La Plata, MD – The Charles County Fair, which opens Thursday evening, Sept. 17 in La Plata, has a rich history dating back 92 years.
The one thing about the county fair that separates it from other events is its close ties to the agricultural community.
Initially, such events were organized for local farmers to show off their prize animals and abundant crops.
Tobacco, of course, was one mainstay of the fair.
“This is the first year we do not have one exhibit of tobacco at the fair,” said Charles County 4-H mentor Bonnie Boyden of Bel Alton. “That is really sad.”
Tobacco fell from grace after Maryland Governor Parris Glendening offered farmers a buyout, promising to pay farmers $1 a pound based on what they would have grown.
The program was in effect for 10 years.
When that decade was up, tobacco was done as a staple crop in Southern Maryland, except for Amish and Mennonite families who still grow and harvest the crop and a handful of other farmers who passed on the buyout.
The feared Avian flu has excluded chickens and ducks from county fairs statewide for 2015 as well.
Despite such setbacks, Boyden stressed that agriculture still remains a strong component of the county fair.
“Agriculture stays with the fair, because it is the roots of the fair,” she said. “The fair was started for farmers and breeders.
“Actually,” she added, “the livestock portion for 4-H kids continues to grow. It is really good to be teaching youth about the importance of growing their own food.”
Although farming has its share of challenges from urban growth and development, farmers have learned to do more with less.
“I don’t feel as though we’re declining,” Boyden said. “A lot of people are doing alternative farming, producing products on a smaller amount of land. We’re holding our own.”
She said some farmers now sell their own meat and vegetables directly from the farm.
“The next generation is doing more direct marketing,” she said. Social media has helped with that effort, she admitted.
“It makes a huge difference,” Boyden noted.
She said the county has a very active Farm Bureau chapter, which fights to make legislators aware of farming issues and to keep agriculture on their radar screens.
And while urban growth and rising populations have effected agriculture, farms are still thriving, she said. Those locations include northern Charles and the western part of the county and in southern portions near St. Mary’s.
The county fair is a chance for those still in agriculture to strut their stuff.
“The most important thing about the county fair is that it brings farming families back together,” she said. “They can exhibit their animals and their produce and items to keep this going for the next generation.
“It’s important for the next generation to continue to support and be involved in the county fair,” Boyden explained.
“Some people are doing flowers,” she added. “There are a lot of vegetable gardens, mini-cantaloupes. We have a lot of 4-Hers who are raising Bora goats. We still have a lot of kids breeding swine.”
Pigs are the most popular farm animals at the event. There were 89 hogs submitted for competition at this year’s fair.
At 450 members, the Charles County 4-H is going strong, Boyden noted.
The group goes into schools to teach children that milk doesn’t just come from the grocery store. They teach children about nutrition and food safety.
“It all relates back to agriculture,” she said.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com
