The "Art of Farming": Exploring the Link between Farm Culture and Maryland's Nutrient Management Policies

Policies and regulations designed to reduce nutrient runoff from Maryland farms into the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries would benefit from a better understanding of the cultural contexts of farming. Ethnographic work with Maryland farmers suggests that one of several key reasons why they are reluctant to comply with nutrient management regulations is because the regulations do not reflect an adequate understanding of the cultural aspects of farming. We offer the "art of farming" construct as a way to help organize and present, in a holistic and integrated manner, relevant cultural attributes of farming, which are often not recognized by efforts to apply broad-based agricultural and environmental regulations based on best available science. Components of the "art of farming" help explain some of the salient reasons why farmers were opposed to Maryland's nutrient management regulations and resisted (to varying degrees) implementing nutrient management plans. We conclude with a call for using the "art of farming" concept as a cultural bridge to promote dialogue among farmers, scientists, and resource managers on farm nutrient management.