Southern Md. farmer named ag secretary

Calvert's Hance led state farm bureau before appointment to post by governor

Friday, May 1, 2009

Hance, who has been deputy secretary for the past two years, will take over from retiring secretary Roger Richardson after May 5, according to the governor's office.

Hance, a former tobacco farmer who lives in Port Republic in Calvert County, has served as president of the Maryland Farm Bureau and as chairman of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission and the Maryland State Tobacco Authority. He is also a member of the Prince Frederick Volunteer Fire Department and has served on the Rural Maryland Council, the Patuxent River Commission, the Southern Maryland Tourism Council and several other organizations.

Hance said he has a couple of priorities for his term: boosting the sale of locally grown produce and protecting the Chesapeake Bay and open space. "There's a tremendous demand for locally grown produce. We would like to see that potential [realized]. We get that option out for our producers through marketing, helping producers work through some issues to meet that demand," he said. "I really want to focus on helping to expand that market. It's just a tremendous opportunity for our producers to protect open space and for consumers to get the very healthy fresh produce, and land preservation has always been a top priority, to make sure we protect this very valuable resource that we have."

Jim Shepherd, the Calvert government's representative on that county's agricultural commission, said the region can look forward to strong leadership from Hance.

"I think Buddy Hance will be a great agriculture secretary for the whole state, but it doesn't hurt to know Buddy on a personal basis and have his number in the Rolodex. It certainly doesn't hurt that we know him personally and know that we can call on him," Shepherd said. "We're looking forward to working with him on those occasions when things come up."

Officials with the Calvert County Farm Bureau said they hope to see Hance take action on nutrient management plans, strategies to prevent nutrient and sediment runoff that used to be voluntary but are now mandatory. The bureau is upset because information about compliance with these plans, compiled by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, is set to become public information in the wake of a court ruling. Farmers' names will be redacted before the information is made public, according to President Walt Wells.

"The feeling in the agriculture community is the Maryland Department of Agriculture should not allow that to happen," Wells said. "It was told to farmers that this was not going to be public record, and midstream they changed their minds and said it would be public record. … Farmers don't like to have that kind of stuff public, because some of these [environmental] groups will use anything they can to try to hurt the farming community."

Dickie Horsmon, vice president of the Calvert County Farm Bureau, said, "Nutrient management would probably be the top [priority]. … I'm sure [Hance] will keep that at the top of his plate, also. That's one of the things facing all of us in agriculture right now, is how stringent is that going to be and how other people are influencing what we do. They're making it so nutrient management is being enforced on us instead of farmers doing it for themselves, and what farmers have done is not being recognized."

Hance said he understands the farmers' concerns but that the department's hands are tied by the judge's ruling.

"It was heard in Anne Arundel County court. … Both sides took it as a win. We have to follow whatever the court decided, and that's what we're going to do," Hance said. "Once the suit was filed by the [Maryland] Farm Bureau, that pushed us to the sidelines because the judge took the two cases into consideration. That's where we are and I know the ag community was very upset. They believe those plans have proprietary business details included in them."

"We're very excited that we know he'll do a good job," Horsmon said. "He's been through the system of the farm bureau, from being a regular member, on the board of directors, then he became president of the county farm bureau, and then from there he went to be president of the state farm bureau. When somebody's been through the system like that, you know he's going to do a good job. … He's not the type to just sit on his butt and not do anything. He's very, very dedicated to agriculture."

"I wish Buddy the best. I think he'll do a good job. He's kind of got his hands full. I think Southern Maryland can be proud he is from Southern Maryland, especially from Calvert County. Hopefully it will work out well for him," Wells said.

"I'm just looking forward to the challenge," Hance said. "I've been in agriculture all my life. It's been very good to me. [I'm] just trying to do my part to give something back. It's a great, great industry with a rich tradition and I feel very proud to be a part of it."

emitrano@somdnews.com