Richard Price gets Md. Ag No. 1
The Delmarva Farmer gets Md. Ag No. 5

11/07 By MARK POWELL

Maryland’s new agricultural license plate was unveiled last week at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie in a flurry of hoopla at the annual dinner of the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation (MAEF).
The first five tags were auctioned, raising $9,300 for the foundation.
The first ag tag to be issued in the state will go to Pheonix, Md., farmer Richard Price. Price, who is on the board of directors of MAEF, Southern States Cooperative and CoBank, bid $2,600 for the license plate.
The second ag tag went to Duncan Smith, Maryland cattleman and Fox Television executive for $2,500. Ag tag No. 3 went to Howard County farmer Martha Clark, who is on the board of directors of MAEF and is president of the state association of soil conservation districts. Clark bid $1,600.
Ag tag No. 4 was purchased for $1,400 by several members of the MAEF board and presented to MAEF executive director Steve Connelly, honoring him for his diligent work on getting state approval of legislation creating the ag tag, despite opposition from the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
And ag tag No. 5 went to The Delmarva Farmer for $1,200.
The license plates, decorated with a colorful farm scene and the slogan “Our Farms, Our Future,” will be available to the public in early 2001. The license plate, designed by MAEF graphic artist Laurie Adelhardt, will join the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s “blue heron” tag in honoring the state’s treasures. The ag tag was approved by the legislature and Gov. Parris Glendening earlier this year.
Key sponsors for the legislation included Cecil County State Sen. Walter Baker and Lower Shore Delegate Norman H. Conway. Baker and other lawmakers were honored at the MAEF dinner for their work on the legislation, as was former Maryland Farm Bureau lobbyist Jack Miller who also worked on the bill.
Funds from sales of the ag tag will support the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation (MAEF), created by the legislature in 1989 to promote agriculture in the state’s schools.
MAEF currently operates several mobile ag education labs which travel around the state for use at elementary schools.
The foundation has trained some 550 Maryland teachers through its workshops and it provides grants to teachers who use agriculture as teaching tool in an innovative manner.
Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend called the ag license plate a “win-win for Maryland.”
Townsend said, “These license plates will generate revenue that will allow thousands of Maryland students to learn about the important role that agriculture plays in the life our state.
“This license plate is a great way to pay tribute to our agricultural roots while educating our state’s future leaders.”
MAEF’s president, Cecil County farmer Ewing McDowell said the event is a crowning moment for Maryland’s ag community.
“This license plate will be a point of pride throughout the state,” McDowell said. “Not only should farmers have these tags on their vehicles, but all those Marylanders who love the rural nature of this state and support the continuation of our ag heritage should be sure to purchase an ag tag.”
Motor Vehicle Administration Anne S. Ferro said, “The Motor Vehicle Administration is delighted to produce a special license plate for customers who are interested in fostering agricultural education programs in Maryland.
“We are proud to offer special plates that support our environment: from the Chesapeake Bay to the state’s largest industry, farming.”
Maryland’s Secretary of Agriculture Dr. Henry A. Virts said the ag tag will remind Marylanders the important role farming plays in their daily lives.
Virts said, “At the same time, the funds generated by the ag tag will help bring the message about agriculture to children and their parents through MAEF’s outstanding efforts.
“We deeply appreciate the support of Gov. Glendening and the General Assembly in making this program possible.”
Stephen Weber, Baltimore County farmer and Maryland Farm Bureau president, said, “the ag tag is about taking pride in our industry’s contribution to the state of Maryland.”