Notable Contributor
Willie Lantz
Agriculture and Garrett College remain a family tradition for the Lantz family of Garrett County
Agriculture remains a family tradition for Garrett County resident William ‘Willie' Lantz, a native of nearby Preston County, W.Va. Lantz and his two sons, Aaron and Levi, have strong ties to the agricultural community and Garrett College.
Growing up on a dairy farm in the southern part of Preston County near Aurora, W.Va., Lantz was very active in 4-H and FFA. He attended Potomac State College to earn his two-year degree in agricultural technology with the intention of returning to his home farm.
"Through tutoring classmates and my background with 4-H and FFA, I decided to continue my education at West Virginia University in agriculture education," stated Lantz.
For the next five years, he taught high school vocational agriculture/FFA at Hedgesville High School in Berkeley County, W.Va.
Due to a family illness, Lantz and his wife, Arlene, moved back to his hometown and purchased a 100-acre farm. That summer, he finished his master's degree in agriculture education from West Virginia University.
In the fall of 1993, Garrett College was searching for an agriculture instructor to spearhead the new agriculture management program – a cooperative program with the University of Maryland Institute of Applied Agriculture.
Lantz applied, and was hired by the University of Maryland (UM) to serve as the agriculture instructor at Garrett College, a position he held until 2004.
"I left my position in Berkeley County because of a family health situation. When we moved back, I did not have a job lined up," said Lantz. "The opening at Garrett was perfect timing. Even with all of that, I have always been interested in teaching at the college level, so it was a great opportunity."
During his time at GC, he was able to witness several advancements within the program, which strived to provide students with first-hand experience on campus.
"In 2000, we moved into the Center for Adventure and Outdoor Studies (CAOS) building, which we shared with the Natural Resources and Wildlife Technology Program (NRWT) and the Adventure Sports program," Lantz remarked. "We received a couple of grants that allowed us to build a greenhouse, aquaculture facility, and a barn, where we could raise both meat goats and rabbits."
Some courses in the program also involved distance learning with instructors at UM.
"We used a very early email system (long before Gmail) and the new distance learning video lab at Garrett to have instructors at UM help teach classes in the agriculture program," noted Lantz.
In 2004, he was hired by University of Maryland Extension to be the county agriculture agent/extension educator. In 2020, he was promoted to principal agent (full professor).
His combined knowledge and skills gained over the years continues to be beneficial in his current position.
"With five years of high school teaching, 11 years working at Garrett College, and my farm experience over the years, all of this has greatly prepared me for working as the agriculture agent," said Lantz. "I have met many professional and industry contacts because of my experience in Garrett County."
Lantz believes Garrett College is a great place for students to get started.
"The instructors are top notch and they care about the education of every student. Professors at Garrett help students get a successful start," remarked Lantz. "Some of my fondest memories were working with the students and faculty. The agriculture club (formed by students) completed service activities and we took some amazing trips."
He has also had the opportunity to hire a few graduates that came through both the agriculture management and NRWT programs at GC.
"Having first-hand knowledge of former students was great; however, we also value the education - both practical and academic - they received at Garrett," noted Lantz.
He encouraged his two sons, Aaron and Levi, to attend Garrett College to begin their education.
"Arlene and I emphasized the advantage of attending a small college to get basic classes completed. With the commissioners' scholarship, the cost to attend Garrett was nearly nothing," remarked Lantz. "Garrett also allowed them to continue to work on the farm and be active in local 4-H, FFA, and robotics activities."
In the early 2000's, Lantz and his family began selling produce at the local farmers markets, a tradition that both of his sons take part in today.
Aaron transferred to Frostburg State University to complete his liberal arts degree, with major classes in business and engineering. Currently, he serves as a project manager for Pillar Innovations in Grantsville. He has a 20-acre farm near Oakland and sells fresh produce on the farm at a self-serve farm stand and at the farmers market. Aaron will be getting married to Gabby Garlitz this summer.
After GC, Levi attended UMBC where he received a degree in integrated computer systems. He is employed as a security system specialist for Mountainside Technology in Oakland. He purchased a farm with two greenhouses beside his family's home farm. Today, he and his wife Maria manage and maintain five greenhouses and continue to sell produce at the Oakland Farmers Market.
"They both saw the advantage of attending Garrett and both had a good experience," noted Lantz. "It was good for them to understand college classes without the other major changes that come with attending college (dorm life, etc.)."
