MoCo Mashup: Brief, Key News for County Farmers
Giving gratitude for farmers and farmworkers, whose labor feeds the world.
Green Bank to Launch New Farmer Loans
The Montgomery County Green Bank is launching the Agriculture Resilience Transition Facility (ARTF), a new revolving loan program designed to help farmers invest in climate resilience, strengthen farm operations, and support long-term viability. ARTF is structured as a revolving loan facility, allowing loan repayments to be recycled into future resilience investments and multiplying the impact of public capital over time. Loan amounts from $5,000 to $50,000; fixed 4% interest rate; terms of up to 10 years. Eligible equipment and infrastructure investments include water management and irrigation improvements, climate-smart production infrastructure, energy resilience upgrades, cold storage and food preservation equipment, and more. For more info, contact lorien@mocofoodcouncil.org.
State of Maryland to Use New Platform to Connect Schools with Local Farmers
Maryland’s new Local Food Exchange (LFE), coming soon, will streamline procurement by connecting schools directly with pre-enrolled local farmers. To participate, farmers must register in Maryland’s eMMA system and respond to Requests for Proposals. The Montgomery County Food Council will host trainings this fall/winter to help farmers navigate enrollment as GAP certification requirements are finalized. More info here.
Women in Agriculture Webinars, 9/8, 12-1pm
Second Tuesday of every other month, FREE and open to all! The topic of the workshop on 9/8/26 is Season Extension for Small Farms: Cold Frames, Tunnels, Row Covers & ROI. Register.
Frederick County’s Smart Soil Farms, Bus Tour, 9/10, 8am-4pm
Visit four different agriculture operations, view their environmental management practices and discuss the issues facing the agricultural community. Lunch will be provided. RSVP by 9/3.
2nd Annual Maryland Farm Self-Guided Tours, 9/12, 10am-4pm
On-farm exploration at designated farms. FREE and self-guided. More info here.
Live Cover Crop Drone Seeding Demo & Education, 9/22, 9:30am-12:30pm
Windy Springs Farm in Smithsburg hosts a demonstration and informational morning about cover crop and drone seeding. Speakers on drone information, economics, and funding options, Breakfast refreshments to start around 9:30 am; Stay for catered BBQ lunch at noon. RSVP here.Info: claire.snyder@usda.gov.
Soil Health and Shared Equipment at Fireside Farm, 9/23, 4-6pm
Learn more about the collaborative work being done by Fireside in Waterford, VA, with Hanging Rock Hay & Grain, and Three Monkeys Farm to improve the soil health programs at all three farms. For the past season, these farm businesses have been purchasing and using shared equipment. RSVP at Future Harvest
Fall Food Festival 2026, 10/24, 2-5pm
Community food festival at the Montgomery College Food Forest; celebrate cooking from the garden’s bounty with Community Food Forest Collective! Silver Spring, MD. More info here.
Maryland Eastern Shore Extension’s Small Farm Conference, 10/23-10/24
Princess Anne, MD. More info here.
Resources
UMD Climate Resilience Network
Cutting-edge research being put into practice to respond to immediate climate-driven needs.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Statewide Guidance and Analysis Document for Value-Added Agriculture and Agritourism, a comprehensive publication to establish a baseline understanding of the complexities involved in regulating agricultural enterprises as they expand into consumer-facing and value-added processing functions and operations.
GAP Certification – Easy Reading Intro and FAQs
Virginia Tech’s Intro to GAP Certification boils down the process to get GAP certified in this easy-to-read visual guide.