Prince George's County committee approves kickoff of agriculture and food security center feasibility study

Prince George's County's Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee heard a briefing on Nov. 13, 2025, on a planned Agriculture and Food Security Innovation Center and approved starting a consultant-led feasibility study in December 2025.

Nicole Hall, chief real estate officer for the Revenue Authority of Prince George’s County, told the committee the study will map gaps in the county's food ecosystem, identify operational resources producers need, assess whether a consolidated agricultural center is operationally and financially viable, and recommend site profiles or alternative resources if a single centre is not feasible. "The purpose of this feasibility study is to support the county's long term vision to preserve its rich agricultural heritage while providing much needed food availability and educational opportunities for Prince George's County stakeholders," Hall said.

Stephen Darcy, executive director of the Soil Conservation District and a Prince George's County farmer, described the project as "a dream for a long, long time" and said the district lacked capacity in earlier efforts; the district helped fund the solicitation that led to the consultant engagement. Hall said the RFP budget for the consulting work totals $199,000 and that the consultant solicitation was completed in 2025.

The presentation laid out county context and goals: Prince George's County covers about 500 square miles, has just under 1,000,000 residents and—according to figures cited in the briefing—about 60,000 acres of farmland and annual agricultural output cited in the transcript as $22,600,000 (2022 census basis). The study will investigate how a center could aggregate small producers' output, provide commercial kitchens and retail opportunities, support distribution to food pantries and grocers, and offer education on cooking and farming to broaden residents' food choices.

Hall described the planned methodology: a 14‑month engagement beginning in December 2025, guided by an advisory committee and stakeholder workshops, leading to site assessments, an operating and financial analysis, a risk and impact assessment and a final recommendation report with an executive summary and roadmap for next phases. The consultant was described in the briefing as having national experience and as having worked with roughly 150 clients on projects including kitchen facilities, aggregation hubs and multiuse food centers.

Committee members asked about the idea's history and location choices. Darcy and Hall said discussions date back years; the feasibility study will analyze siting (including whether one central facility or a hub-and-spoke model with satellites is optimal), possible use of existing properties such as Beltsville, and public-private partnerships to ensure a financially sustainable operator. Hall emphasized equity and outreach: the county has substantial linguistic diversity and the study will consider access across neighborhoods.

What happens next: the county will begin the consultant engagement in December 2025; the study will run about 14 months with final recommendations expected in early 2027, including a recommended model, potential sites and financial/operational analysis to inform any future capital budget or county funding decisions.

Limitations and transcript notes: some numeric phrasing in the briefing transcript (for example, the cited annual agricultural output and counts of farms) was unclear in places; the article reports the numbers as given in the session and flags them as coming from the presenters' briefing rather than independently verified county fiscal documents. The RFP budget was stated as $199,000 and the study length was stated as 14 months starting December 2025.