Taste of Maryland Agriculture

Good evening, thank you Secretary Bartenfelder.

It’s great to be here with all of you again to celebrate our state’s proud agricultural history.

I want to thank the rest of our cabinet secretaries and other members of our administration, the members of the legislature, and the leaders of our agricultural community who are here.

I especially want to thank the Maryland Agriculture Council and all of the sponsors who put on this terrific event.

And most importantly, I want to recognize all of the great Maryland producers who donated so many wonderful local foods for us to enjoy tonight and thank all our farmers for what you do for us every single day—for being such an important part of Maryland’s history, our heritage, and our economy.

This is obviously not a political event, but I do just want to take a moment to sincerely thank the farm families and all the members of Maryland’s agricultural community who gave me such strong support back in November.

Thanks to you and other Marylanders from one end of the state to the other, last month I was deeply humbled to be inaugurated for a second term as only the second Republican to ever do so in the entire 243-year history of our state.

Serving you as governor has truly been the honor of a lifetime, and I am very much looking forward to continuing to work hard for you each and every day.

Last week, I was proud to report that the state of our state has never been stronger and our agricultural community is a big reason why.

Four years ago when I was first elected, I said that the war on rural Maryland and on our agricultural community was over.

I said that no longer would our farmers be ignored, neglected, forgotten, and left behind.

And I meant what I said.

I believe that we have consistently proven that over and over again over the past four years.

Tonight, I’m pleased to announce something important that not even Secretary Bartenfelder knows about yet!

For months, we have been searching for a way to help our dairy farmers who are facing particularly challenging times.

I want all of you to be the first to know tonight that today I made the decision to put additional state resources that will be combined with federal funds and will mean up to $17 million in emergency funding to assist and support our Maryland dairy farmers.

All of the farmers and the farm families represented here today are a testament to why agriculture continues to be the leading industry in our state, contributing $16 billion to the state’s economy and supporting over 65,000 Maryland jobs.

Your drive, character, work ethic, and resilience during tough times serves as an inspiration to me and to all Marylanders.

A few weeks ago, I was pleased to induct five new Maryland families into the Maryland Century Farm program.

They joined an elite group of families who have farmed the same land in Maryland and continue to be productive for more than 100 years.

Tonight, I have the distinct honor of inducting the Linthicum Family into the Governor’s Agricultural Hall of Fame.

With a nearly 200-year history dating way back to 1826, the Linthicums of Seneca Air Farms represent the oldest continuously farming family in Montgomery County.

That is an incredible accomplishment and one that has been earned through a lot of hard work, grit, and determination by their family to overcome their fair share of adversity and hardships over the years.

Their success and longevity is due in large part to their willingness to adapt to changing technologies and the evolving landscape of the industry.

Over the past two centuries, the Linthicum Family has grown tobacco, run a dairy operation, grown a variety of crops, and raised hogs and beef cattle.

Today, the farm is run by Charles Linthicum along with his son Tom and daughter-in-law Paula.

And what began as a 365-acre family farm has grown to over 1,100 acres.

The Linthicums are respected leaders in the agricultural community in both Montgomery County and across the state.

They continue to be involved in the FFA and 4-H programs and are strong advocates for Maryland agricultural culture.

The Linthicums and all of our Maryland farm families here today truly are an inspiration to us all.

On behalf of all the citizens of our great state, I want to sincerely congratulate them and thank them for making Maryland a better place with their outstanding stewardship of the land, production of food, and their vital contributions to our economy.

And to all of you here tonight, you have my word that our administration is going to keep doing everything we possibly can to ensure that Maryland families can continue to run profitable, sustainable farms for generations to come.

Thank you so much for inviting me to once again to join you tonight.

Congratulations to the Linthicums and all of tonight’s recipients and honorees.

May God bless all our farmers and our entire agricultural community, and may God continue to bless the great State of Maryland.