ORIGIN & FUNCTIONS

The Department of Agriculture traces its origin to the Maryland Agricultural College, chartered in
1856. After the federal Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 offered each state proceeds from sales of federal
lands to fund a college teaching agriculture and mechanical arts, the College became Maryland's land-grant
institution in 1864. While certain agricultural duties were assigned briefly to the Superintendent of Labor
and Agriculture in 1867, they later became the responsibility of the College (Constitution of 1867, Art.
10). As the State agricultural agency, the College regulated fertilizers (1886), and live stock sanitation
(1888), and inspected nurseries, trees, feeds, tobacco, seeds, honeybees, and fruit. The College acquired
an agricultural experiment station under the federal Hatch Act of 1887. Professors of the College and
Experiment Station served as State Entomologist, State Pathologist, and State Horticulturalist to identify
and eradicate insect pests and diseases (Chapter 289, Acts of 1898). Farmers' institutes were held during
winter months until replaced by the Agricultural Extension Service, created by federal and State laws in
1914.

In 1908, the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Agricultural College became ex officio the State
Board of Agriculture (Chapter 161, Acts of 1908). When the College merged with the University of
Maryland in 1920, the University's Board of Regents assumed the responsibilities of the State Board
of Agriculture. Although duties of the former trustees of the Agricultural College were solely
concerned with agriculture, the Board of Regents became responsible for an entire university of
diverse interests. To respond to the special needs of agriculture, the State created the Department of
Agriculture in 1972 (Chapter 342, Acts of 1972). All regulatory and advisory functions were
reorganized and transferred to the new Department, while agricultural research functions and the
Extension Service were retained by the University.

Since agriculture is vital to Maryland's economy, the Department's main purpose is to help farmers
produce high-quality commodities. To this end, the Department eradicates disease in livestock and
poultry, controls insect pests and weeds which threaten field crops, inspects seeds and fertilizers to
ensure maximum yields, and disseminates market reports and statistics to help farmers plan farm
production. The Department also protects the environment by regulating the use of pesticides,
implementing sound soil conservation methods, and preserving valuable agricultural land. To protect
consumers, the Department inspects and grades agricultural commodities, oversees the practice of
veterinary medicine, and inspects the weighing and packaging of a wide range of products. In addition,
the Department promotes Maryland agriculture, seeks out new markets, and implements new
initiatives such as aquaculture.