Home > Lifestyle > AGRICULTURE -- an integral part of our economy and lifestyle
 We're not just a great place to grow a business and raise a family. Agriculture has been and will continue to be an important part of our County's economy and lifestyle. We've farmed here for long time, and farmed well. Our County works actively with the farm community and other agencies to improve the visibility and productivity of our farms, past and present. Garrett County farms rank first in Maryland in production of oats, third for hay production, and fourth in inventory of cattle and calves. Craving the delectable taste of local fresh farm products? Searching for the perfect wine to accompany your meal? Looking for natural herbs or personal care items? Want to visit a working farm? With an agricultural industry made up of various enterprises, including hay, horses, grains, dairy, beef, sheep, goats, vegetables, fruits, wine, herbs, honey, maple syrup, and more, our farmers offer a wide array of products to suit many tastes. For more information, check out Garrett Farms' new website -- Buy Local. Searching for Maryland products? From fruits to vegetables, wine to cheese, nurseries to agritourism activities, you'll find it through Maryland's Best, a guide to who, what, where, and how to "find and enjoy" Maryland products. The Mountain Fresh Produce Association hosts the “Tailgate Market” each Wednesday and Saturday morning throughout the summer in Oakland and on Thursday mornings at the Garrett County Fairgrounds in McHenry. County farmers can access the new tri-state Countryside Produce Auction, which offers a market for wholesale produce. There are also two USDA-certified slaughter and meat processing facilities in the County. The Grantsville Stockyard in Grantsville and Friend's Stockyard in Accident are active year-round.
The Maryland Agricultural and Resource Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO) is committed to assisting Maryland's farm, forestry, seafood and recreation-based businesses to achieve profitability and sustainability now and in the future. MARBIDCO provides targeted services that help retain existing Ag/RBI production and commerce, promote rural entrepreneurship, and nurture emerging industries. It also offers four low-interest loan and rural business development programs: The USDA-Rural Development's mission is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for all rural Americans. It offers a variety of loan and grant programs: For agriculture news from in and around Garrett County, please view the current edition of our Mountain Top Ag News. For more information on our agricultural community, please click on the following links:
And there's something new and exciting happening in Garrett County -- BARN QUILTS! The Barn Quilt Association of Garrett County, a collaborative effort of volunteers, organizations and County government, strives to promote quilting, heritage, agritourism, folklife and history. Donna Sue Groves, a native Appalachian, purchased an old farm that included an old tobacco barn. In honor of her mother, an avid quilter, Donna Sue painted a quilt block on the old structure. That was the beginning of Barn Quilts, which has now spread to at least 19 states.
Check out the Association's website to view the County's barn quilts and find out how you can participate in this exciting program.
======== MARCELLUS SHALE DEVELOPMENT -- Searching for information relating to Marcellus Shale Development? Check out Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, for access to relevant presentations.
AGRICULTURE IN THE NEWS!
INAUGURAL BARN QUILT FESTIVAL HELD AUGUST 1ST
Between scoops of Lakeside Creamery ice cream and impromptu toy tractor races among brothers, there was the first Barn Quilt Festival at Cove Run Farms in Accident.
And Mike Dennis, for one, was pleasantly surprised at the turnout for the first-year event. A barn quilt is a quilt pattern painted or imprinted on a piece of wood and then displayed on a barn.
“This is a much, much bigger response than I think anybody anticipated,” said the Garrett County resident.
Dennis attended the festival, which promoted agriculture, heritage and the natural beauty of rural Mountain Maryland, to attract customers to his digital art and photography efforts. Dennis has taken photos in different seasons of several barn quilts around Garrett County. At least two more are set to be installed in the near future.
Dennis sells the photographs but also uses a cintique that provides a digital image with the pastel-like feel.
“It’s just a neat idea,” Dennis said of barn quilts. “A lot of these designs are unique to America. It’s part of our heritage.”
Area barn quilts highlighted at the festival include “Variation Star” owned by Bev and Taylor “Mike” Sines, “Ohio Star” owned by Wendell and Ruth Beitzel, and “Turkey Tracks” owned by Johnny and Sue Logan.
“Turkey Tracks,” located on Boiling Springs Road in Deer Park, is a simple red, white and blue image that gives the impression of a turkey’s prints.
A “Turkey Tracks” photo taken converted into a pastel impression is one of his favorites, Dennis said. The photo was originally taken early this spring. But he plans to revisit the barn this fall and winter.
“You get something different” with the fall foliage and winter snow, Dennis said. “You get a whole different painting.”
The event was organized by the Barn Quilt Association of Garrett County, Inc. Part of the festival was to make visitors aware of a self-guided barn quilt driving tour available around Garrett County. This Barn Quilt Trail is the first such driving tour in Maryland.
The tour can be done in a single afternoon or in segments and takes motorists through or near Grantsville, Bittinger, Accident and McHenry, then south to Deer Park.
The seventh barn quilt to be display is one that takes special care to highlight all four seasons. The quilt is called “Circle of Life in Garrett County.” The barn is owned by Kenney Signs Company, Frostburg, and is located between National Pike and Interstate-68 near Finzel.
Association members on Sunday unveiled the eighth and newest barn quilt, “Garden Maze,” placed on a barn near Cove Run Farm’s popular corn maze.
Karen Reckner, Festival co-coordinator, and her fellow Barn Quilt Association officers believe the project can assist the local tourism effort and help preserve the area’s agricultural and cultural history.
For more information, log on to www.garrettbarnquilts.org or call 877-577-2276.
Story courtesy of the Cumberland Times-News newspaper. ==================
 FIREFLY FARMS WINS SIX MORE CHEESE AWARDS FireFly Farms, a local producer of artisanal goat cheeses in Bittinger, has won six additional individual awards during its 2009 competition season. "We are proud and inspired by the continued recognition of our cheeses in national and international competitions," said FireFly Farms' head cheese maker, Matt Cedro. "2009 marks our eighth competition season. These six new awards bring our individual cheese award tally to 35. As the quality and variety of American artisan cheese grows, we see this a strong validation of our efforts to stay at the top of our craft and consistently produce fantastic cheese." FireFly Farms' competition season began on August 7th at the American Cheese Society (ACS) judging in Austin, Texas. At this silver anniversary judging and competition for the ACS, cheese makers turned out in record numbers. According to Firefly spokeswoman, Andrea Cedro, 197 producers from 32 states, Canada, and Mexico entered a "historic" 1,327 cheeses and cultured dairy products, 119 more than the previous record, set in Burlington, Vermont, in 2007. FireFly's aged Bella Vita™ received an ACS second-place ribbon, competing in a open class against other goat's milk cheeses. The competition season continued at the World Cheese Awards held on Occtober 3rd. The annual competition, hosted by the United Kingdom's Guild of Fine Food, was staged this year in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain. It was only the second time the awards have been held outside Britain in their 21-year history, and it attracted entries from 34 different countries. Over 150 judges from 24 countries, including Mexico, South Africa, Japan, and Australia, sampled the 2,440 entries in a "marathon" tasting session before choosing the winner, according to Cedro. "This was the most international team of judges ever assembled, with representatives from four continents involved in choosing the world champion," said Guild of Fine Food National Director, Bob Farrand. "It's the largest and most cosmopolitan cheese awards on the planet.” FireFly Farms' aged goat cheese, Cabra LaMancha™, received a World Cheese Awards Silver Medal, competing in a class against other rind-washed cheeses made from various milk types. FireFly's competition season concluded at the American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) Goat Cheese Competition in Buffalo, New York. This American competition, dedicated to exclusively judging goat's milk cheeses, earned another four cheese awards for FireFly Farms. Cabra LaMancha received a third-place ribbon, competing in a class against other unflavored rind washed cheeses. FireFly's soft-ripened blue cheese, MountainTop Bleu™, received a second-place ribbon, competing in a class against unflavored blue-veined goat's milk cheeses with exterior molding. FireFly's aged goat cheese, Bella Vita, also received a second-place ribbon, competing in a class against other unflavored hard cheeses. Another Firefly aged product, Black & Blue™, received an ADGA first-place ribbon competing in a class against other rindless, unflavored blue-veined goat's milk cheeses. "Every batch of cheese, every day we try to raise our own standard," noted Firefly assistant cheese maker, Dan Porter. "The recognition from our customers and from these competition judges is fantastic."
Story courtesy of The Republican newspaper.
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