1718                            JOINT RESOLUTIONS

No. 29
(Senate Joint Resolution 58)

Senate Joint Resolution requesting the Governor to appoint a com-
mittee to study the organization of the State Board of Agriculture.

Whereas, Maryland has a large number of citizens engaged in
different fields of agriculture; and

Whereas, the Maryland State Board of Agriculture should repre-
sent these citizens and it administers the laws of the State relating to
agricultural service and control programs; and

Whereas, the State Board of Agriculture is also the Board of
Regents of the University of Maryland and a majority of its members
are appointed because of their connection with and interest in this
school and have no knowledge concerning the agricultural problems
of the State and no interest in agriculture; and

Whereas, the State Board was formed in this manner in the past
century when the College Park campus of the University of Maryland
was an agricultural college and the Board and this college had similar
interests, but this situation has passed and now, there is no reason
for the State Board of Agriculture and the Board of Regents of the
mostly academic University of Maryland to be one and the same; and

Whereas, there should be a study made by representatives of the
various segments of the State's agricultural population to conclude
an alternative to this unsatisfactory situation and thus give the
agriculture interests of the State a State Board of Agriculture, which
will be truly interested in the agricultural problems of this State
and knowledgeable in this field; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, that the various organizations and associations in the
poultry, dairy, livestock, tobacco, nursery, horticulture, field crops,
vegetables, business fields of agriculture and the Farm Bureau,
Grange and Board of Agriculture each and every one should meet
and submit to the Governor a list of three names and from such lists
he is requested to appoint, no later than May 1, 1967, two of the
nominees of both the poultry and dairy organizations and one nominee
of the rest of the fields of agriculture and specified organizations to a
Commission to study the organization of the State Board of Agricul-
ture and the procedure utilized by this body in fostering the develop-
ment of agriculture within the State; and be it further

Resolved, that in addition to these fourteen appointments, the
Governor should appoint six members of the Commission who shall
be actively engaged in agriculture, and be it further

Resolved, That this Commission is requested to conclude its study
on this matter and make its report to the Governor no later than
October 31, 1967 and also report to the General Assembly at its
1968 Session.

Approved May 4, 1967.