One of the biggest hurdles for the younger generation wanting to enter farming is the sky-high cost of land. At the final hour of the 2008 Maryland State General Assembly, state legislators passed Senate Bill 662, which addresses the problems of young farmers who want to keep agriculture a part of Maryland’s future.

The bill affects the Agriculture Land Transfer Tax, which is levied when farms that have been paying reduced property tax rates are sold out of agricultural use for development. The money raised by the tax has always been designated to farmland protection. The new bill adds a 25 percent surcharge on the tax, with the new funds targeted specifically at innovative programs including the Next Generation Acquisition Program.

Young farmers testified passionately at the Capitol in support of the bill, describing how it could help them to save their home farm or start up a new farm business. The $2 to 3 million that AFT hopes will be generated in 2009 alone will not only keep open space and fresh food within Maryland’s communities, it will ensure a new generation can live out the dream of making a living on the land. 

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