Value-Added Agriculture is Regional Effort
agriculture, caroline, doris, farm, mason, rmc, rural, usrc,Agriculture is the leading industry on the Eastern Shore encompassing the majority of Maryland’s farms. The Upper Shore’s Harvest Directory aims to preserve our land and the rural character of our region by encouraging residents to sustain this valuable industry. The directory is expanding to include Dorchester County and become a more regional resource.
Upper Shore Regional Council (USRC) Executive Director Doris Mason said, “We at the USRC are excited to be partnering with the Dorchester County Economic Development and Dorchester County Tourism offices to add the county to our Harvest Directory partnership, as we support agriculture across the shore! As we collaborate regionally on projects such as this, we position ourselves to compete globally, as even larger projects and opportunities to emerge for us!”
The partnership between Dorchester County Economic Development, Dorchester County Tourism, Washington College, and the Upper Shore Regional Council is an exciting collaboration. Washington College’s Geographic Information Systems Program will expand the directory’s web and mobile application to include Dorchester County. The current branding will change from the Upper Shore Harvest Directory to the Eastern Shore Harvest Directory. For more information about the Harvest Directory, please visit them at www.uppershoreregionalcouncil.org/harvestdirectory.
Another value-added agricultural initiative on the shore is MarylandFarming.com. The Caroline Economic Development Corporation was awarded a grant from the Rural Maryland Council to create a marketing campaign to attract new value-added agricultural businesses to the Eastern Shore. The website features all nine counties of the Eastern Shore, a resource library, case studies, information about the Eastern Shore lifestyle, and more. Keep informed by signing up for their newsletter or by following them on their Facebook Page.