NEXT GENERATION IS ALREADY MAKING A MARK IN AGRICULTURE Frederick County’s agriculture industry is strong and each year Homegrown Frederick highlights many of our farm-to-consumer agriculture businesses. This year we introduce you to two dozen of our Top Under 40 Agricultural Professionals. The Frederick County Office of Economic Development (FCOED) has its own awesome Homegrown Under 40 Agriculture team that we’re proud to highlight as well. Meet Katie Stevens, Associate Director of Agriculture Business Development, where her primary focus is to promote agricultural opportunities and assist agricultural businesses. She has played a critical role in supporting Frederick County’s craft beverage businesses and has filled a huge void in connecting farmers to the resources they need to grow and diversify. Katie has been a leader in the ag community her whole life. She grew up on her family’s dairy farm, went to Virginia Tech majoring in dairy science and worked for the University of Maryland on its dairy farm. She is a member of the Farm Bureau and the chair of Maryland Young Farmers. She is on the board and an
8
active volunteer for the Show Like A Pro Dairy Workshop that helps young kids get into showing cows. She contin- Katie Stevens and Becca Tucker ues to raise her own cows to show and be milked, along worked for years with the USDA-Farm with helping her family produce hay, Service Agency assisting local farmers corn, beans and wheat. Katie has also with the federal program funding. started her own cut flower farm. Becca’s roots also run deep in Frederick Becca Tucker is one of the newest memCounty agriculture, growing up on her bers to the FCOED team. As the Senior family’s dairy farm in Jefferson. Upon gradBusiness Development Manager of uating from Virginia Tech with a degree in Agriculture, Becca’s focus is to provide Dairy Science and a minor in Agricultural service to farmers starting and expanding Applied Economics, she returned as a fifth their ag businesses and expanding the generation to her family’s farm. Homegrown brand while marketing local agriculture producers. You can follow Take time to read through all our Top her blogs on the Homegrown Facebook Under 40 Agricultural Professionals—we page. She brings a wealth of knowledge think you’ll agree that Frederick’s agriculwith her to the FCOED Ag team, having tural future is in good hands.
