“It’s a win, win:” Lawmakers pushing for agritourism bill to benefit local farm families, tourists

MARYLAND–Maryland Senator Mary Beth Carozza is pushing to get an Agritourism bill passed in the General Assembly. It would add Worcester County to the list of 11 other counties where certain farm buildings will be exempt from commercial building requirements.

“It’s a win win, it’s an economic driver not only for the county but for the entire state of Maryland,” Senator Carozza said.

“Agritourism has really come to the forefront this session, and I think some of it is a result of the pandemic that people are looking to be out and about, they are looking for more options,” Senator Carozza said.

We are told opening this door up should give farm families more options to bring in additional revenue, with fun filled activities. Virgil Shockley, a local farmer,  said in Worcester County 30% of the income comes from farming.

“You’ve had petting zoos, you’ve had corn mazes, you’ve had pumpkin patches,” Shockley said.

And, in some cases community members said this will allow local families to keep farms going from generation to generation.

“You have to protect farm land at all costs, at all costs you protect farmland,” Shockley said. “Forget anything else and you gotta save your family farmers and this hopefully will add a little bit.”

But, Senator Carozza hopes this bill won’t just be a plus for farmers but tourists too.

“Knowing what we are trying to do in Worcester County that we are trying to make sure that tourism has all kinds of options that its not just the beach but we have agritourism too,” Senator Carozza said.

Shockley also said he would like to see the Shore come together and take a comprehensive look at what each county is doing when it comes to agritourism and make a plan that would benefit everyone.