Local official says solar siting on prime soils, deer damage worry St. Mary’s County farmers

An unidentified St. Mary’s County official told attendees the county’s Farm Bureau and area farmers have raised alarm about proposals to place solar panels on Class 1 and Class 2 soils, arguing the practice would "adversely affect our ag land everywhere." The official said the prospect of losing productive farmland undermines local support for solar projects when food production is at stake.

The official quoted farmers’ and Farm Bureau concerns that panels installed on high‑quality soils would reduce the county’s ability "to grow food for our families and for our residents," and noted an anecdote about Commissioner Colvin and asparagus as an expression of local attachment to farming. The remarks were made in a series of announcements and local updates at a county meeting.

Separately, the official said farmers pressed Senator Bailey for expanded options to "eliminate the deer during the early growing season" for soybeans, citing repeated crop damage. The official described crop losses as substantial and pushed for broadened predator‑control measures during vulnerable periods of plant growth.

What happens next: the statements were presented as community concerns and requests; the transcript records discussion and advocacy but no formal county motion, ordinance, or vote on solar siting or deer control during this meeting. Public input on related land‑use matters was directed to an announced public forum that evening.