Issue Position: Agriculture

Issue Position

Agriculture is the largest commercial industry in Maryland employing nearly 350,000 people. Agriculture also makes up the largest land use in the state with more than 2 million acres or 32 percent being used for mostly grain production. Poultry and vegetables are also prominent. Much of Maryland's farms are located on the mid and upper Eastern Shore and any change in regulations or laws have had significant impacts on our local economy.

Jeff's concerns:

While population growth has absorbed much of the tillable acreage and decimated the large tracts of land it has been onerous regulations that might be the most significant threat to the industry. Over the past six years an onslaught of laws and regulations have eroded the profits of the small family farms.

Grain production dominates the local agricultural industry. However, it is the large poultry companies in the region that supports the grain producers. Most of the grain production feeds the poultry industry.

The more stringent regulations began in 2002 when the EPA entered into agreements with the states to have Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) perform stringent nutrient management plans. These plans would have farmers document how they store manure, facility maintenance, animal mortality, chemical disposition and most importantly disposition of the litter.

The agreement, though, had no enforcement mechanism and was voluntary so the Chesapeake Bay Foundation sued the EPA in 2009 and the case settled in 2010. The settlement of the suit led to the EPA's Total Maximum Daily Load. The TMDL created a timeline for them to be met. The Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP), the septic regulations, the Accounting for Growth regulations and the Phosphorous Management Tool have quickly followed. All of these far reaching environmental experiments have been quickly pushed through without making their way through the legislature.

In June of 2013, the EPA and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation struck another "deal" by amending the settlement agreement from 2010 to replace regulations with audits. The "deal" delays the new regulations for five years. This is good for farmers but we must ask, who is running our government; environmental activists, career bureaucrats or elected officials?

Maryland farmers have adapted to the radical changes in our State's environmental policy. The farming industry has achieved 130% of its Watershed Implementation Plan 2 year milestones. Despite their hard work they are being asked to do more. The new Phosphorous Management Tool (nice euphemism for radical regulations) could prevent 80% of our farmers from applying poultry litter on their fields. This will require farmers to move away from less expensive organic fertilizer to the more expensive commercial fertilizer. The regulations will also create a surplus of unused manure. This will require the industry to ship the manure longer distances adding a tremendous cost to the disposal. As usual, there has been no economic impact analysis and farmers are pleading for time to make necessary changes to their business models before this new mandate is implemented. Jeff is opposed to implementing any new environmental mandates until there is scientific evidence that past regulations have made any meaningful impact on the water quality of the bay and its rivers.

Jeff Supports:

Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost-Share (MACS) Program. This is a program that provides farmers with grants to help with up to 87.5 percent of the cost of best management practices (BMPs). According to the Maryland Farm Bureau, Over the last 15 years, farmers spent $15.8 million of their own money to match $72.8 million in state cost share to help pay for buffers, cover crops and other erosion control measures. If the state chooses to mandate costly regulations the taxpayers who elected the leadership in Annapolis should bear some of the cost.
Agricultural Preservation. In Jeff's initial budget as Caroline County Commissioner he proved his support for agricultural preservation. According to the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy's publication, State of the Shore, "It's a reasonable demonstration of a real county commitment toward land preservation. Caroline County proves it can be done by a rural Eastern Shore county."
Lower taxes. Farming is a business. Corporate and personal income taxes along with estate, inheritance and capital gains taxes have enormous impacts on the viability of the farming industry. Jeff supports lower taxes that accompany less expensive government.
"Jeff Ghrist is committed to promote and protect Maryland's agriculture and rural lifestyle. He understands how the decisions made by government leaders impact the farming community." Harry Moreland, III; Caroline County Farm Bureau, Former President

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