Anne Arundel County Farm Bureau, Inc.

Email: aacofarmbureauinc@verizon.net Website: www.mdfarmbureau.com (go to county sites)

Jeffrey W. Griffith, President Earl E. Griffith, Vice President Christine M. Griffith, Secretary/Treasurer

5643 Greenock Rd, Lothian, Md. 20711 5571 Greenock Rd., Lothian, MD 20711 5643 Greenock Rd., Lothian, Md. 20711

410-741-1743 410-741-9307 410-741-9212; Fax: 410-741-0027

C O U N T R Y S I D E N E W S

February 2008

Farm Bureau Website:

Anne Arundel County Farm Bureau’s link is available on the Maryland Farm Bureau website. It includes the Board of Directors, Schedule of Events, County Statistics, Newsletters, and Miss Anne Arundel information. To access the website:

--go to www.mdfarmbureau.com

--click on ‘county sites’

--click on ‘Anne Arundel County’

--click on category of interest

Please check the county link on a regular basis for updates. Newsletters are available in February, May, September and October. Other items available on the MFB website are shopping, no charge ads, Hotlines (legislative issues important to MFB), membership (benefits, application, dues), kidz corner, news, and farmers markets.

If you would like to receive newsletters by email, contact Chris at aacofarmbureauinc@verizon.net. Wouldn’t it be nice to know about the county events within days instead of weeks!

Discussion Group

Members of Anne Arundel County Farm Bureau are invited to participate in a monthly discussion group. The discussions include such topics as farming, environment, political concerns, or general county issues. Board members, Milly Welsh and Ross Moreland, are on this committee. You can participate each month or just when a topic interests you. If you are interested in joining the discussions or have ideas for discussions, please contact Milly at 410-798-4211.

Young Farmers and Womens’ Committees

The Young Farmers and Women are committees of both the county and state farm bureaus. Member participation is vital in keeping these committees strong. Some of their objectives are to develop leadership, and to assist the farm bureau organization and communities when needed. Both of these committees are looking for members to join their groups so that they can better serve everyone involved. Their objective is to help others and have fun, too. The general age for young farmers is 14 to 35. If you are interested in either group, please contact your county farm bureau secretary.

Membership

Membership is the backbone and strength of Farm Bureau. Help keep Farm Bureau strong by renewing your membership when it arrives and talking to friends about joining our grassroots organization! Anyone is invited to join farm bureau whether they are directly or indirectly connected to agriculture. Members learn to better understand agriculture and how its contributions to the nation affect everyone. Through Maryland Farm Bureau, members have a voice in legislation. Your past support has been very much appreciated.

Safemark Open House—Gibson’s Shell (410-867-0525)

Once again, Robbie Gibson, owner and operator of Gibson’s Shell located at Routes 2 & 408 (the traffic circle) in Lothian, is pleased to hold his Safemark Open House on Friday, April 4^th from 5:00 to 8:00pm. Food will be served at 5:30pm and door prizes will be given throughout the evening. From March 31^st to 4pm on April 4^th Robbie will offer to members a special pricing on all Safemark products paid for in advance. No orders will be accepted during the Open House event. Please join Robbie on the 4^th for great food and get to know other Farm Bureau County members.

Maryland Department of Agriculture Open House: The MDA, located on Harry S Truman Parkway in Annapolis, will be holding their annual open house on Saturday, March 29^th from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Stop by for a great day of activities for all ages such as milking a cow, making slime, hog calling, petting farm, riding a pony, and learning agriculture through hands on activities. Wonderful Maryland food and crafts are also available.

Anne Arundel County Young Farmers: Scholarships are available for agricultural related curriculums as well as electrical and soil science curriculums. Contact Chris Griffith at 410-741-1743 for an application.

Women’s Committee: In June, A.A. Co. Farm Bureau will choose their 2008 Miss A.A. Co. Farm Bureau. Any girl, age 16-19, whose parents is or becomes A.A. Co. Farm Bureau members, is eligible to hold this position. Each applicant must be 16 by mid-August. Applicants should have some farming background or have raised some type of farm animals. If you or someone you know would be interested in this honor of being our county representative, please call Chris Griffith. Applications must be received by May 30, 2008. The Women’s Committee will review them and the approved applicants will participate in the contest at the June 22^nd county picnic.

The Farm Bureau would like to thank Sydney Henschel, our current Miss Anne Arundel, for helping promote agriculture within the County. Throughout the year, she supported her county farm bureau by attending the State Young Farmers Retreat, assisting at farmers’ markets, and attending various county events.

Text Box: New Membership Renewal Forms: Starting in August, the membership renewal forms for AA Co. will show a total due of $57. This amount includes the $55 annual dues plus an optional $2 donation toward the MFB Political Action Committee (PAC) Fund. If a member is not interested in making this donation, they may subtract it out and pay only the $55. Our county dues have not increased.

Get Fresh…Buy Local

2^nd Annual Agricultural Education Day

Saturday, July 26, 2008 -11am to 6pm

Knightongale Farm, corner of Route 2 & Birdsville Rd, Davidsonville, MD

The event, sponsored by the A.A. Economic Development Corporation (AAEDC) and the A.A. Co. Farm Bureau will serve to educate & promote awareness of agriculture. It will coincide with the Southern Md. Agricultural Development Commission’s Buy Local Week Campaign, which will allow us to showcase the fabulous local products in our region. There will be a Farmers Market, local music, food and wine. Fun for the entire family includes childrens’ games & activities, educational exhibits, farm animals, hayride and more. For additional information please contact Lisa Barge, Ag Marketing & Development Manager, AAEDC, 410-222-7410 or email at lbarge@aaedc.org.

Schedule of County Events:

        -     March 29^th – Md. Dept. of Agriculture Open House – 9am to 3pm
        -         April 4^th - Safemark Open House; Gibson’s Shell, Lothian; 5 to 8pm
        -         June 22^nd - Annual County Picnic and Miss AA Co. Contest; 1:00; Quiet Waters Park
        -         July 26^th - Get Fresh…Buy Local 2^nd Annual Agricultural Education Day; 11am-6pm