The College of Southern Maryland is launching a new certificate program this month aimed at giving aspiring farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs the business skills to start and grow an operation, with the first course beginning Aug. 4.
The noncredit Agribusiness Workforce Training Certificate, part of CSM’s broader continuing education offerings, consists of three required courses covering agribusiness management, finance and economics, along with the history of agriculture in Southern Maryland and the fundamentals of drafting a business plan. The courses can be taken in any order, are open to anyone 18 or older, and are offered with flexible daytime, evening and weekend scheduling, with much of the coursework available online.
Instructor Jordan Jones-Cordero said the program is designed to give people the confidence to take the leap into agricultural entrepreneurship. “Agriculture businesses are an important part of the Southern Maryland landscape and economy,” Jones-Cordero said. “These courses can be a life raft for people diving headfirst into starting their business, to keep them afloat and succeed in starting an operation that gives something back to the local community and economy.”
The certificate builds on a vertical agriculture course CSM launched in 2024, which introduced students to hydroponic, indoor growing methods using stacked trays — a segment of the industry the college’s own program materials describe as worth more than $22 billion nationally as of 2026 and projected to grow 20% to 28% by 2030. Students in that course trained in CSM’s dedicated Vertical Agriculture Lab and completed a hands-on practicum with a local business, a model the new agribusiness certificate carries forward by pairing students with local mentors for real-world guidance.
Woody DeLauder, owner of Rootbound Farms in La Plata, hosted students from the vertical agriculture course at his operation. DeLauder started the farm about a decade ago, growing vegetables on less than an acre and selling them roadside; the business has since grown into a storefront offering homegrown produce, handmade soaps and goods from more than a half-dozen other local vendors, including jams, bread, meat and candles. During the course, students worked alongside DeLauder planting crops and learning about soil health, planting practices and crop rotation.
“At Rootbound Farms, it’s not just about what we’re selling but I’m also out there to help people understand that they can do it themselves,” DeLauder said. He said he hopes the mentorship model helps spark broader interest in small-scale and suburban farming. “You can take an acre or two, grow intentionally, and you can make a living,” DeLauder said. “There is a whole niche market for those who want to buy local, organic vegetables, natural soaps and other products. Having the local resources at CSM is going to be important for creating and managing regenerative or boutique farms.”
One student who went through that mentorship, Mary Goddard, said the experience helped turn a lifelong interest in gardening into a potential career path. Goddard, who spent years working in customer service, completed the vertical agriculture course last year and now works at the Rootbound Farms store while she builds toward a career growing food for local families. She plans to enroll in the new agribusiness certificate program next month to continue developing her business skills. “You get paired up with mentors who can answer practical, real-world questions,” Goddard said. “The courses take you where you need to go educationally. I think anyone could get something good from it.”
The new program arrives as Southern Maryland’s agricultural sector continues adjusting to a changing economic landscape. Across Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties, agriculture generates an estimated $158 million in annual output and supports roughly 2,300 jobs in farming, processing and distribution, according to figures cited by Calvert County’s Department of Economic Development. Regional agriculture officials, including the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission, have pointed to a need for expanded workforce training as farms in the region diversify away from historic tobacco production toward fruits, vegetables, value-added products and agritourism, even as the overall size of individual farms has trended smaller since 2017.
Scholarships are available for residents of Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties, and information on enrolling in the Agribusiness Workforce Training Certificate is available on CSM’s website.
