Howard County is working with small businesses to help local food producers achieve and exceed compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) through the help of homegrown technology.
In Maryland, farming and agriculture is the 5th largest economic driver, with 335 farms in Howard County alone. The AgTech program, under the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship (MCE), was created to assist these farms and small producers with agriculture-related legislation, business development and advancements in agriculture technology.
Howard County Economic Development Authority’s (HCEDA) AgTech Division awarded their first ever grant to MCE resident NextLOGiKfor the development and implementation of remote temperature monitoring devices. New FSMA regulations include strict temperature reporting requirements and compliance deadlines are fast approaching. If a farmer is selling their meat at a local farmer’s market, they must record the food storage container’s temperature in intervals and provide this log to federal regulators.
