The sight of a wooden table full of plump peaches, shiny red cherries and mounds of ripe blueberries at Harbin's farm stand in Ellicott City on Monday makes Kathy Zimmerman's efforts to turn people on to local produce seem easy.
In fact, farmers are reporting increased traffic at farm stands, pick-your-own operations and farmers' markets this season, and organizations across the state are promoting a "Buy Local Challenge" this week to encourage the purchase of fresh, local food.
But Zimmerman's role as the Howard County Economic Development Authority's agriculture marketing specialist still holds plenty of challenges as she helps farmers reach customers amid rapidly growing suburbs.
"I want to educate the public and to help the farmers here continue to grow and diversify their businesses, to keep them economically viable," she said.
Zimmerman, who started the job in October, has been involved in agriculture all her life. She grew up on a dairy farm that her family still operates in Dickerson in Montgomery County. She studied dairy science at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, Pa., and then went to work for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.
While raising four sons in Littlestown, Pa., she provided crop consulting services to farmers and worked as a crop insurance adjuster. She also ran a continuing education program as a young farmer adviser with the Gettysburg Area School District.
"I am one to work anywhere where I can help agriculture grow," she said.
According to the last U.S. Department of Agriculture Census in 2002, there were 346 farms in Howard County with an average size of 109 acres. Sales of agricultural products in the county totaled more than $20 million annually.
According to Economic Development Authority statistics, horse operations, including those focusing on pleasure riding and thoroughbred farms, constitute a significant percentage of the farms in the county. The "green industry," including nursery plants, horticulture and landscaping materials, is the fastest-growing segment of agriculture in the county.
In Howard County, land values have increased, and farmland is becoming scarce, Zimmerman said. And for farms everywhere, the costs of fuel, fertilizer and other supplies have tripled in recent months.
Even with increased interest from buyers, "to balance it out, [farmers] still have to work really hard," she said.
