Hot News

10.25.05

By KATE GREGORY

CHESTERTOWN, Md. — John Hall, founder of Chesapeake Fields and Kent County Extension agent, said that if had another life he would like to come back as a coach. His eye-on-the-prize mentality coupled with his leadership skills has brought his vision of Chesapeake Fields and mission of “preservation through profitability” into a reality.
On Thursday, Chesapeake Fields hosted a celebration of success at the Black-eyed Susan Restaurant in Chestertown, Md. The room was full of farmers, state delegates, and local Kent County representatives, who came out to show their support. Chesapeake Fields also took the time to recognize and thank retired board members of the institute with certificates of dedicated service. Honored for their sevices were Ed Fry, Mike Waal, Jim Miller, Bill Quigley, Bill Cooper, and Jack Tarburton.
“People have lost touch with the importance of agriculture,” said Hall to the audience.
C.F. is currently conducting feasibility tests for what is presently being called the C.F.I Center, which would be both a Maryland tourist attraction featuring factory tours, food, and agricultural educational elements as well as being a spot to host special events. C.F. has hired Bill Owens Sr. of ERA, the Economic Resource Association, in Washington D.C. to conduct these feasibility studies. Owens told supporters that industrial touring is a very popular tourist activity and that the center could possibly have a visitation of 100,000 people a year, making it the biggest attraction on the Eastern Shore.
“We want to help people reconnect with the land,” said Owens. “The issue of the night is strategic planning and we’ve gotta keep on plugging, there is still a lot of work to,” said Owens in his feasibility presentation.
The night was C.F.’s official launch of the land equity drive for the center.
“Everything that has been driven up to this point has been to purchase this land and to get a production plant going,” said Roy Crow of Kent County. “This is an opportunity for not only the counties and Eastern Shore, but the east coast.”
State Sen. E.J. Pipkin had to take early leave because of an illness, although delegates Dick Sossi and Michael Smigiel addressed the group to show their support for pushing a Bond Bill for the C.F.I. Center through in the spring legislation.
“We’re looking for a 50 percent match of the costs,” said Smigiel.
According to Hall, a 50 percent match would provide approximately $700,000 - $1,000,000. The group is now looking at capitol funds and major donations, explained Holly Craighead, a grant writer hired by C.F. to help with the equity drive.
This year, C.F. has meet successes as well as complications caused by drought. One great success of 2005 is that John Hall and the Chesapeake Fields Institute were recognized by the Glynwood Center of Cold Springs, N.Y., by the presentation of a Glynwood Harvest Award. The award is based on a national call for nominations circulated in the spring to several thousand people active in sustainable agriculture across the country and highlights exemplary work in order to inspire others to take similar actions in their own communities, according to Judy LaBelle of the Glynwood Center. C.F. was chosen from about sixty other nominations.
“The Chesapeake Fields Institute presents an intriguing business model of how nonprofit and business organizations can work with, and share equity with, farmers to ensure the future of regional agriculture. The Institute is at the core of a unique trio of organizations that work together to save family farms on Maryland’s Delmarva Peninsula. The Institute has spawned two companion organizations; Chesapeake Fields Farmers, LLC, and the Chesapeake Fields Farmers Coop. The Three share the same mission: helping farmers, landowners, and decision makers see that “preservation through profitability” is a viable alternative to residential development. This is a daunting challenge in a region faced with development pressure from Washington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia,” said LaBelle.
The Glynwood Award is the most recent honor that C.F. has acquired, yet the group has also received the 2003 Shore Leadership Award, the Chamber of Commerce Award from Kent Co., and the Eastern Shore 2010 Achievement Award for excellence in supporting working landscapes.
Hall says that awards are nice, but that he is especially pleased that Kathy MaGruder, of the Department of Business and Economic Development, took the time to nominate C.F.
“I’m on the mailing list [Glynwood], and when I saw that they were looking for nominees I automatically though of Chesapeake Fields,” said MaGruder.
MaGruder said that this year she made only one other nomination to the Glynwood Center but that there are many others equally deserving of such an award that she would like to nominate in the future.
Hall and Chesapeake Fields have come a long way since the first meeting in 1999, they have stayed on task lead by Hall who has a special personal vision for sustainable agriculture and the farming family. Hall preaches that a positive outlook and following good business procedures are the keys to success.
“Sometimes adversity can work in your favor. Instead of felling sorry for yourself and using it as an excuses, accept the situation and try to make the most of it, this is how a team develops resilience and character,” said Hall.
Hall says that he balances his busy ‘day job’ as an extension agent and the C.F. project by combining the two. In fact, Hall explained, that the C.F. contains many traditional extension functions; the two projects complement each other. But the goal remains.
“When we can create a profitable environment for agriculture so that agriculture can remain viable and sustainable, that is our goal,” reflected Hall.