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Howard County farmers urge council to back $1 million emergency grant fund after extreme weather losses
Summary
Farmers and agricultural officials testified in support of Council Bill 49, which would allocate $1 million to the Economic Development Authority for two grant tracks to help farms recover from drought, heat and storm damage; speakers described lost yields, higher input costs, and limited effectiveness of federal crop insurance.
A coalition of Howard County agricultural officials and farmers urged the County Council to support Council Bill 49, an emergency appropriation of $1,000,000 to the Economic Development Authority to administer grants for farms damaged by this summer’s extreme weather.
James Zahler of the Office of Agriculture told the council that county agriculture faced extreme temperatures, drought and poorly timed precipitation this year, and that the administration is proposing two grant tracks: a quick $5,000 payment available after a simple affidavit for farms with demonstrable weather losses, and a second, more detailed application for losses greater than $5,000 that requires documentation. "We're gonna do this in two ways... there's gonna be two grant opportunities... one that will provide Howard County farms with $5,000 after filling out a simple affidavit," Zahler said.
Multiple farmers described the same pattern of damage in detail. Keith Holinger said drought and subsequent saturated soil depleted hay reserves and forced expensive purchases; Lynn Moore described a year in which early excessive rain followed by drought and prolonged heat led to failed root establishment and a fungal disease that wiped out a pumpkin crop; Jamie Brown gave farm‑level numbers, saying low commodity prices and crop failures left operations losing tens of thousands of dollars and warned, "No farms, no food." Leslie Bauer, president of the Howard County Farm Bureau, cited USDA data and county figures, saying Maryland agriculture faces lower yields and rising input costs and urging the council to adopt the emergency relief as a starting point.
Councilmembers pushed back on program details: one member expressed concern about an affidavit‑based $5,000 payment as potentially too permissive and asked why the county would fund grants when state loan programs or federal crop insurance may exist. Agricultural presenters said the affidavit approach mirrors earlier emergency small‑business grants (e.g., during COVID) to get funds out quickly, and noted many farmers keep detailed records to substantiate losses for the larger application. Council asked for further details and said staff would prepare answers and consider the item in an upcoming work session.
