This is to advise that Governor Wes Moore ordered the Maryland Flag be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset, Saturday, December 30, 2023. This is for former Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Henry Allan “Bud” Virts, who passed away on Wednesday, December 13, 2023. Henry Allan “Bud” Virts was the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture from 1998-2001.