rural Economic Development
• Ag. Land & Infrastructure
• Forest Industry Eval.
• Poultry Industry Econ.

• Maryland has 10,710, or 88.6% farms that qualify as smallfarms.

• The 1997 U.S. Census of Agriculture shows that in Maryland, thenumber of full-time farms decreased 12% from 1992 to 1997.

• Small farm operators typically have little to no previousexperience and are entering farming as a secondary career.

• MCE developed nationally recognized educational programs thatprovided basic training in topics including, farm financialmanagement, environmental protection, marketing, and enterpriseselection.

• The Maryland Small Farm Cooperative was developed to assistsmall farm operators with group purchasing and selling andnetworking.

• Over 1,200 small, part-time farmers have attended MCE smallfarm programs since 1996.

• Program participants reported an average of $12,000 in grossfarm income from enterprises they developed.

• The Maryland Small Farm Cooperative, in Central and SouthernMaryland, has saved its over 300 members thousands through grouppurchasing contracts. The cooperative's direct marketing livestockfacility has saved members over $150,000 in sales commissions since1998.

For more information, contact Robert Tjaden

Last updated: 03/10/2009