Butler’s Apple Orchard Opens After Landowner Dispute Delay

"We don't anticipate any other issues with the apples," says Susan Butler, of Butler’s Orchard.

Delayed by a landowner dispute, apple-picking season has officially begun at Butler’s Orchard. Butler's opened its apple orchard Saturday for pick-your-own gala apples, Susan Butler confirmed. The family farm announced the news to its 462 Twitter followers during the weekend. Apple season was supposed to begin Aug. 21 but was suspended due to a dispute between the family farm's operators and the person who actually owns the land, Patch has reported. The Butler family would not comment on the nature of the dispute. Susan Butler said the current lease needed to be "renegotiated." Her brother, the late Todd Butler, had owned apple orchard's four acres of land. He passed away in 2010. “Everything's all been settled,” Susan Butler said. “…

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County Fair Wraps Up Weeklong Celebration

The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair saw another successful festival in 2012. Festivities ended Saturday night.

The 64th annual Montgomery County Agricultural Fair came to a close Saturday night as volunteers dismantled rides, cleaned up the barns, closed up stands and said goodbye to one another until next summer.  The county fair held at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds saw an estimated 220,000 guests, about the same number as last year, according to Martin Svcrek, the executive director of the Montgomery County Agricultural Center, Inc. Great weather conditions welcomed festival-goers throughout most of the week, except for a few rainstorms and a power outage. Running the fair required many volunteers, an estimated 2,000 to 2,400 volunteer hours, according to Gerda Sherwood from Laytonsville, herself a volunteer at the Dairy Barn. Sherwood said …

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Building a Robo Farmer? That's Intern Work

Students help technologist Peter James build a robotic farm in Montgomery County's agricultural reserve.

Some interns fetch coffee. Others shadow mentors. Alonzo Montgomery is building a robotic farmer. “It's exactly what I imagined to be,” said Montgomery, an 18-year-old Gaithersburg resident studying computer engineering at Montgomery College. "Parts everywhere," Montgomery continued, looking at the scattered gears, motherboards and computer chips that would be used to make the robo farmers come to life. Montgomery is one of eight student interns helping Germantown technologist Peter James build a robotic farm off Brink road. When Patch visited the workspace — the garage to James’s townhome — Montgomery and fellow intern, Pranav Pranakkal, 19, of Clarksburg, were working on a steel beam for a gantry, which the robots will use to zip through…

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Montgomery County Fair Opens to Large Crowds

The 64th annual Montgomery County Agricultural Fair opened its gates this weekend, welcoming those from all around the state for a week of festivities.

The 64th annual Montgomery County Agricultural Fair opened this weekend, drawing guests from all over the county and other parts of Maryland.  The fair kicked off Friday at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, welcoming families and friends to join in this year’s celebration, “Sew It, Grow It, Show It.” Aside from the rain storm Saturday night, the fair has seen huge crowds thus far. “It’s been busy,” Thomas Poole, the supervisor at the fair’s rabbit barn, said. “If we have weather like this for the rest of the week, we’ll continue to have good crowds.” The agricultural accomplishments of Montgomery County were on full display as guests wandered through the rows of stables and pens filled with sheep, pigs, chickens, cows, rabbits and other …

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Invasive, Tree-Eating Beetle Found in Gaithersburg

Officials say the shimmering green beetle is responsible for destroying millions of ash trees throughout the United States.

  An invasive beetle that poses a threat to the state's ash tree population has made its way to Gaithersburg, according to The Gazette. The emerald ash borer beetle was found in a local tree in late June and is the first sighting in Montgomery County, though the species has already been spotted in six other counties this year, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture. The beetles, native to China and eastern Asia, were first found in the United States in 2002, and in Maryland in 2003, according to the department. Officials say they already have destroyed millions of ash trees throughout the United States. The beetles spread by hitching a ride on things like shipping pallets and untreated firewood brought to camping grounds, …

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GALLERY: Mouthwatering Fair Fare

An assortment of the things to eat—and the people eating them—at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair.

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GALLERY: Racing On A Blade's Edge

Lawnmower racing at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair.

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County Fairgrounds Looks to the Future, Begins Rezoning Process

Move is meant to ensure the future of the Agricultural Fair, Executive Director says

The Montgomery County Agricultural Center has asked Gaithersburg to consider rezoning the 63-acre property in a move meant to ensure the Agricultural Fair continues on well into the future. Martin Svrcek, the Executive Director of the Montgomery County Agricultural Center, said the application would change the privately-owned property from I-1 (industrial) and R-A (light residential) to MXD, or mixed-use development. "It puts a classification on the land that could be used if we needed to sell the land to ensure the future of the Fair," he said. "The Fair is our prime mission." He added that the property is not for sale. Greg Ossont, Director of Planning and Code Enforcement at the City, said consolidating the two zones into one would give…

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