Agritourism site Barefoot Farms described as new attraction in Seventh District; owner plans partnerships

An unnamed county commissioner told the St. Mary's County Commissioners that Barefoot Farms, an agritourism operation on Ralph Oakley Road in the county’s Seventh District, is opening with multiple visitor amenities and plans to partner with local economic-development groups.

The commissioner said the property features “3 ponds that are, 3 stock ponds to fish out of,” a bandstand, open space for camping and events, and hunting cabins that “hold, 2 people” and include lofts. The speaker added the owners are seeking to expand into livestock, saying, “They want to start raising cattle there. That way they can do their livestock. Everything stays right in St. Mary's County.”

The commissioner said the owners aim to work with county economic development and land use staff and to coordinate with regional partners. “They're going to I'm gonna hook them up with, Tri County Council and Smeddock with the opening of the Stauffer's Butcher Barn later on this year,” the commissioner said.

The commissioner characterized the site as a “pretty cool operation” and said he looks forward to further updates from the owners. No votes, permits, or formal county actions on the project were described during the remarks.

Background and context: the speaker framed the project as fitting a local economic-development vision of keeping agricultural production in St. Mary's County. The commissioner also said the owners want to engage county land use and growth-management staff, which would be the appropriate avenue for zoning and permit reviews.

No timeline, permit details, specific livestock numbers, or formal commitments from county departments were provided during the remarks.