Testimony from the December 6th Montgomery County Board of Education meeting

Sara Shor, Campaign Organizer, Save Nick’s Organic Farm
"Please understand the resource that you have in Nick’s Organic farm, and the beautiful coming together that has happened in Montgomery County around this issue of an education center. You have the power to keep this resource alive. Please use it thoughtfully."
-- Shor
Ilene Freedman, Founder-Farmer-Environmental Educator, House in the Woods Farm
"For over 30 years the Board of Education has designated space for what has become the county’s only certified organic and GMO-free grain farm. That’s amazing! Here is your opportunity to make that investment shine. Save the farm and watch it become a hub for inclusive healthy-eating environmental education for all your students—they will connect to their food sources, community and the land. Right here in the heart of Montgomery County."
-- Freedman
Timothy McWhirter, Professor of Philosophy, Montgomery College
"We have over 500 soccer fields in the county; we however have only three organic farms and Nick Maravell’s Organic Farm is the only one that produces organic seeds, a unique resource that is threatened by the industrialized food industry. Nick has invested over 30 years of his life into this farm. This investment has gone, among other places, into the soil. Each year he has increased the fertility of the soil and the micronutrients in it that make his food healthy. Because of the interest in organic farming and food and their importance to the community, Montgomery College has begun discussions with Mr. Maravell to have him teach a class on organic farming on his farm which is only twenty minutes from the Rockville Campus."
-- McWhirter
Annita Seckinger , Executive Director, Chesapeake Sustainability Institute
"It is important to note, if the farm is converted to ball fields, if will only be serving a very small segment of our population; the privileged, able-bodied individuals who play soccer. In contrast, if turned in to an Educational Center, it will enhance Montgomery County school children’s learning, by broadening our teacher’s ability to expand their teaching tools through hands on experience at the farm!"
-- Seckinger
Eric Lewis
"Farms like Nick’s are in a unique position to help educate people on how to go about cultivating their own fresh organic produce. They could serve as meeting places where people can share their experiences, develop new techniques, and empower each other to cultivate more organic fruits and vegetables."
-- Lewis
Rebeca Rodriguez, Student & President, Montgomery College Green Club
"We should benefit all of Montgomery County's students by making Nick's farm into an educational hub where people can come and learn about local and sustainable food and agriculture and the soil, water and environment that sustain us."
-- Rodriguez

Top^↑

Testimony from the March 8 School Board meeting

Essie Burnworth, resident of Montgomery County
"Please determine if there is real need for ball fields on this site; balance the provision of ball fields against the benefits of established, rich, organic farmland; and take the time to consult the community affected by this proposed change."
-- Burnworth
Kristina Bostick, of Montgomery Countryside Alliance
"Montgomery Countryside Alliance has been working with the County on their stated goal of strengthening our local food system and getting more new farmers started on the ground. Current and future farmers are watching the proceedings today very closely."
-- Bostick
Victoria Cowles, resident of Montgomery County and wife of Nick Maravell
"How much oversight will there be? How well will drainage be supervised? What will happen to our wells if the renter decides to add synthetic turf to maximize playing time. How will traffic be handled on narrow Brickyard Road -- especially if tournaments are scheduled. How well will trash be picked up."
-- Cowles
Myron Horst, farmer from Dickerson, MD
"This site is unique for organic seed production because it is miles away from conventional farms whose corn and soybean fields could contaminate the seed crop with their airborne GMO (genetically modified organisms) pollen. GMO contamination is becoming a serious problem in organics."
-- Horst
Phil Freedman, farmer near Frederick, MD
"If you were a neighbor or a landlord or a son of a landlord and not a faceless government organization, you would be embarrassed about how this has been handled. You would have a 31 year relationship with Nick and integrity might force you to discuss plans with such a renter."
-- Freedman
Krista Kurth, resident of Montgomery County
"While I understand the allure of building playing fields for the children (I myself had two boys grow up playing on existing fields in MC), I strongly believe that maintaining agricultural uses in MC, especially this unique Organic agricultural use, is critical for our children."
-- Kurth
Nick Maravell, farmer
"Traditionally in this County, farmers have been the stewards of these vacant sites with the understanding that they could be reclaimed by the school system at any time for school construction. While this site is not slated for school construction, I have been informed just a few days ago that I would not be able to renew my lease. So the tradition has been broken."
-- Maravell
Lisa Schnoor, resident of Montgomery County
"The Board of Education may not be aware what a magnificent treasure the soil on Nick's farm is. Good soil is like gold! The Agricultural Research center in Beltsville has even commented on the quality of Nick's soil. You may not realize how much time it takes to build healthy soil. One farmer told me it took him 10 years to restore the soil fertility on land that previously had pesticides. Nick's soil is rich, fertile soil. The richer the soil is, the more nutritious the crops, the larger the harvest, and the more pest and drought resistant."
-- Schnoor
Dolores Milmoe, of the Audubon Naturalist Society
"The impacts of six to seven soccer fields, which require 60 parking spaces each, on this residential neighborhood and its watershed raise significant compatibility issues. We respectfully urge you to take a closer look at this proposed transfer of land use and extend Mr. Maravell's lease while the issues of impacts are being studied."
-- Milmoe
Maria Fusco, Montgomery County resident
"Montgomery County happens to have the perfect location for a non-GMO farm, with a Nationally recognized Farm already on it ~ miles from any other farm that may be using GMO materials, and it seems that the BOE wants to destroy that."
-- Fusco
Chip Smallwood, farmer
No written testimony is available at this time.
Keith Ohlinger, farmer
No written testimony is available at this time.

Letters From Community Organizations

December 15, 2011: Sierra Club's support for Nick's Farm

Top^↑

Selected letters to editors and elected officials

Potomac Residents Ask For Government Transparency, from Ginny Barnes to Potomac Patch.
Nick Maravell’s farm isn’t just any Montgomery farm, from Elisabeth Waugaman to the Washington Post
Unilateral Approach, from Keith Williams and Ginny Barnes to the Potomac Almanac.
Wesley Rubbin, Resident of Montgomery County
Tamara Meyer, Resident of Montgomery County
Diana Conway, President of the Montgomery Countryside Alliance
Meredith McKittrick, Georgetown University Professor
Ginny Barnes, President of the West Montgomery County Citizens Association (in Potomac Almanac, March 10, 2011)
Suzanne Sutton, Resident of Montgomery County
Elisabeth Waugaman, Resident of Montgomery County
Callum Murray, Team Leader for Potomac, Montgomery County Park and Planning (in Potomac Almanac, March 10, 2011)

Letters from elected officials

Berliner Responds to WMCCA Meeting Accusations, in Potomac Patch, January 12, 2012
Roger Berliner, Montgomery County Councilman (in Potomac Almanac, March 10, 2011)

Top^↑