♫ The Farmers in DC, The Farmers in DC…

Most people associate the DC area with the White House, monuments, and thriving modern cities like Bethesda and Chevy Chase. Yet there is another personality to this area—a rural persona with farmers and landowners that is flourishing in its own right.

For those that want to try their hand at farming, the Montgomery Countryside Alliance now has a web site to match aspiring farmers with those who have an excess of land they want to rent, sell, or offer for use so they don’t have to mow or otherwise care for it. 

The site is called Land Link Montgomery, and it’s been described by users as an agricultural “online dating service.” A low $20 site registration fee helps farmers and landowners to connect with each other and work out an arrangement for use of the land. This in turn helps meet the demand for locally grown food.

Aspiring Bethesda farmers generally cannot afford to buy their own land, at least at the outset, so this program gives them a place to try out the experience without having to go deeply in debt while they learn. It’s modeled after similar programs in Vermont and Pennsylvania.

One couple used Land Link to set up their starter farm with a five-year lease.  In addition to growing flowers, vegetables and herbs, they are also raising animals on the livestock conservancy list such as heritage breeds of chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs and meat rabbits. The meat and produce are sold to local restaurants and to members of a community-supported agriculture program. Another enterprising person leased land and set up a program where developmentally disabled adults learn about farming.

Most of the landowners are thrilled to have someone working their land, although many stipulate that herbicides and pesticides cannot be used. The program is a win-win-win for everyone: would-be farmers, land owners, and the community that benefits from the land’s bounty.

Whether you prefer the bustling city life of Bethesda or the quiet contentment of the country, the DC area has a home for you. Contact me, Mynor Herrera, today for expert help buying or selling in the DC, MD, & VA areas! I also specialize in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, as well as the sub-divisions of Rosemary Hills, Rock Creek Forest, East Bethesda & Whitehall Condominium.