Maryland Public Television’s (MPT) popular original series Maryland Farm & Harvest, now in its eighth season, will feature farms and locations in Frederick, Garrett, and Kent counties during the show’s milestone 100thepisode airing at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9.
Maryland Farm & Harvest has been taking viewers on journeys across the state since 2013, telling hundreds of stories about the farms, people, and technology required to sustain and grow agriculture in Maryland, the state’s number one commercial industry.
With introductions filmed at Inverness Brewing and Farm in Monkton, northern Baltimore County, Maryland Farm & Harvest’s February 9 episode features the following segments:
- Chicken Breeding with Multicolored Eggs(Frederick County). Maryland Farm & HarvestvisitsDeer Run Farmin Emmitsburg where Allison Rostad and Josh Stewart raise and sell five heritage chicken breeds that produce eggs in a wide range of colors. These chickens produce eggs in colors including light blue, light tan, dark brown, terracotta, and greenish/brown. Customers from smaller commercial farms to backyard flock owners and from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii purchase chicks from Deer Run Farm. Alison and Josh then show how they prepare chicks for shipping to customers via the U.S. Mail.
- Bears & Crop Damage(Garrett County). Farming in mountain areas of Maryland comes with a special set of challenges, among them nearby wildlife. Richard Bernard operates Hunt Valley Farm, a 525-acre farm in Swanton that grows, horse hay, oats, corn, and soy beans. Bernard shows how nearby black bears cause up to $10,000 worth of damages annually to his corn crops. Fortunately for Bernard, there’s help available from the State of Maryland. Harry Spiker, a bear expert with Maryland Department of Natural Resources, visits to measure and verify the crop damage so that Hunt Valley Farm can compensated by the State of Maryland for some of its losses.
- The Local Buy: Growth of Maryland Wineries(Kent County).The Local Buyhost Al Spoler heads to Crow Vineyard and Winery in Kennedyville where he learns about the dramatic growth of wineries in the state. While there were 34 in 2010 there are now more than 100 wineries in 2020.Al speaks with Judy Crow about her family’s operation, comprised of some 12.5 acres of grapes, together with a comfortable tasting room, and a bed and breakfast inn. Al closes the segment by urging viewers to visitmpt.org/farmto learn more about Maryland wines and to get maps to wineries and wine trails located across the state.
- Farms from the Air: Barns.In this new segment, the series takes a bird's-eye-view trip across Maryland to see barns from above, with stops atE. Griffith and Son in Lothian(Anne Arundel County), Cattail View Farm in Taneytown(Carroll County),Shenandoah Jerseys in Boonsboro(Washington County), andRusty Rooster Farm in Worton(Kent County).
New episodes of Maryland Farm & Harvest air on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and livestream atmpt.org/anywhere/live-
Series host Joanne Clendining, who recently earned her second Emmy® award from the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for her work onMaryland Farm & Harvest, returns for season eight. She is joined by Al Spoler who handles duties for each episode’sTheLocal Buysegment.
Ten million viewers have tuned in toMaryland Farm & Harvestsince its 2013 debut. The series has taken MPT viewers to nearly 400 farms, fisheries, and other agriculture-related locations during its first seven seasons, covering every Maryland county, as well as Baltimore City and Washington, D.C. Past episodes can be viewed atvideo.mpt.tv/show/maryland-
The Maryland Department of Agriculture is MPT's co-production partner forMaryland Farm & Harvest. Major funding is provided by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board.
Additional funding is provided by Maryland's Best, Maryland Agricultural Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (Marbidco), MidAtlantic Farm Credit, Rural Maryland Council, Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF), Maryland Soybean Board, Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts, Wegmans Food Markets, Maryland Nursery, Landscape & Greenhouse Association, Seafood Marketing Advisory Commission, Maryland Farm Bureau, and The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.
Other support for the series comes from Mar-Del Watermelon Association, Eddie Mercer Agri-Services, Inc., and Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation.
About Maryland Public Television
Maryland Public Television (MPT) is a statewide, public-supported TV network and Public Broadcasting Service member offering entertaining, educational, and inspiring content delivered by traditional broadcasting and streaming on TVs, computers, and mobile devices. A state agency, it operates under the auspices of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission. MPT creates local, regional, and national content and is a frequent winner of regional Emmy® awards. MPT’s commitment to educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through instructional events and Thinkport.org. MPT’s year-round community engagement activities connect viewers with resources on a wide range of topics. For more information visitmpt.org.
