My Best Friend is a Farmer! Support Montgomery County Farms (book)
the problem:
Montgomery County is a dense suburban area which has great natural and human resources that go unnoticed by most of its population. In 2007, 21% of the County land is used in farming which supports about 577 farms. In 1949, over 67% of our land was being used for farming. On these farms they include a variety of products; beef, horses, dairy, sheep, corn for grain, corn for silage, wheat, soybeans, hay, fruits, vegetables, flowers, Christmas trees, production nurseries and greenhouses, and sod. These farms generate $251.8 million in sales annually! It would be a great loss for Montgomery County to lose its fresh products, history and heritage, and economic stability because of the decrease in farms. Farm land preservation retains the healthy and beautiful environment.
vital stats:
people impacted:
2,000people involved:
30why it's important:
This project shows the importance of agriculture on the local environment and how it impacts the economy – locally grown produce impacts the environment by eliminating shipping costs and providing local jobs. Farms provide clean open vistas which support recreation and nature beauty of our region.
the plan of action:
My project is to make an informational children’s picture book about Montgomery County, Maryland and its agriculture and farms.
I plan on giving books to elementary school aged children at the library, at local elementary schools and the University of Maryland Maryland Day event during Global Youth Service Day. In total, this will cost about $1,300 to print and bind books and produce promotional material that will be needed. I will be filling out grants to get this money. To complete my book, I will use information from my research and photographs that I took while visiting the farms that I will write about. I will use my leadership skills to organize the activities and events to support the programs when giving out the books and using the skills to make a well developed informational book. I started taking pictures for the book in July. I also did some background research on Montgomery County Agriculture and got ideas on how I would put my book together. In October, I started drafting my book and by November I will have the product done. Then in January, February and April, I will prepare activities focusing on agriculture for the children to have hands on activities and increase their interest in the book. During the program, I will read and lead the older children in reading the book to the group.
I will also donate a book to each county library, the Library of Congress and the Montgomery County Historical Society.
how you can get involved:
Promote local agriculture.
