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12/12 By MARK POWELL

Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Dr. Henry “Bud” Virts told farmers gathered in Ocean City, Dec. 5, that he would retire on Feb. 1.
MDA staff were also informed that morning, so they wouldn’t have to read about their boss’s decision in the newspapers.
It was same staff that Virts said he’d miss the most about his job as the state’s top ag official.
“The decision was not easy to make,” Virts said, who will be replaced by current deputy secretary of agriculture Hagner Mister. Mister’s deputy secretary will be Brad Powers, current assistant secretary of agriculture for marketing.
And Harford County Extension ag agent Robert Halman will take Powers’ old job as assistant secretary.
Virts has a medical condition, which he described as not being life threatening.
But, he said there are certain things he wants to accomplish in the 12 years before he reaches 80.
In a brief interview after his talk, Virts said he will be doing some international marketing for a Southern Maryland company which makes a gearing system designed to improve the backup propulsion systems on sailboats.
He’ll also continue with his small turf farming operation and spend time with his grandchildren.
Gov. Parris Glendening praised Virts for his work inplementing the state’s tobacco farmer buyout program and playing a key role in farmland preservation work.
“Henry Virts has done a tremendous job in bringing Maryland agriculture into a new era,” said Gov. Glendening. “As a farmer and a veterinarian, he brought a wealth of knowledge to the challenges facing Maryland farmers.”
Virts has worked at MDA for 14 years. He joined the agency as assistant state veterinarian. A self described “old horse doctor,” Virts was picked by Eastern Shore farmer Lewis Riley to be deputy secretary in 1994. He held that job until Riley left the agency in 1998 to go back to farming in Wicomico County and care for his ailing wife.
During his tenure, Virts led a major step up in international marketing at MDA. Efforts ranged from promoting the state’s horse industry in Korea and Europe to establishing ties with the Caribbean and South America for Maryland agribusi-nesses.
The state’s new secretary of agriculture is, like Virts, a Southern Marylander. Mister will remain deputy secretary until Virts leaves. He was named deputy in 1998.
Mister owns and operates a farm in Calvert County and had worked with farmers in Southern Maryland for more than 30 years as a district conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources and Conservation Service.
Mister was also a Calvert County commissioner from 1990 to 1998.
Mister said he looks forward to the job of being secretary of agriculture. He expects there will be some changes at MDA after he takes the helm.
“After Brad and I officially take our new positions, we’re going to look at staffing and programs,” Mister said.
Maryland Farm Bureau President Stephen Weber said, “We look forward to continuing our positive working relationship with Hagner Mister and know that he will serve the state and the agricultural community well.”
Powers has lived in Talbot County for many years after growing up on a Harford County farm.
He was Talbot’s 4-H agent in the 1970s. Upon joining MDA in 1976, he established the first field crops marketing program and as the state’s first aquaculture coordinator, he helped the industry get going.
In 1998, Maryland-based aquaculture had $20 million in sales.
Halman is the first African-American to hold a senior-level position at MDA.
He has been the Extension director in Harford County since 1990. He also served as an Extension fellow to the National Association of Counties.
According to Maryland Ag Commission Chairman Hank Passi, a Cecil Country orchardist, Halman “has done an excellent job in the agriculture community and should be an asset to the department.”
Passi also praised Virts.
“Secretary Virts has done a commendable job during some very difficult times in the agricultural community,” Passi said.