Maryland’s Best is a state-wide marketing program operated by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and is free for producers and seafood entities to sign-up! The program began over 20 years ago with a mission to connect farmers to consumers through marketing initiatives. In addition, the program has also expanded into connecting farmers and watermen to retailers, restaurants, and institutions on the back end so that farmers can grow their businesses and consumers can more readily find local food. In 2024, the program spent $300,000 on marketing campaigns driving traffic to marylandsbest.net which hosts a list of farms and special campaigns. To take advantage of this opportunity, farms should sign-up now to be listed on the website! Signing up is easy and does require a OneStop account; additional details can be found here.
In addition to marketing, Maryland’s Best also hosts an annual expo and invites over 300 buyers in the DMV area to attend! Buyers range from chefs to institutions so all sizes of farms are encouraged to attend. Producers are able to reserve a table at the expo for just fifty dollars. This year’s event will be on February 3, 2026 from 10am-2pm at Navy Stadium in Annapolis. Space is limited so we encourage producers to sign-up sooner rather than later. In addition to the expo, product photography and professional headshots are available for a nominal fee. Free mini learning sessions are also available during the expo and are geared towards education for farmers. REGISTER HERE. Producers must register by December 12.
Another program that farmers can engage with to produce more profit is the Certified Local Farm & Fish program (CLFF). The State of Maryland created the Certified Local Farm and Fish Program to encourage state agencies, including public four-year universities, to achieve an overall goal of purchasing 20 percent of their food from Certified Local Farm and Chesapeake Invasive Species Provider Directory. Each procurement agency shall structure its food procurement procedures to achieve an overall goal of 20 percent of the unit’s total dollar value of all such procurement contracts made from Certified Local Farm and Chesapeake Invasive Species Providers either through prime vendors, subcontractors or direct.
So what is a certified farm and how does it benefit the farmer? A certified local farm is a farm that has a nutrient management plan or meets the nutrient management requirements, i.e. apiarists or aquaculturists, with the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Becoming certified means you will be added to the directory above for state agency buyers to select from, therefore increasing opportunities for wholesale orders. For more information and to register, visit the MDA website.
For more information or questions on the Maryland’s Best programs, please contact kristin.hanna@maryland.gov. For more information on CLFF, please email local.food@maryland.gov.