Southern Maryland ag commission proposes regional Ag Business Park and Food Innovation Center; legislation would allow land acquisition

The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADAC) briefed the county commissioners on May 5 on a proposed Ag Business Park and Food Innovation Center intended to scale local farm production, processing and distribution across the five-county Southern Maryland region.

Dr. Christine Bergmark, SMADAC executive director, and farmer and board member Eddie Bowling presented the proposal and said the project would be funded primarily from cigarette restitution (tobacco settlement) funds administered through the Tri-County Council, supplemented by federal and foundation sources. "The funds are existing they exist through 2025, and we would hope that we would continue to receive some of those funds," Bergmark told commissioners.

SMADAC outlined project components: land/central site acquisition or a distributed series of sites; a new-farmer incubation program; a food-distribution center and refrigerated warehouse; a food-innovation center (commercial kitchen space for value-added products); regional meat-processing capacity; aquaculture processing and storage/warehouse services. SMADAC's business model envisions the commission acquiring land and building infrastructure, then leasing space and services to private and nonprofit operators. SMADAC said net project projections show the center as financially sustainable over time and estimated that full operation could create about 62 jobs and return roughly $5.4 million to the farm community annually once operating, figures presented in the commission's business-plan slide deck.

SMADAC noted a recently passed state bill (SB 909) that would permit the Tri-County Council/SMADAC to acquire property with the cigarette restitution funds and to name an entity to hold title (for example, one of the counties or the Maryland Food Center Authority). The bill must still be signed by the governor. Bergmark said the commission will issue an expression of interest (EOI) for potential sites in the five-county region and then a request for proposals; an optimistic timeline presented suggested site selection by September if the process proceeds on schedule.

Commissioners asked logistical questions about site selection, regional equity, potential satellite locations and the role of the Maryland Food Center Authority. SMADAC representatives said the site could be anywhere in the five-county region and emphasized mission control and farmer ownership/benefit. Farmer and board member Eddie Bowling said the project is designed to return value to producers rather than generate investor profit: "We're not looking for a return of investors for ourselves. We're looking for a return of investors to the people that's growing the product and for the agricultural community of Southern Maryland." The presentation included answers about community outreach, work with Amish and Mennonite growers, equipment-sharing programs and agritourism initiatives.

Commissioners and SMADAC staff discussed concerns and next steps. County leaders asked the board to send a letter of support to the Tri-County Council and the local delegation; administrators confirmed the county would prepare a letter. SMADAC said it would put an EOI on the street for roughly 45 days and then follow with an RFP and site selection process. The commission also said other federal (USDA rural development) and foundation funding sources have expressed interest but that significant capital will be required to build facilities and that staging may be adjusted by need (for example, meat processing may precede distribution center construction).

No formal county vote was recorded on site selection during the presentation; commissioners requested follow-up briefings and asked that the county send a letter to the Tri-County Council and delegation in support of pursuing the concept and legislative authority.