David Greene stopped tending his 130 lambs in White Hall on July 29. Tom Albright’s acres of vegetables in Monkton and Jacksonville didn’t get weeded, either.

That's because both farmers traveled to Shawan Road to attend groundbreaking ceremonies for Baltimore County's new agriculture center.

The first phase of the Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture — simply called the Ag Center by most — will be home to the agencies that support farmers, such as the county’s Soil Conservation District, the state’s Cooperative Extension Office as well as two arms of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Maryland Horsebreeders Association will also make the Ag Center its new headquarters.

The 14,200-square-foot core building will look like several farm structures clustered together.

In addition to farm agency offices, it will include a commercial kitchen and meeting rooms for agencies such as 4-H clubs, the Maryland Wineries Association, master gardeners and Central Maryland Beekeeper Association.

“As farmers transition into the future, this will provide one-stop shopping,” said Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Buddy Hance at the ceremony. “Agriculture is still the No. 1 industry in Maryland.”

Thus far, about $10 million of federal, state and county money has been spent to purchase the 149-acre former horse farm, design the facility and construct the main building, which is expected to be completed by fall 2010.

The center’s master plan calls for vineyards and crops for demonstrations; an education building; a farm museum; greenhouses; livestock barn and horse barn; outdoor show ring; and an equine veterinarian clinic.

The total cost of a completed center could be $20 million, said David Carroll, the county’s director of sustainability, who chaired the ag center steering committee.

The ag center’s board is composed of Wayne McGinnis, chairman; Mike Spencer, president; Gene Swackhamer, vice president; Lee Bishop, secretary; and Keith Wills, treasurer.

Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith told the 100 people who gathered for the ceremony that the project “will directly benefit our farmers and agricultural businesses, as well as broaden the understanding of students and the public about how agriculture is relevant to their daily lives.”

Smith said agriculture is a $300 million industry in Baltimore County.

“This whole project will take a while, but it will be helpful for farmers, gardeners and city people, since it has a lot of potential to educate people about agriculture,” said Ed Lippy, of Lippy Brothers, who farms about 10,000 acres in Baltimore, Carroll and York, Pa., counties. “Maybe it’ll help when I’m going down a road in my combine and pull over to let 20 or so cars pass me.

“Now, maybe they won’t be as mad.”

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