West Friendship's Living Farm Heritage Museum works to preserve Howard County's agrarian past

Jul. 25—Farming runs deep in the blood of Ellicott City resident John Frank.

Frank, who turns 70 on Aug. 16, still runs the same auto and farm equipment repair shop his father opened in 1942 on Triadelphia Road. Growing up, he helped milk cows, bale hay and raise hogs on his extended family's farms, some of which had been in Howard County since the early 1800s.

"I got exposure to all different kinds of levels of farming plus Frank's Garage all throughout Howard County and even into Montgomery and Carroll and Frederick County," Frank said.

The largely pastoral, rural county Frank knew as a child has been transformed into a largely suburban one with the founding of Columbia, the growth of Interstate 95 and addition of nearly 300,000 residents since 1960. But farming still persists and Frank now serves as president of the Howard County Antique Farm Machinery Club, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the county's agrarian past.

"Everything in the world does stem from its roots," he said. "We've evolved from that [farming] legacy and it's really important for us to continue to recognize it, continue to support it and continue to grasp it to help us evolve in a reasonable, responsible way."

Founded by a collection of local farmers in 1995, the farm machinery club now operates the Howard County Living Farm Heritage Museum in West Friendship next door to the Howard County Fairgrounds. Opened in 2005 on 400 acres of land leased from the county, the museum has grown to include more than 20 buildings, various crops and farming equipment dating from the 1600s through the 1960s.

At the museum, visitors can step inside recreations of a general store, one-room schoolhouse and sawmill, among other structures, to get a glimpse at life in Howard before the introduction of electricity. The grounds also offer a variety of hands-on activities, from shucking corn to taking lessons in the blacksmith's shop.

Over the years farmers have donated "truckloads of artifacts," according to Frank, who said the museum doesn't have a permanent staff and instead relies on club volunteers. The club also rents out the grounds to local groups, hosts field trips and maintains more than 6 miles of nature trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding.

"Our philosophy is community based, community built and community supported," Frank said.

While Howard's farming community has shrunk in size, Frank said it remains tight-knit and continues to find ways to innovate. Farming and agriculture is Maryland's fifth largest economic driver and there are still 335 farms located throughout the county, according to the Howard County Economic Development Authority.

"I have a lot of optimism that agriculture in Howard County can survive," said James Zoller, the agricultural coordinator with the county's Office of Community Sustainability. "It's going to change just like it has. Farmers are really great at adapting; they do it every day."

Zoller said the biggest challenge encountered by contemporary farmers is the rising cost of land in the county.

"If you don't have a farm in your family being passed down generation to generation, it's pretty tough right now to get into farming in Howard County," he said.

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Since the 1970s, the county has taken various approaches to help encourage new farmers and protect existing ones. Thanks to state and local purchasing easements and the dedication of agricultural preservation parcels, the Howard County Agricultural Land Preservation Program now holds approximately 23,000 acres of preserved farmland, largely in the county's rural west.

Along with preserving land, the county also has sought to spur farming innovation through several different grants and tax credits in recent years. Farms in the Agricultural Land Preservation Program also can apply to have commercial solar panel facilities installed on their land to help diversify their income and transition the county towards renewable energy.

Zoller said Howard maintains a number of horse farms that are particularly important for local agriculture since they generate a market for hay. Crop farming for corn and soybeans also remains popular.

"The real advantage we have is we are right between Washington and Baltimore," he said. "We have a very affluent population that really on a whole is very supportive of agriculture and our customers live right next door."

In addition to his work with the county, Zoller is now raising lamb and sheep on his 75-acre Ellicott City farm, which was purchased by his grandfather in 1936. He said the only time he's left was to attend college at Virginia Tech.

"I like working with animals, I like with my hands, I like being outside, but I do that really part-time," he said. "The real reason I like doing what I do for the county with agriculture is the people."

To learn more about the Howard County Living Farm Heritage Museum, visit: https://www.farmheritage.org/