Civic Engagement

Chapter 5: The human element: rights and responsibilities, safety and stress is part of the online publication "From Surviving to Thriving: Strategies for Urban Farm Success. This chapter will help you learn how to proactively protect the physical and mental health of yourself, anyone else working on your farm, your customers, and your community. It will also talk about how to work towards the long-term sustainability of your farm by engaging your community and planning how you will pass the baton.

Have problems with trespassers? Do nonfarm neighbors complain about foul odors? Have you ever been threatened with a lawsuit because of your neighbors? Are you being blamed for causing traffic congestion? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you are not alone. Conflicts between farmers and their non-farm neighbors are on the increase. Especially in Maryland, which ranks fifth among the 50 states in population density.

There are many ideas that come to mind when imagining a rural community—quaint towns, expansive cropland, and cattle contentedly grazing. But at times living in a rural community is not always as picturesque or convenient. This can be due to services that may or may not be available, industry in the area, and transportation. In rural communities one of the largest and most important industries is agriculture.

The Agriculture and Food Systems (AgFS) Program Winter Meetings have been completed. Each meeting was four hours long to provide continuing education credits for agronomy, forage, fruit, and vegetable producers.

The University of Maryland Agriculture and Food Systems (AgFS) Extension Program serves the leading private industry in the state. In 2017, the market value of Maryland crops and livestock sold exceeded $2.4 billion and contributed $8.25 billion to the Maryland economy.

The MidAtlantic Women in Agriculture program engages, educates, and empowers women on common issues in risk management. Farming is a unique business that has strong ties to family, values, and land. These strong ties lead to the need for outreach and education on risk management topics such as financial planning, estate planning, marketing, communication, computer programs, budgeting, insurance, and much more. As profit margins slim and expenses rise the importance of mitigating these risks has increased.