Bridging farm-city gap

Event aims to show how farms work, why they matter

The celebration started Tuesday with the traditional farm/government job swap. County Executive Ken Ulman spent the morning working with cattle at the Maple Dell Farm dairy operation in Woodbine, while farm co-owner David Patrick examined the county budget and the 911 call center as the stand-in county executive.

A new feature this year found students from Murray Hill Middle School cleaning stalls, grooming animals and learning about equine health at Days End Farm Horse Rescue in Lisbon.

Throughout the celebration, the public will have opportunities to learn as well, Zimmerman said.

"All of our farms will have pamphlets talking about best management practices in Maryand, many of which are incorporated by our farmers and designed to help the bay," Zimmerman said. Activities such as planting trees along streams and making nutrient management plans help conserve soil and protect waterways from runoff.

"We are also educating the public abut the importance of eating locally grown food, not only for health but for the environment," she said.

For a full Farm-City Celebration schedule: www. hceda.org/agriculture.