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It’s been a very busy fall here at CAIC, with program kickoffs, farmers markets, curriculum development for new programs, and much more keeping us occupied. We’ve also gotten the chance to connect with some of the phenomenal people and organizations that share our goal of empowering rural businesses and communities, including at this past month’s 2023 Rural Summit in Annapolis (which we were also proud to cosponsor). With a theme of “Pathways to Prosperity,” the Rural Maryland Council’s annual conference brought together more than 200 stakeholders from government, industry, and other sectors for a full day of networking, speeches, and panel discussions.
Like CAIC, the RMC is committed to advocating for Maryland’s rural communities, which can be found in 18 of the state’s 24 jurisdictions. Among other things, the organization hosts educational and community forums, provides grant funding, and works to connect rural residents and businesses with a variety of different resources.
At the 2023 Rural Summit, attendees heard from speakers including Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks; Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz; and Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman, who talked about some of the ways that her office is seeking to work with communities and businesses. There were also remarks from some of the members of Maryland’s congressional delegation: Sen. Chris Van Hollen shared some policy updates and highlighted the importance of supporting farmers, while Rep. David Trone, who noted that he grew up on a farm, discussed the need for additional resources to support rural mental health care.
The conference’s keynote speaker was Becky McCray, an entrepreneur, cattle rancher, and small-town advocate from Oklahoma (where she currently resides in a town with just 30 residents). In her address, McCray shared stories about some of the different ways that small-town Americans across the country have successfully worked to improve their communities. She also challenged attendees to not only come up with their own community-development ideas, but to make plans to actually implement them.
All in all, the 2023 Rural Summit was a fun and fulfilling experience for the CAIC team. (You can view more of the presentations on the RMC’s YouTube channel.) Be sure to follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter to find out about other events that we’ll be attending! We’re always looking for new opportunities to connect with farmers and producers in the region, too, so please send us an email if you’d like to share an event with us.
