scotty80
01-15-2006, 10:15 PM
Thawing icy relations between farmers, bay environmentalists
On the Farm -- Ted Shelsby
Originally published January 8, 2006
Over the years, the relationship between Maryland's agricultural community and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has been chilly, to put it charitably.
The two institutions have been on opposite sides of the fence on an array of issues. And it's no exaggeration to say that the foundation and farm groups excoriated each other as recently as the late 1990s during the debate over whom to blame for the outbreaks of toxic Pfiesteria piscicida in waterways flowing into the bay.
But more recently the relationship has been undergoing a thaw, and many in the farm community are attributing it to the efforts of Kim Coble, the foundation's current Maryland executive director.
Coming on the heels of an era when the principals of the two sides could scarcely countenance each other, Coble has been spotted with Lewis R. Riley, the state agriculture secretary, at an Annapolis restaurant. She's chummed with Bill Satterfield of the Delmarva Poultry Industry and sidled up to Buddy Hance, the president of the Maryland Farm Bureau.
The warming in relations has been prominent among the topics of conversation at country stores around Maryland where farmers gather to keep up on what's happening. And although Hance recently said it was a stretch to say that the two sides are head over heels for each other, he grinned and said, "We're not going steady, but we're dating."
Coble, who took over as executive director of the foundation in 2003, has been working in recent months to heal the wounds caused by the foundation's criticism of farmers as the source of Pfiesteria. The outbreaks killed fish, closed portions of three rivers to recreational use, caused human illness and triggered panic over the safety of Maryland seafood.
Through Coble's efforts, the two sides are closer than ever in a single-minded effort to ease the flow of pollutants into the bay.
"I spent most of my summer and the fall meeting with farmers and farm leaders, telling them there has been a change at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a very conscious change in how we are approaching our mission," Coble said during a recent interview.
A big part of the change is the realization that farmers can play a major role in improving the water quality of the bay and that it would behoove the foundation to work with them and to help improve their profitability so that farmers stay in farming.
"Given a choice between an acre of farmland and an acre of residential development, the best thing for the bay is farmland, without a doubt," said Coble.
That's a big reason the foundation is tossing its weight behind farm bills in the General Assembly to increase funding for cover crop programs, boost farmland preservation and look for ways to help farmers bank more money at the end of the harvest season.
It was with the help of the foundation that the legislature passed a more user-friendly nutrient management bill in 2004 designed to help control runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus from farm fields.
When the detente first started, Coble said she would tell farm officials, "I'm going to tell you about the changes in our approach. You don't have to trust us, but watch our actions."
"I think our relationship with the farm community is far better now than I expected it to be," said Coble. "I give the farm community credit for that. They were willing to say, 'OK, we will give you a chance.'"
Hance expressed caution over the improving relations, however, saying, "It's like any other dating situation: One bad date and it's over."
Riley described the former relationship between the bay foundation and his department as "almost adversarial."
"They did not understand or ignored the fact that the agricultural community needed to show a profit if it was to be able to protect the land and help the bay," he said. "That situation has been changing. It has changed dramatically since Kim came in."
Coble agrees with Riley that the biggest threats to the future of farming in Maryland are the high price of farmland and the low profit margins of most farm operations.
"I'm not a farmer. I don't pretend to be one," she said. "But I've come to learn that farming is not a job. It's not a business. It's a way of life, and these people would love to stay in farming. Their kids would love to stay in farming. But if you can't make a living farming, if you can't put shoes on your kids' feet, farmers have little choice. How could you expect them not to sell out?
"I'm heart and soul invested in saving the bay, and I believe the best way to do that is to keep farmers farming," she said. "I'm not swaying from my mission; I've learned, however, that the best way, the most efficient way, to protect the bay is to work with farmers."
On the Farm -- Ted Shelsby
Originally published January 8, 2006
Over the years, the relationship between Maryland's agricultural community and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has been chilly, to put it charitably.
The two institutions have been on opposite sides of the fence on an array of issues. And it's no exaggeration to say that the foundation and farm groups excoriated each other as recently as the late 1990s during the debate over whom to blame for the outbreaks of toxic Pfiesteria piscicida in waterways flowing into the bay.
But more recently the relationship has been undergoing a thaw, and many in the farm community are attributing it to the efforts of Kim Coble, the foundation's current Maryland executive director.
Coming on the heels of an era when the principals of the two sides could scarcely countenance each other, Coble has been spotted with Lewis R. Riley, the state agriculture secretary, at an Annapolis restaurant. She's chummed with Bill Satterfield of the Delmarva Poultry Industry and sidled up to Buddy Hance, the president of the Maryland Farm Bureau.
The warming in relations has been prominent among the topics of conversation at country stores around Maryland where farmers gather to keep up on what's happening. And although Hance recently said it was a stretch to say that the two sides are head over heels for each other, he grinned and said, "We're not going steady, but we're dating."
Coble, who took over as executive director of the foundation in 2003, has been working in recent months to heal the wounds caused by the foundation's criticism of farmers as the source of Pfiesteria. The outbreaks killed fish, closed portions of three rivers to recreational use, caused human illness and triggered panic over the safety of Maryland seafood.
Through Coble's efforts, the two sides are closer than ever in a single-minded effort to ease the flow of pollutants into the bay.
"I spent most of my summer and the fall meeting with farmers and farm leaders, telling them there has been a change at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a very conscious change in how we are approaching our mission," Coble said during a recent interview.
A big part of the change is the realization that farmers can play a major role in improving the water quality of the bay and that it would behoove the foundation to work with them and to help improve their profitability so that farmers stay in farming.
"Given a choice between an acre of farmland and an acre of residential development, the best thing for the bay is farmland, without a doubt," said Coble.
That's a big reason the foundation is tossing its weight behind farm bills in the General Assembly to increase funding for cover crop programs, boost farmland preservation and look for ways to help farmers bank more money at the end of the harvest season.
It was with the help of the foundation that the legislature passed a more user-friendly nutrient management bill in 2004 designed to help control runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus from farm fields.
When the detente first started, Coble said she would tell farm officials, "I'm going to tell you about the changes in our approach. You don't have to trust us, but watch our actions."
"I think our relationship with the farm community is far better now than I expected it to be," said Coble. "I give the farm community credit for that. They were willing to say, 'OK, we will give you a chance.'"
Hance expressed caution over the improving relations, however, saying, "It's like any other dating situation: One bad date and it's over."
Riley described the former relationship between the bay foundation and his department as "almost adversarial."
"They did not understand or ignored the fact that the agricultural community needed to show a profit if it was to be able to protect the land and help the bay," he said. "That situation has been changing. It has changed dramatically since Kim came in."
Coble agrees with Riley that the biggest threats to the future of farming in Maryland are the high price of farmland and the low profit margins of most farm operations.
"I'm not a farmer. I don't pretend to be one," she said. "But I've come to learn that farming is not a job. It's not a business. It's a way of life, and these people would love to stay in farming. Their kids would love to stay in farming. But if you can't make a living farming, if you can't put shoes on your kids' feet, farmers have little choice. How could you expect them not to sell out?
"I'm heart and soul invested in saving the bay, and I believe the best way to do that is to keep farmers farming," she said. "I'm not swaying from my mission; I've learned, however, that the best way, the most efficient way, to protect the bay is to work with farmers."