Twenty-six farms across Montgomery County's Agricultural Reserve plan to open their gates Saturday and Sunday for the annual Farm Tour and Harvest Sale.
The weekend falls during Maryland Buy Local Week, which runs through Sunday and asks residents to buy at least one local product each day.
For Potomac and Darnestown residents, the Agricultural Reserve starts just up the road. The 93,000-acre swath of protected farmland, established in 1980 to limit development, covers roughly one-third of the county and stretches through Darnestown, Dickerson and surrounding communities.
The Montgomery County Office of Agriculture confirmed several participating farms in social media posts the week of July 20, including Lone Oak Farm Brewing Co. & Fallen Oak Distilling Co., Camp Olympia, Pleasant Valley Farm Produce Stand, Calleva, R.B. Savage & Son's Farm, Button Farm Living History Center and Red Wiggler Care Farm.
Why it matters for local businesses
The Buy Local push carries extra weight after a difficult year for the region's economy. Federal workforce reductions in 2025 eliminated close to 25,000 Maryland jobs, the largest decline of any state, according to Baltimore Sun reporting in January 2026.
Amanda Bosland of Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI) said those losses ripple into local storefronts. "Small businesses feel it first because they operate on thin margins and depend on steady local traffic," Bosland told Montgomery Community Media on Tuesday, July 21.
Every purchase at a local farm or shop, she said, keeps someone employed and helps that business survive a hard stretch.
A growing farm economy
The Agricultural Reserve's farm alcohol sector has expanded rapidly in recent years. Licensed wineries, breweries, cideries and distilleries grew from six operations in 2018 to 13 in 2024, with gross sales jumping from about $2.9 million to nearly $16.8 million, according to a July 17 WTOP report citing Mike Scheffel, director of Montgomery County's Office of Agriculture. It remains unclear whether the 2025 federal cuts have slowed that momentum.
How to participate
The Maryland Department of Agriculture's Maryland's Best program suggests buying produce, cut flowers, dairy, meat and poultry, seafood, Maryland wines and beers, baked goods, or items like jams, pickles and honey. Residents who post photos of local purchases on Facebook or Instagram with #BuyLocalChallenge26 can enter to win prizes.
Upcoming community events:
- Saturday, July 25, and Sunday, July 26 — Montgomery County Farm Tour and Harvest Sale. Farms across the Agricultural Reserve open to visitors.
- Sunday, July 27 — Buy Local Challenge Celebration, 5 to 8 p.m., Lyon Family Farm, Mechanicsville, St. Mary's County. About three dozen Maryland vendors. Tickets $5; children 6 and younger free. Reserve at BuyLocalChallenge.com.
