In a boost to the new Agriculture degree program, Chesapeake recently received a Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF) grant.

The $8,500 grant will be used to establish a high-tunnel operation, a hands-on teaching tool , on campus for agriculture classes.

For more information about the Agriculture Program, please click here http://www.chesapeake.edu/academics/agriculture-and-environmental-studies-degree-programs

With this initial MAERDAF investment, Chesapeake will be able to sustain the minimal annual maintenance costs through its operating budget and the sale of high-tunnel crops. The operation will be located in an open green space near the Eastern Shore Higher Education Center.

The high tunnel will provide students with the skills to produce to produce crops in a unique growing environment as well as analyze costs and benefits of the operation.