His father grew corn, but Allnut plants the fruits and vegetables that supply local Giant and other supermarkets. Schoolchildren tour his farm, and down-county residents come to pick the bounty. A few miles from Allnut's farm, in Beallsville, Jane Hunter and her neighbors have a different worry. County officials have grabbed about 3,000 acres from the reserve for a landfill, incinerator and composting plant, which Hunter said mars the natural beauty of the reserve. Hunter and others fear more of the same.
Annexation is another potential menace.
Duncan and other officials said they believe Montgomery's countryside willstay green for decades. The county still has plenty of room for growth in places such as Clarksburg and Germantown and ample opportunities to redevelop aging neighborhoods in Silver Spring and elsewhere. A politician who suggested development in the farm reserve would risk certain defeat, they said. Ben Allnut surveys his fields. A pro-development council was elected in the early 1960s in Montgomery, and the pendulum could always swing back.