Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder inducted two families into the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame at the recent Taste of Maryland Agriculture event.

The Rhodes family of Queen Anne’s County and the Richardson family of Worcester County accepted the awards in front of more than 700 agricultural leaders and legislators from across Maryland at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie.

The Rhodes and Richardson families are the 51st and 52nd inductees into the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame. More information on each family is available on the department’s website.

Rhodes family

Temple Rhodes and his wife, Pat, began their farm operation in 1959 on rented ground in Easton.

In 1961, they purchased their first farm, Chestnut Vale, in Centreville. Over the next several years, Chestnut Vale Farm became home to Pat and Temple’s children: Jenny, Betsy, Susan, Carole and Temple Jr.

The family began with a dairy herd and transitioned to a cow-calf operation in 1968, raising nearly 200 head of Angus cattle per year. Throughout his decades of farming, Temple has remained committed to conservation and has embraced the use of technology and other best management practices to maintain a profitable, environmentally sound operation.

RICHARDSON FAMILY: Joe Bartenfelder, secretary of ag, right, presented Roger and Fay Richardson into the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame. The Richardson farm dates to 1767. Roger Richardson is a former state secretary of agriculture.

Pat has been involved with the local 4-H club since her children were young and continues to be an ardent supporter of University of Maryland Extension programs.

The Rhodes family is a fixture in the Queen Anne’s County agriculture community, offering their land and equipment to support the county fair and other events at the county’s nearby 4-H Park and remaining involved with Our Mother of Sorrows Church in Centreville.

Richardson Family

Roger Richardson and his wife, Fay, have farms in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties. Richardson Farm dates to 1767. Roger currently operates the farm with his daughter, grandson and great-grandson, while Fay has been instrumental in the continued growth and diversification of the farm business.

The multigenerational farm family grows corn, soybeans and wheat. In 1980, the Richardsons diversified their farm by starting a private trucking company dedicated to transporting agricultural products.

In addition to precision farming techniques, the Richardsons have adopted both conservation and no-till to manage nutrients and meet soil and water conservation goals. 

HALL OF FAME AWARDS: The Rhodes family and the Richardson family were awarded citations for their induction into the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame. The families are the 51st and 52nd inductees into the hall of fame.

In the late 1970s, Roger was one of 14 men appointed by then-Gov. Marvin Mandel to create the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Thirty-five years later, then-Gov. Martin O’Malley appointed Richardson to serve as secretary of agriculture, overseeing the agency he helped create.

In addition to his involvement with the department, Roger has held several leadership positions with local, state and national organizations, including the Agricultural Stewardship Commission, the Maryland Center for Agro-Ecology, and stints as president and vice president of the National Association of Farmer Elected Committees.

Source: Maryland Department of Agriculture, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.