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County to pursue St. Mary’s ag and seafood brand; implementation funding requested
Summary
Economic development staff described a plan to create a St. Mary's ag and seafood brand, a consultant visit in early February, and a request for $45,000 in FY2026 implementation funds; staff also summarized a regional ag infrastructure study and the decision not to proceed with a proposed $5–8 million regional ag center.
St. Mary’s County economic development staff told the Economic Development Commission they are moving forward with a recommendation from the county’s comprehensive economic development strategy to develop a St. Mary’s ag and seafood brand and to fund follow‑on implementation work.
Staff said they hired Arnett Muldrow, a branding consultant familiar with the region, who will conduct stakeholder focus groups and a design “reveal” in the first week of February. The firm is scheduled to meet the steering committee on Feb. 4, run multiple focus groups Feb. 5 and return Feb. 6 for a steering‑committee review and an initial brand concept.
Commission staff said the department included a $45,000 request in its budget submission for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, to implement the branding strategy. That request was one of three budget submission items mentioned in the department’s presentation to the commission.
Staff also summarized recent work on ag and seafood infrastructure. The Southern Maryland Agriculture Development Commission (SMADC) led a regional ag‑infrastructure study, which staff said was recently published and will be reviewed by county economic development offices and ag professionals across the three southern Maryland counties. County leaders previously considered a centralized Regional Ag Center, but rising project costs pushed the estimated price from roughly $5 million toward $7–8 million; the county stepped back from that capital project. Commissioners had previously indicated willingness to contribute up to $1 million toward regional ag infrastructure; staff said that commitment will inform next steps once the study’s recommendations are reviewed.
Commission members asked whether the county can expand production if demand grows; staff said productivity improvements and emerging technologies can increase output without large land‑use changes and noted college programs and local training opportunities were developing to support workforce and production needs.
Staff directed commissioners to the comprehensive economic development strategy (SEDS) for detail and said the branding and implementation timeline will begin with stakeholder interviews and the consultant’s visit in February.
