Agriculture
November 15, 2024
This month, Montgomery County launched the latest phase of its initiative to reduce food waste by encouraging businesses and residents to compost instead of discarding food scraps in the trash. (See a short video later in this article.)
Food scraps account for about one-quarter of the county's total trash volume. In 2023, the county estimates that approximately 90,000 tons of food waste ended up in the trash, most of which was incinerated at the county's facility in Dickerson.
Composting food scraps is an environmentally beneficial practice (and thus, a no-brainer), but it requires significant changes in behavior for households and businesses, as well as adaptations to the county’s waste management systems. The county has been running a pilot composting program for several years and now plans to increase participation and enhance its infrastructure.
Part of this effort includes allowing residents to “recycle” food scraps at the curbside, just as they do with glass, plastic, paper, and cardboard. The collected scraps would be transported to a central location, likely the Dickerson yard trim compost facility.
Click “Read More” to go to the full article and watch a short YouTube video of the County’s recent ceremony on the composting initiative.
Updated August 12, 2024
The Montgomery County Council in late July approved a zoning ordinance that will allow some landowners in the Ag Reserve to host overnight guests in what will essentially be private campgrounds open to the public. The measure goes into affect August 19.
The new ordinance—called Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 24-02—was approved by the 11-member Council after eight months of debate that ended in a compromise, scaled-down version of an earlier proposal. That proposal drew broad opposition from farmers and Ag Reserve groups, including SCA.
The measure as passed has the following allowances, limits, and restrictions:
• Campgrounds can be on working farms only. Thus, entrepreneurs thinking about buying land in the Ag Reserve solely to develop a private campground would not be permitted to do so.
• Landowners must submit plans for a private campground to the county for evaluation under “conditional use” rules. That means County officials will evaluate each proposal on its own merits and “conditions” may be imposed depending on the specific needs of the property and neighborhood.
• A property must be at least 25 acres to qualify for a campground.
• A campground can encompass only 10% of a property’s total acreage, or 5 acres, whichever is smaller.
• Campsites don’t have to be clustered in one area. If spread out, however, they still must comply with the 10% or 5-acre limit
• A campground must be 100 feet from any neighboring property line.
• Properties of 25 to 100 acres can have up to 5 sites for tent or RV camping, or temporary removable structures such as yurts or small cabin on wheels.
• Properties larger than 100 acres can have up to 10 such sites, of which only 5 can be for RV camping.
• No tents, RVs, or removable structures are permitted in a stream buffer or floodplain, and cutting down trees to create a campground is prohibited.
• Temporary removable structures cannot be larger than 200 square feet.
• Such structures cannot have heating or air conditioning systems, kitchens or bathrooms. RVs can have such amenities.
• Property owners are not required to provide separate bathrooms, bathing facilities, or cooking facilities. If they do, those facilities must meet existing county codes, including those for septic systems, and be approved by county authorities.
• Guests can stay a maximum of 3 nights only.
November 17, 2025
The following statement was issued the week of November 10, 2025 by four organizations who are involved in protecting and preserving the Ag Reserve, including SCA. Please feel free to distribute it. And please consider commenting on it in the section below.
Position Statement PDF
Centering Agriculture in Agritourism
A Joint Position Statement on Agritourism
11/3/2025
Montgomery County Farm Bureau, Montgomery Agricultural Producers
Montgomery Countryside Alliance and Sugarloaf Citizens Association
In 1980, Montgomery County enacted a visionary solution to stem the loss of farms and farmland. It created the Agricultural Reserve, which has been lauded as the nation’s most innovative and successful farmland protection effort. Montgomery County has reaped the benefits of this initiative every day. The Ag Reserve has preserved farms and farming opportunities; it enables local food and grain production; it protects water and air quality for the region; and it provides an array of outdoor recreational opportunities for the entire County. The farms of the Ag Reserve contribute $281 million annually and support over 10,000 jobs in the County.
Maryland lost an average of 2,400 acres of farmland each year between 2017 and 2022. Montgomery County’s land use policies have helped stem the loss of producing farms here, but maintaining thriving farms requires care.
The Ag Reserve remains one of the County’s best ideas – an achievement many other jurisdictions envy. The fundamental purpose of the Reserve—to protect thriving farms—will be strengthened through enhanced connections between producing farms and residents in the County’s urban and suburban areas.
Agricultural tourism is thriving in the Ag Reserve. Many farmers are enhancing revenue by building new markets for their farm products. For decades, thousands of visitors have flocked to Ag Reserve farms to shop at farm stores, for “pick your own” produce, harvest festivals, wineries, breweries, cideries, corn mazes, educational farm tours, animal visits, farm-to-table dinners, and equestrian events. Agritourism connects consumers with local farms not only for purchasing local products but also to build greater understanding about how food is produced and why it is important to support a strong local food system.
A Fragile Balance
Why then is the subject of agritourism becoming somewhat controversial? It’s simple: Some landowners (or land speculators) seek to profit from land planned and zoned as protected farmland by introducing commercial activities that are not associated with farming. Land in the Reserve has been zoned to ensure that it will remain reasonably affordable for farmers to lease or purchase. Business investors who are not farmers, if allowed to divert land from the primary use of farming, will attract other land investors with non-farming ideas. Providing for non-agricultural commercial uses of the Reserve is already driving up the cost of land for bona fide farmers, including, importantly, next 2 generation producers. Promoting competition for land from distinctly non-agricultural commercial uses does not support the Ag Reserve and the local agricultural economy. Rather, it undermines it.
Ag Centered Agritourism
Our position is based on a single, solid principle: Farming must come first in the Ag Reserve. Non-farm uses of the land must directly support agriculture (i.e., be “accessory” to agriculture in regulatory language). Ag-centered agritourism directly supports farming, by bringing visitors to working, commercial farms, and helps farmers diversify and expand their revenue. Ag centered agritourism will not inflate farmland prices by providing incentive for non-farmers to buy up farmland.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of examples of “agritourism” ideas that do not enhance farming operations but might create revenue for a landowner. In a domino effect, every time a landowner starts a non-farming business in the AR zone, the door is opened wider to more non-farming business. Allowing land speculators to create non-farming businesses with thinly veiled “ag-lite” activities will take land out of farming and drive land costs up.
We suggest the following to facilitate an agritourism permitting and oversight process that best serves farmers, rural residents, and the region:
(1)Follow the current regulatory framework for allowing agritourism operations
The AR zone and its development standards ensure that agritourism complements and supports, rather than supplants, the primary agricultural use of the land.
Purpose of the Ag Reserve: The AR zone intent is to "promote agriculture as the primary land use".
Agricultural priority: Agricultural operations are given priority and "cannot be restricted on the grounds that it interferes with other uses permitted in the zone."
Agritourism as accessory: Agritourism activities are considered accessory uses to the main farming operation and must be conducted as part of the farm's regular business.
(2) Further clarify/define agritourism (in a farmer-driven process)
We recommend that the Department of Permitting Services work with the Office of Agriculture and the Soil Conservation District staff to clarify any requirements that may cause confusion for farms. Making existing zoning regulations clear to potential agritourism operations at the outset helps applicants and the wider community. Publications and discussions need to very clearly state what is currently allowed and what is prohibited in The County’s Zoning Code – along with any other ordinances that might impact a potential operation (noise, forest cover, wells, impervious surface, need for permits, etc.). The OAG has a good start on this effort with the Regulatory Guidelines for Farmland Operations. DPS’ recently formed “navigator” service is also a positive step.
In addition, “agritourism” does not have a stand-alone definition in the County Codes. An explicit definition should be developed for clarity. That definition should be created in collaboration with the farming community, especially those who have conducted agritourism activities successfully within the current Codes.
1. Give agritourism a specific home in County regulation
As agritourism is different from other types of tourism in the county – and, as stated, needs to be in service of agriculture – it makes sense that it would have a different home and oversight in regulation and county government. We propose that the Office of Agriculture is the best jurisdictional “home” to facilitate these operations, and to keep farm protection the priority of County regulation. For promotion – a cross-sector approach would work well to bring residents out to the Reserve’s farms.
2. State level initiatives need to be balanced with the unique Ag Reserve
The balance of allowable land uses that keep farms protected in Montgomery County is fragile. Statewide initiatives to bolster certain activities on farms must be examined for accordance with the Ag Reserve’s master planned goals. Montgomery County must not surrender its locally focused land use planning and regulation to State control, which itself has to meet the needs of all Counties, including all those who do not have an Ag Reserve to protect.
Moving forward, we must:
Ensure that agriculture is at the center of all commercial activity on farms in the Ag Reserve,
Craft a clear, explicit definition of agritourism in collaboration with broad representation of the farming community, and
Make sure that Montgomery County maintains independent authority over its ability to regulate agriculture and “accessory” activities.
The Ag Reserve has survived and prospered for 45 years. If agritourism keeps farming front and center, then agritourism can contribute to the success of the next 45 years and beyond.
Toward Collaboration,
Doug Lechlider, President
Montgomery County Farm Bureau
Bob Cissel, Executive Director
Montgomery Agricultural Producers
Steve Findlay, President
Sugarloaf Citizens Association
Caroline Taylor, Executive Director
Montgomery Countryside Alliance
Centering Agriculture in Agritourism
A Joint Position Statement on Agritourism
11/3/2025
Montgomery County Farm Bureau, Montgomery Agricultural Producers
Montgomery Countryside Alliance and Sugarloaf Citizens Association
In 1980, Montgomery County enacted a visionary solution to stem the loss of farms and farmland. It created the Agricultural Reserve, which has been lauded as the nation’s most innovative and successful farmland protection effort. Montgomery County has reaped the benefits of this initiative every day. The Ag Reserve has preserved farms and farming opportunities; it enables local food and grain production; it protects water and air quality for the region; and it provides an array of outdoor recreational opportunities for the entire County. The farms of the Ag Reserve contribute $281 million annually and support over 10,000 jobs in the County.
Maryland lost an average of 2,400 acres of farmland each year between 2017 and 2022. Montgomery County’s land use policies have helped stem the loss of producing farms here, but maintaining thriving farms requires care.
The Ag Reserve remains one of the County’s best ideas – an achievement many other jurisdictions envy. The fundamental purpose of the Reserve—to protect thriving farms—will be strengthened through enhanced connections between producing farms and residents in the County’s urban and suburban areas.
Agricultural tourism is thriving in the Ag Reserve. Many farmers are enhancing revenue by building new markets for their farm products. For decades, thousands of visitors have flocked to Ag Reserve farms to shop at farm stores, for “pick your own” produce, harvest festivals, wineries, breweries, cideries, corn mazes, educational farm tours, animal visits, farm-to-table dinners, and equestrian events. Agritourism connects consumers with local farms not only for purchasing local products but also to build greater understanding about how food is produced and why it is important to support a strong local food system.
A Fragile Balance
Why then is the subject of agritourism becoming somewhat controversial? It’s simple: Some landowners (or land speculators) seek to profit from land planned and zoned as protected farmland by introducing commercial activities that are not associated with farming. Land in the Reserve has been zoned to ensure that it will remain reasonably affordable for farmers to lease or purchase. Business investors who are not farmers, if allowed to divert land from the primary use of farming, will attract other land investors with non-farming ideas. Providing for non-agricultural commercial uses of the Reserve is already driving up the cost of land for bona fide farmers, including, importantly, next 2 generation producers. Promoting competition for land from distinctly non-agricultural commercial uses does not support the Ag Reserve and the local agricultural economy. Rather, it undermines it.
Ag Centered Agritourism
Our position is based on a single, solid principle: Farming must come first in the Ag Reserve. Non-farm uses of the land must directly support agriculture (i.e., be “accessory” to agriculture in regulatory language). Ag-centered agritourism directly supports farming, by bringing visitors to working, commercial farms, and helps farmers diversify and expand their revenue. Ag centered agritourism will not inflate farmland prices by providing incentive for non-farmers to buy up farmland.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of examples of “agritourism” ideas that do not enhance farming operations but might create revenue for a landowner. In a domino effect, every time a landowner starts a non-farming business in the AR zone, the door is opened wider to more non-farming business. Allowing land speculators to create non-farming businesses with thinly veiled “ag-lite” activities will take land out of farming and drive land costs up.
We suggest the following to facilitate an agritourism permitting and oversight process that best serves farmers, rural residents, and the region:
(1)Follow the current regulatory framework for allowing agritourism operations
The AR zone and its development standards ensure that agritourism complements and supports, rather than supplants, the primary agricultural use of the land.
Purpose of the Ag Reserve: The AR zone intent is to "promote agriculture as the primary land use".
Agricultural priority: Agricultural operations are given priority and "cannot be restricted on the grounds that it interferes with other uses permitted in the zone."
Agritourism as accessory: Agritourism activities are considered accessory uses to the main farming operation and must be conducted as part of the farm's regular business.
(2) Further clarify/define agritourism (in a farmer-driven process)
We recommend that the Department of Permitting Services work with the Office of Agriculture and the Soil Conservation District staff to clarify any requirements that may cause confusion for farms. Making existing zoning regulations clear to potential agritourism operations at the outset helps applicants and the wider community. Publications and discussions need to very clearly state what is currently allowed and what is prohibited in The County’s Zoning Code – along with any other ordinances that might impact a potential operation (noise, forest cover, wells, impervious surface, need for permits, etc.). The OAG has a good start on this effort with the Regulatory Guidelines for Farmland Operations. DPS’ recently formed “navigator” service is also a positive step.
In addition, “agritourism” does not have a stand-alone definition in the County Codes. An explicit definition should be developed for clarity. That definition should be created in collaboration with the farming community, especially those who have conducted agritourism activities successfully within the current Codes.
1. Give agritourism a specific home in County regulation
As agritourism is different from other types of tourism in the county – and, as stated, needs to be in service of agriculture – it makes sense that it would have a different home and oversight in regulation and county government. We propose that the Office of Agriculture is the best jurisdictional “home” to facilitate these operations, and to keep farm protection the priority of County regulation. For promotion – a cross-sector approach would work well to bring residents out to the Reserve’s farms.
2. State level initiatives need to be balanced with the unique Ag Reserve
The balance of allowable land uses that keep farms protected in Montgomery County is fragile. Statewide initiatives to bolster certain activities on farms must be examined for accordance with the Ag Reserve’s master planned goals. Montgomery County must not surrender its locally focused land use planning and regulation to State control, which itself has to meet the needs of all Counties, including all those who do not have an Ag Reserve to protect.
Moving forward, we must:
Ensure that agriculture is at the center of all commercial activity on farms in the Ag Reserve,
Craft a clear, explicit definition of agritourism in collaboration with broad representation of the farming community, and
Make sure that Montgomery County maintains independent authority over its ability to regulate agriculture and “accessory” activities.
The Ag Reserve has survived and prospered for 45 years. If agritourism keeps farming front and center, then agritourism can contribute to the success of the next 45 years and beyond.
Toward Collaboration,
Doug Lechlider, President
Montgomery County Farm Bureau
Bob Cissel, Executive Director
Montgomery Agricultural Producers
Steve Findlay, President
Sugarloaf Citizens Association
Caroline Taylor, Executive Director
Montgomery Countryside Alliance