♪ ♪ JOANNE CLENDINING: From the Potomac to the Mason-Dixon line, there's a truckload of agricultural goodness to be had.

Did you know crunching wheat can tell you when it's ready for harvest?

There are Texas cattle grazing in Maryland?

And a passion for brewing can make you hoppy?

Don't go anywhere.

Stories about the people who work the land and feed our state are coming up next on “Maryland Farm and Harvest.” NARRATOR: Major funding for “Maryland Farm and Harvest” is made possible in part by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, investing in smarter farming to support safe and affordable food, feed and fuel, and a healthy Bay.

Additional funding provided by Maryland's Best.

Good for you.

Good for Maryland.

MARBIDCO, helping to sustain food and fiber enterprise for future generations.

A grant from the Maryland Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Program, Farm Credit, lending support to agriculture and rural America.

The Maryland Soybean Board and Soybean Checkoff Program.

Progress powered by farmers.

The Maryland Nursery Landscape and Greenhouse Association, The Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts.

The Maryland Farm Bureau Incorporated.

The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.

The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, promoting the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.

And by Baltimore County Commission on Arts and Sciences.

(theme music playing).

(bird chirping).

JOANNE: Maryland's agriculture roots run deep and many times are hidden from sight.

Hi, I'm Joanne Clendining, welcome to “Maryland Farm and Harvest.” This week we're visiting the Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster, where its roots are on full display.

The museum opened its doors in 1966 and since then has given visitors a glimpse of mid-century life through its complex of 15 buildings.

For over a century, the working farm provided housing for the poor and indigent.

Come visit, it has a fascinating history.

Coming up, a breed of cattle known for grazing in Texas hill country found a home right here in Maryland.

But first, one of the perks of this job is meeting some amazing farming families who share a commitment to generational stewardship.

And the Bakers of Deere Valley Farm are prime examples.

(tractor engine).

♪ ♪ Currently, there are 12,550 farms in Maryland and 216 of them carry the Century Farm designation.

And Deere Valley Farm is soon to be one of them.

Located in the shadow of Sugarloaf Mountain, Deere Valley Farm is operated by the Baker family and it's a grain and livestock operation.

Oh, I think I hear my ride.

Hi Rob.

ROB BAKER: Hi, Joanne.

JOANNE: Great to see you.

ROB: Good to see you.

JOANNE: So what do we got going on today?

ROB: We're gonna harvest some wheat and plant some soybeans, but while we're waiting for the dew to dry, we're going to go feed some livestock.

BOTH: Let's go!

JOANNE: Rob explained to me that this land was purchased by his family in the late 1920s and was a dairy farm for the next 40-plus years.

The farm was left vacant for a number of years until Rob resurrected it.

ROB: It was very grown up and deteriorated at the time we took it over, we've fixed it up and created what you see here now.

JOANNE: So it sounds like you did a lot of work to this place when you took it over.

ROB: Yes.

So farming is always a work in progress and you working, you're working toward a larger goal with everything that you do.

Um, we have diversified to, you know, continue the, the legacy of what we're doing and it, it makes me super proud and my wife's super proud that the boys want to carry this on.

JOANNE: That is an amazing thing.

ROB: Yeah, it is.

JOANNE: So maybe you'll go a century and a quarter or half...

ROB: Yes.

JOANNE: Two centuries.

ROB: Yep, one generation at a time, yep.

JOANNE: The next generation to lead Deere Valley Farm into the future are the Baker boys.

They each share the daily load and oldest son Josh is ready to put me to work.

Hi Josh.

JOSH BAKER: Hi Joanne, how are you?

JOANNE: I'm doing great, so what are we doing next?

JOSH: So this morning we're gonna be feeding some hogs.

JOANNE: Alright, let's do it.

JOSH: Here's your bucket.

JOANNE: Alright.

Now what kind of hogs are these?

JOSH: So we get all types of hogs, but these are Hampshire, Berkshire, and Duroc's.

JOANNE: Okay and do you guys breed them here?

JOSH: So we buy them privately as feeder hogs for, for private sale at about 50 pounds.

JOANNE: Okay.

I'm following you.

JOSH: So you what you do, just dump right in here and then it comes right out the bottom.

JOANNE: Alright.

And now tell me about this, uh, this grain is this... JOSH: So this grain is our grain.

It's a corn and soybean mix, uh, for pig ration.

And there's, they add minerals and other things that, uh, the pigs need to grow big and healthy.

JOANNE: So I hear from your dad that you're getting ready to, you're being groomed to take over the farm, you and your brother.

JOSH: That's the plan.

JOANNE: How do you feel about that?

JOSH: I'm excited.

I'm, it's cool to be young and be in agriculture because not many people are in agriculture and farming at a young age.

JOANNE: That's true.

What do you love most about it?

JOSH: I think I love most about planting the crops and seeing them grow and, and, uh, seeing the fruits of your labor be able to help feed America.

JOANNE: Nothing better than that.

Deere Valley Farm has about 2,000 acres in grain, a mix of corn, soybean, wheat, and hay.

The grain they grow feeds their livestock.

Currently 150 head of beef cattle, 25 to 30 hogs, and about the same number of lamb.

Now with the hogs fat and happy, I joined Zach in the wheat field to see if it's ready to harvest.

Zach, I understand there's a technique that you can do to figure out if the wheat's ready for harvest.

ZACH BAKER: Yes, ma'am.

Yep, so my dad taught me this when I was pretty young and just getting started on the farm.

So if you go ahead and grab a kernel of wheat.

JOANNE: Okay.

ZACH: You crunch it up in between your hands and your other palm trying to get all those kernels outta there and you give it a soft blow.

(blowing).

ZACH: Yep, and then you just go ahead and pop it in.

JOANNE: Ooh, that's hard.

ZACH: Yeah, if you feel that crunch, then it's ready to go.

And if it's a little bit gooey or gummy, then that means that it needs more time to dry.

JOANNE: Well, this definitely seems like it's ready.

ZACH: It sure does, let's get to cutting.

♪ ♪ JOANNE: Winter wheat is planted in the fall and harvested in early summer.

It serves as an efficient and valuable winter cover crop.

ZACH: So this is your throttle right here.

JOANNE: Okay.

ZACH: You got slow, medium, and then fast.

Um, and then this is the... JOANNE: After a quick run-through on the controls of the combine ZACH: To switch.

JOANNE: Okay.

I'm ready to take the reins.

At least I think I am.

All right.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm just a little nervous here.

ZACH: Oh, you'll be totally fine.

JOANNE: Alright.

ZACH: Okay, so first things first, um, right down there is gonna be your steering wheel, um, mover.

So if you push that down, you can pull the steering wheel towards you.

Yep, and then whatever height you'd like it at.

JOANNE: Okay, good.

ZACH: Good?

JOANNE: Yep.

ZACH: Okay, so then that yellow switch over there... JOANNE: This one?

ZACH: Yes.

JOANNE: Down and forward?

ZACH: And you push that down forward and, let it go.

And you hear the, the combine get started up.

JOANNE: Yep.

ZACH: And then you push the other yellow lever down and forward.

Now you're ready to cut.

JOANNE: Okay.

ZACH: And then you're ready to go forward at whatever speed you feel comfortable with.

Then we'll get you cutting some wheat here.

JOANNE: Alright.

ZACH: Here we go.

JOANNE: Oh, okay, so, woo!

ZACH: Yeah, you'll figure, you'll figure it out for yourself.

JOANNE: You'll tell me if I mess up, right?

ZACH: Yeah, yeah, sure will.

JOANNE: So why do you like being a farmer?

ZACH: I think about it a lot actually, I, I don't think I could do it without, um, doing it for my family or for ourselves and for our future.

I really, I really feel when I'm working that I'm not just working for my family, but I'm working for, um, our, our country and, and our world in some, some small way, so.

JOANNE: Yeah, like the greater good.

ZACH: Yep, it's, it's, that's how I look at it anyway.

And it's really rewarding for me.

JOANNE: Under Zach's tutelage, we made quick work of that wheat field and we had to, ‘cause Josh was right on our heels, planting soybeans.

There's very little time to rest on a farm like Deere Valley, but the Bakers wouldn't have it any other way.

And no visit is complete without stopping in their farm market.

Where Samantha sells their products as well as those from neighboring farms.

This look delicious.

And of course, they're homemade ice cream.

Thank you.

Tractor sprinkles, that's awesome.

Life on Deere Valley Farm just got a whole lot sweeter.

Driving that combine was a blast.

Thanks for the lesson, Zach.

You know, from the work ethic and dedication to family and farming that I saw, there's no doubt the future is bright for the Bakers of Deere Valley Farm.

And did you know, farming in the United States is a family affair?

As of 2022, 97% of farms are family farms.

in Maryland, according to the 2022 census, 81% of farms are family-owned.

♪ ♪ All right, it's time to test your inner agronomist, here is our thingamajig for the week.

Do you think you know what it is?

Well, here's a hint.

When the time is right, this tool is "udderly" perfect for the job.

Stay tuned and we'll have the answer at the end of the show.

♪ ♪ There's a certain satisfaction you get from looking out on a field of row crops.

The symmetry and flow, it's very rewarding.

Here are some picks of those flaunted fields.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ There's a farm in northwest Baltimore County where if you didn't know any better, you'd think you were in Texas.

And it might have something to do with the residents.

(tractor engine).

(whistle call).

♪ ♪ EDDIE DOWNEY: Any Longhorn breeder will tell you there's a certain romance about raising Longhorns.

It's a, it's an ode to the, to the old west, to that old American spirit of pioneers striking out past the Mississippi River into the unknown.

There's just something special about a Texas Longhorn cow.

The way they hold themselves, the horns, the color, the way they move.

I think everything about 'em is kind of a living history right there in front of you.

JOANNE: You might think these longhorns are deep in the heart of Texas, but actually they're lazily grazing in the town of Boring, Maryland.

A surprise to be sure, even for the herds caretaker, veteran-turned-farmer Eddie Downey.

EDDIE: We actually didn't start off intending to raise Texas Longhorns.

We had a couple of Highland cows.

I saw a picture of a beautiful Longhorn steer on, online for sale and I said, “Hey, let's give it a try.

We'll raise it up.” Went to see the Longhorns at that ranch.

Absolutely loved them.

Saw a barn full of just the prettiest cattle that anybody's ever laid their eyes on.

Came home with three instead of one, and the rest is history.

(mooing).

She's one of those that's nice and calm, but she doesn't want you petting her.

Yeah.

Like if I go up and try to pet her, she'll give me the shove.

(clicks teeth).

She'll see if I got something for her, and then she said, “Nope.” JOANNE: What started as a pet project is now Downey Family Farm with a herd over 40 strong.

And it's easy to see why the Downey's fell in love with the Longhorn, their horn spans can reach well over eight feet.

And the diversity of colors and patterns makes each animal feel unique.

And the history behind these animals is even lengthier than the horns that give them their namesakes.

(whistling).

EDDIE: These animals were left by the Spaniards for 300 years in Mexico and Texas.

You know, that's back when there were grizzlies and mountain lions everywhere.

And about the most terrifying thing that a cowboy could run into was a wild Texas Longhorn because they weren't afraid of people.

They're the only animal in North America that was known to kill bears.

They would kill the horses out from under the, the riders, they were extremely dangerous back then.

JOANNE: At the time, there was a lack of economic viability in the West, but the expansion of the railroads brought opportunity for ingenuity.

EDDIE: At some point, some crazy cowboys had the idea that we're gonna round up these wild animals and ship 'em to Kansas and put 'em on trains.

And that completely changed the economic landscape of the West at that point.

So it really was the cow that won the west.

JOANNE: Today, the Longhorn's popularity in the beef industry has declined, but the Downey's and other breeders are hoping to improve the breed to reclaim the top spot in the cattle world.

That means ensuring a happy and healthy herd and frequent checkups from veterinarians.

Today, doctors Cindy Sheckels and Shane Martin are drawing blood to check for bacterial infections, vaccinating the Longhorns against tuberculosis, and checking for pregnancies through the palpation method.

CINDY SHECKELS: Alrighty, see if she's pregnant.

I'm going in there and I'm feeling her uterus and I'm looking for any signs of pregnancy.

So a fetus, cotyledons, membrane slip, depending on how far along she is.

Yep, she's pregnant.

EDDIE: Good stuff.

EDDIE: Yeah, can you get in there and, yeah.

CINDY: Yep, you know what I'm feeling a girl.

(laughing).

JOANNE: It's a happy day for Foxy, who's gonna be a mama, but half the credit goes to Hubbles Jeremiah 29:11, the Downey Family Farms prized sire.

EDDIE: He's a pretty special bull, he's, this brindle coloring is, uh, a highly sought-after color in the Longhorn world.

But in addition to the brindle, he's 2,000 pounds.

So that's also rare for Longhorn bulls.

A lot of Longhorn bulls settle into like 1,600, 1,800 pounds.

And of course the, the best thing is his horns, he's over 90 inches tip to tip.

So all that together, 90 inches tip to tip a 2,000 pound bull, and brindle makes him really, really special, really unique.

JOANNE: In the Longhorn world genetics is everything which makes a bull like Jeremiah a king.

And this king's court stretches 2,000 miles from Texas to Massachusetts.

Jeremiah is a partner bull meaning multiple farms have stake in him.

He'll travel cross country on a sire tour mating with Longhorn cows from coast to coast.

It's a good life for a young bull, but it's been a boon for the Downies as well.

EDDIE: Started this, I don't think we ever would've imagined that we would've had a bull-like Jeremiah on our place, that we'd be producing the kind of heifers that we are.

And that's because of him.

We went from being hobby breeders to being serious, serious breeders on a national stage.

And we feel pretty honored to have him on our farm.

JOANNE: The Downies are all in with Hubbles Jeremiah 29:11, banking on the bull's bullish bravado.

And did you know the Texas Longhorn is a hybrid breed of Spanish Retinto and English cattle that early American frontiersmen brought to Texas from Southern and Midwestern states in the early 1800s?

On this week's, the local buy Al visits, a hops farm and brewery, where their DIY attitude allowed them to grow right along with the hops.

Al.

AL SPOLER: Benjamin Franklin once said that, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

And happiness is exactly what Che and Lisa Carton are brewing up here at Black Locust Farm Brewery.

Sudsy brews and soulful bands are your typical night at the taproom.

But there's a lot of work in the fields and brewery before the first court is strummed or draft is drawn.

And that's why we're going to find out how this turns into this.

Humulus lupulus or hops keeps beer fresh, balances the taste, and depending on the variety, adds different flavors.

And while Maryland's humidity makes it difficult to grow, few men in the state have been as successful growing the crop as Che Carton.

Che, I found you!

Look at all these, how tall are these?

CHE CARTON: 18 feet.

AL: Holy moly.

CHE: Mm-Hmm.

AL: How many, how many uh, hop vines do we have?

CHE: Uh, there's 3,000 plants and there's, as you can see here, two, two sets of strings at each plant.

AL: Mm-Hmm.

CHE: So about 6,000 strings out here.

AL: How many acres?

CHE: Just under three acres.

AL: That's pretty tight.

CHE: Yeah, we plant very densely.

AL: You do, you do.

How many varieties are you growing here?

CHE: We're growing three varieties right now.

This is Chinook that we're standing in.

AL: Mm-Hmm.

CHE: Cascades up at the top of the hill, and Brewer's Gold is down at the bottom of the hill, which we're using today.

AL: Every farmer has an origin story.

Che's is a combination of industriousness and thirst.

CHE: When I was 19 years old, I moved outta state for a job and I could no longer procure beer.

AL: Oh.

CHE: So I started making my own 'cause they don't ID you for ingredients.

AL: Oh really?

CHE: And then in 2005, at which point I was pretty serious about my home-brew, there was a worldwide hop shortage.

So I couldn't get a few of the varieties I liked, so I started growing my own at that point.

AL: Che's been growing and harvesting hops ever since.

Back in the day, reaching the 18-foot hop ropes was done with the use of stilts.

But today the team at Black Locust is using a custom-made Che original.

CHE: The truck, as Lisa calls it, the "Truck-derator" is uh, rigged with two hedge trimmers, one on the front bumper to cut along the bottom of the plants, and then one up high at 18 feet on a spring-loaded arm to cut the top of the plants.

AL: Once they're harvested, the hop vines are then loaded onto a feeder one by one, where they will go through a picker where the Hopson leaves are stripped from the vine.

Then they'll be conveyed up to dribble belts where the hops will be separated and then dried for 18 hours.

At that point, they're ready to be used in the brewing process.

The first step in beer making is mashing where crushed grains, like malted barley, are added to water, creating an oatmeal-like mix.

For this crisp, pale ale Che uses the mash hopping technique where the hops are added to the mash to add complexity to the finished beer.

CHE: It also allows for some enzymatic activity on the hops, which allows biotransformation brings out more fruity flavors and that sort of thing.

AL: And this doesn't look much like a hop flower.

CHE: These are pelletized, yep, the industry uses pelletized hops.

They store better and they don't take up as much space, but... AL: Here we go.

CHE: Dump 'em in there.

AL: With the hops added, the mash will soak for an hour before the extracted liquid or wart is boiled.

Timing and temperature are everything, but there's also definitely a lot of hurry-up and wait.

So it's important to be able to entertain yourself.

Strike, how about that?

Beer isn't beer until yeast is added to start the fermentation process.

And Che is giving yours truly the honor.

Oh boy, look at that.

CHE: Alright.

AL: Okay, now the magic really begins.

CHE: Now is the good part.

AL: Okay, here we go.

CHE: Alright, you're the only one who made beer today, that was the trick right there, everyone else was just getting it ready for you.

AL: With the yeast added, I'm now officially a brewer.

CHE: So how was it making a batch of beer?

AL: Uh, a lot easier than I thought it would be.

CHE: Yeah, it helps having nice equipment.

AL: It does, it does.

Now this yeast is gonna take days and days and days to do its work, right?

CHE: It'll be real active for maybe a week or so.

AL: Mm-Hmm.

CHE: And then another couple weeks of aging and conditioning after that.

AL: I'm gonna have to come back and try it, my beer.

CHE: I can't wait.

AL: It's been a thrill to visit this one-stop hop shop, but you haven't really visited a brewery, if you haven't had a cold one, and Lisa at the tap room has something just for me.

Cheers, Lisa.

LISA CARTON: Thank you.

AL: Mm, that is quite good, that is quite good, wow, perfect for today.

LISA: Thank you.

AL: This is a beautiful tap room, um, what, what's the vibe you're going for?

LISA: Definitely an adult summer camp vibe.

We are happy to open our doors to our community, we wanna be a community hub, a place for people to gather and watch live music and hang out and have a beer.

AL: That sounds really, really good.

And you have 16 different beers, so people can try 'em all the time, come on out to a Black Locust Farm Brewery and have yourselves a good time.

It's a great, it's a great trip.

We're gonna pull all your information on the website at mpt.org/farm, so you can check it out.

For the local buy, I'm Al Spoler, Joanne.

JOANNE: Thanks Al.

Be sure to check out mpt.org/farm for all our recipes and resources.

Plus you can watch all “Farm and Harvest” episodes there as well.

Also, don't forget to follow us on social media for show updates, pictures, and videos.

Now, hold on, we're not done yet.

Remember our thingamajig?

Did you guess it?

The hint was when the time is right, this tool is "udderly" perfect for the job.

This is an anti-suckling device.

The calf wears this in their nose and while it allows them to drink and eat, it prevents them from suckling, helping wean them from the mother's milk.

Congratulations if you got it right.

Join us next week for another thingamajig, along with more stories about the diverse, passionate people who feed our state.

I'm Joanne Clendining.

Thanks for watching.

(music plays through credits).

NARRATOR: Major funding for “Maryland Farm and Harvest” is made possible in part by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, investing in smarter farming to support safe and affordable food, feed and fuel, and a healthy Bay.

Additional funding provided by Maryland's Best.

Good for you.

Good for Maryland.

MARBIDCO, helping to sustain food and fiber enterprise for future generations.

A grant from the Maryland Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Program, Farm Credit, lending support to agriculture and rural America.

The Maryland Soybean Board and Soybean Checkoff Program.

Progress powered by farmers.

The Maryland Nursery Landscape and Greenhouse Association, The Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts.

The Maryland Farm Bureau Incorporated.

The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.

The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, promoting the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.

And by Baltimore County Commission on Arts and Sciences.

(bird chirping).

♪ ♪