JOANNE CLENDINING: From the Potomac to the Mason-Dixon line and across the Bay, Maryland is a producer's paradise.

Did you know that a grass could be the newest supercrop?

The legacy of this farmer is his leadership?

And we have a soft spot for softies?

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 community reveals a rich legacy handed down from past generations.

Hi, I'm Joanne Clendining, welcome to "Maryland Farm and Harvest."

Every Maryland farm has a story to tell.

Their legacies are rooted to the land where generations pushed through challenges for the promise of the next generation.

The 20 acres here at Evermore Farm was once part of a 1500-acre tract owned by the distinguished Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Whether a farm comes from humble beginnings or the birth of a nation, they all share a tireless work ethic and an undying dedication to the land.

Coming up, we celebrate an Eastern Shore farmer's contribution to Maryland agriculture.

But first, when the chicken industry went in search of a bedding alternative, John Luthy of Luthy Farms answered the call by planting a perennial grass that could also be the next supercrop.

(tractor engine).

♪ ♪ As the sun rises on this chilly March morning in Dorchester County, here on Luthy Farms, just outside Cambridge, it's harvest time.

Wait, harvest time?

In March?

Actually, grain farmer John Luthy is harvesting a perennial that he planted several years ago called Giant Miscanthus.

It's a fairly new crop to Maryland's eastern shore, but one that's quickly taking root.

JOHN LUTHY: I was asked if I'd be interested in growing Miscanthus grass for bedding and poultry.

So, you know, that was about five years ago and I never knew what Miscanthus was five years ago, and now we have 2,500 acres of it planted.

JOANNE: John knew that local poultry integrators were looking for an alternative product to use in their chicken houses.

BRIAN SMITH: We used, uh, primarily wood shavings and wood byproducts, sawdust for bedding, and the Delmarva Peninsula we've lost several of our sawmills in the last 10, 15 years, and we just didn't have the product.

So we really were looking for an alternative for our bedding.

JOHN: I, I've saw this in a few houses and I, I really liked it and it's a very dry product, um, which is good when we harvested in the wintertime from January through April.

JOANNE: Dry bedding creates a naturally healthy environment for chickens.

BRIAN: This Miscanthus has virtually zero moisture in it, it's a lot cleaner environment in the house, less moisture, less humidity, uh, better bird health, uh, better paw quality.

JOANNE: The market was there.

But for John, planting Miscanthus created a few challenges.

JOHN: And it was a difficult transition, expensive to uh, transition from row crop into this, mainly because of the equipment, the investment in equipment, the buildings, the storage buildings, and everything.

JOANNE: But after that initial investment, Miscanthus requires very little attention.

JOHN: There's no pests that bother it, insects or deer don't bother it, um, whatsoever.

There's, I don't have to spray chemicals on it, I have yet to fertilize either field and they're still producing really well.

JOANNE: Giant Miscanthus reaches a mature height of around 12 feet.

Originally from Asia, it was brought to the US as an ornamental grass, but this variety of Miscanthus is different.

DEAN HIVELY: So the Miscanthus grown for poultry bedding is very different from the ornamental Miscanthus grown in front yards in that it does not produce seeds, it's been bred to be sterile.

Instead it, um, spreads or it rather is planted with rhizomes.

If I can get one up here.

Here's a typical Miscanthus rhizome, I think three years old.

You can see a new spring shoot coming up here.

You can see last year's shoot that's dead now, it comes up with new shoots every year.

JOANNE: In a joint effort between USGS and USDA's Conservation Effects Assessment Project research is underway to study the benefits of planting Miscanthus along row crops.

DEAN: In this landscape, there's a history of manure application from dairy and from chicken manure, and it's led to an elevation of phosphorus in many of the agricultural soils.

So from my perspective, that of an environmental scientist, I'm interested on what impact does it have on nutrient cycling on farms, right?

So if for example, you grow it in buffers around a center pivot irrigation, your crop may be leaching some nitrogen towards the groundwater, if it passes through a Miscanthus buffer that has the opportunity to take up the nitrogen with the root system and stabilizes it.

JOANNE: And data collected at groundwater test sites where samples are taken at the edge of crop fields and within the Miscanthus grove reveal promising results.

MARYAM FOROUGHI: Data showed the, uh, nitrogen under the Miscanthus is really low, is around one parts per million, however, under the cropland, uh, the nitrogen is elevated, is around 10 to 20 parts per million in the same field area.

JOANNE: Upwards of 19 parts per million reduction in nitrogen is a big deal.

And Giant Miscanthus is being used to make biomass products too.

TRAVIS HEDRICK: Miscanthus is, uh, primarily carbon, 40% carbon.

It's also made up of cellulose and lignin, uh, which are polymers in a lot of different products.

So any products made such as like pulp and paper, animal bedding, biofuels can all be, Miscanthus, can all be used for.

JOANNE: Products like plates, cups, utensils, and fuel pellets are all made from Miscanthus grass.

For now, Giant Miscanthus gives farmers like John another income source when row crop fields are fallow.

JOHN: It keeps us busy January through April, very busy.

DEAN: I think the most important thing is what makes a good living for farmers on the Delmarva in a sustainable way they can pass on to the next generation.

And if bringing Miscanthus sterile, Giant Miscanthus into the mix helps, then that's a benefit.

JOANNE: Luthy Farms are looking at other ways Miscanthus can be used, including horse bedding, and are eager to jump on the biomass bandwagon if that infrastructure gets built in Maryland.

And did you know, Miscanthus can thrive in a variety of conditions, including drought, heat, cold, and salt, and is resistant to insects and disease?

♪ ♪ All right, it's time to test your agricultural expertise.

Here is our thingamajig for the week.

Do you think you know what it is?

Well, here's a hint, farmers use this to confirm that size matters.

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

There are two views on a farm that never get old, sunrise and sunset.

Here are some of our favorite picks of those golden hours, enjoy.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ When we speak of legacy in the agriculture community, the story of Roger Richardson stands out.

His work ethic and leadership define his legacy while helping to launch an agency that defined Maryland agriculture.

(tractor engine).

♪ ♪ ROGER RICHARDSON: I'm Roger Richardson, farmer, it's not the cleanest job in the world.

You better not mind getting dirty once in a while.

But, uh, likewise, it, it is very, uh, pleasing when you grow a crop and it's a good crop and it, it, it's helped everybody and, uh, it is just a way of life.

JOANNE: At 90 years old, Roger Richardson has seen nearly a century of agricultural advancement.

But before self-driving tractors and precision ag, Roger was just a boy in his father's fields.

ROGER: My father had 65 acres here and, and we had chickens, grew some vegetables, and uh, I remember, um, many times using mules to cultivate with.

And one day I got in trouble for that because, uh, I'd stayed out too late night before and dad told me a certain field to, uh, go cultivate.

And I was working in that field and the mules got to the end of the road, well, I'd gone sleep and wouldn't tell 'em what to do, they just stopped.

So when daddy come home, we were still sitting there, mule standing there and me asleep.

So I didn't do that anymore.

JOANNE: It was one of many lessons Roger learned from his family and he never fell asleep on the job again.

Instead, he committed himself to farming despite being offered a contract to play Major League Baseball for the then Philadelphia Athletics.

ROGER: I was a fairly good hitter and that's what they were after, I was a slow runner, but they said that don't matter if you hit the ball hard or enough.

But, uh, mom had died and dad was by himself, and, uh, there weren't no way I was gonna leave home like that, so.

JOANNE: It wasn't a hard decision for the man who admits he loves to watch things grow and grow they did under the stewardship of Roger and his wife Faye, the farm transition from produce to corn and soybeans.

Richardson Farm now stretches across three counties and over 3,500 acres of owned and leased land.

And while the crops in the ground are impressive, perhaps the most impactful part of Roger's legacy is his life off the farm.

ROGER: Well, agriculture was a, a lone wolf and had no voice anywhere at that time.

Farm Bureau had a voice, but nobody paid it attention and we felt like it was time for agriculture to have a, a word and a place to speak.

JOANNE: Roger was appointed to a governor's committee along with 13 others.

And in 1972, they would create the Maryland Department of Agriculture, a government body dedicated to promoting the interests of Maryland agriculture.

Over 30 years later, Roger would be asked by Governor Martin O'Malley to run it as the department secretary.

And while he's since retired from the position, his impact at the MDA is still seen and felt by current secretary Kevin Atticks.

KEVIN ATTICKS: I think in this role as Secretary of Agriculture, you're best if you're forthright, you're best if you're honest, you're best if you're kind and I'm working on all of those things but I look to Roger as my role model and as an example of how to lead this agency through the support of the industry, not for the industry, or at the industry, but with the industry.

And Roger is that model.

JOANNE: But at the end of the day, Roger was and still is a farmer, overcoming every unpredictable challenge with humor and humility.

ROGER: My father used to say, you can go to Ocean Downs to the races and 20 minutes, you know, whether you won or lost, on the farm you plant your corn or plant your beans and six months later you find out if you won or lost.

So there's no bigger gambler in the country than a farmer because he puts his money out in the ground, how many people buried the money every year?

You think about that.

JOANNE: Today, he's working with the next generation to keep the family legacy alive.

And while his farming knowledge and experience should be celebrated, those who know him best, like his daughter Donna, believe that character is his greatest accomplishment.

DONNA RICHARDSON: Dad's just always been a very down-to-earth person.

Another memory as a child was if we were getting ready to go somewhere and someone would come up, we'd all would go, "Oh no," because we knew we weren't leaving unless it was on Sunday and we were getting ready to go to church.

We knew that whatever problem they had, whatever they needed that was gonna happen before we got to go wherever it was, we were going.

He likes to help people, um, no matter what it is.

So I think serving people and serving the industry that he loved, um, it was, you know, just a good combination for him.

JOANNE: Roger has left an indelible mark on Maryland agriculture and his advice for the next generation of farmers are words that we should all strive to follow.

ROGER: Well, it's a lot easier to do something helpful to someone than to do something hurtful.

And if somebody needs some help, stop, take your time, and help them, you can't go wrong if you're doing right.

JOANNE: Roger's impact on Maryland farming cannot be understated, but his work is far from over.

He's still active in several organizations, striving to promote and support the land and our food.

And did you know... the Maryland Department of Agriculture was formed in 1973 and has had 10 secretaries through its first 50 years in service?

Coming up Chef Kurt Peter searches for inspiration in a friendly face.

But first, what is a CSA?

We know it stands for Community Supported Agriculture, but what does that mean and how do they work?

Next on this week's Ask A Farmer.

♪ ♪ EMMA JAGOZ: Hi, my name is Emma Jagoz and I'm the owner of Moon Valley Farm.

A question I get asked a lot on the farm is, what is a CSA?

A CSA is a business model in which community members directly support local farms and in turn, get a weekly box of the farm's bounty.

CSAs help farmers by having the community commit to a farm box subscription to help us offset the risk of buying all of our inputs upfront in the beginning of the season.

The CSA model has many benefits for consumers as well, like getting produce picked at their peak freshness, sometimes even the same day that you get your farm box.

If you're looking to support your farmer, there is no better way than joining their CSA program.

JOANNE: From a fishmonger sloughing box to a friendly farm stand, it doesn't get any fresher for Chef Kurt Peter on this week's Farm To Skillet.

(pan sizzling).

KURT PETER: The only way you're gonna get fresher seafood is if you catch it yourself.

I'm Chef Kurt Peter with Chesapeake Chef Service, I'm here at Chester River Seafood to get what the Chesapeake Bay's famous for, soft shell crabs.

Come on in guys.

CHRIS LINGERMAN: Hey Kurt, how are you today?

KURT: Good, how you doing Chris?

CHRIS: Good to see you.

KURT: You as well, man.

CHRIS: What you got going on today?

KURT: That's what I came here today for, some soft crabs.

CHRIS: Oh yeah, whales, would you like to see 'em?

KURT: Yes sir.

Wow, they look fantastic.

CHRIS: Yeah.

KURT: That's awesome.

CHRIS: We have a run going on right now, if you'd like to see where we're shedding them at, we do it right next door, I can take you over and see.

KURT: That'd be incredible, let's check it out.

CHRIS: Yeah, you're really gonna like this.

It's a lot of work, I think we got about, I don't know, 30-some dozen soft crabs last night.

KURT: Wow.

CHRIS: As you can see, like here's one here.

You can see where it's busting.

You can feel where it's soft, it's getting right back out of its shell.

KURT: Wow, wow, that's soft, really soft.

CHRIS: Yeah, yep, so here what we have is we'll put 'em in here when we're almost, almost done busting and this crab has backed out of this shell right here.

KURT: Wow, look at the size difference, that's incredible.

CHRIS: Yep.

So how many are you looking for today?

KURT: We got a small dinner tonight, probably about a half a dozen.

CHRIS: Half a dozen, we can do that.

Let's go next door and we'll get you packed up.

KURT: Awesome, let's go.

Chris and Sheila have an awesome setup here, soft crabs's busting out and getting ready for the skillet.

I love it, let's go see a friend for some farm fresh produce.

Hey Eileen, how you doin'?

EILEEN SIMMONS: Hey, how are you?

KURT: Good, good to see you.

EILEEN: So good to see you, welcome.

KURT: Thank you.

EILEEN: What's going on?

KURT: We kinda wanna do a, a light summery kind of vegetable side dish.

EILEEN: Right over here um, of course we have the yellow and zucchini squash, but I tell ya Kurt, would you like to go out to the fields?

KURT: Absolutely.

EILEEN: And you could pick it yourself.

KURT: Let's do it.

EILEEN: 'Cause I have something special for you, I have some squash blossoms out there.

KURT: Awesome.

EILEEN: Which I know you love.

KURT: Yeah, those are some personal favorites.

EILEEN: Personal favorites.

KURT: Let's go check 'em out.

EILEEN: Yep, let's go.

There we are.

KURT: Oh man, look at all the zucchini and squash.

EILEEN: Yes, we got three kinds: patty pan, yellow and green.

Let's do it.

We have some patty pan squash, see right down here, is that pretty green one?

It's a little bit... KURT: Is that a good size to, to harvest?

EILEEN: I think it is, it's tender and young.

This is probably one of my favorites, 'cause it just melts in your mouth.

KURT: Oh yeah.

EILEEN: Isn't that beautiful?

KURT: That's awesome.

Wow, look at that one.

EILEEN: Yeah, that's nice.

KURT: Is that a double?

EILEEN: Twins.

(giggles).

Zucchini, I'm gonna harvest this one too.

So this is yellow zucchini.

So it has the flavor of the yellow, but the firmness of the zucchini.

KURT: That's awesome looking.

EILEEN: I know.

KURT: Wow, look at that.

EILEEN: That one, right there.

Perfect from top to bottom.

KURT: Oh, Eileen, I can't thank you enough for taking me out here, this is quite the experience.

EILEEN: Oh, my pleasure.

KURT: Look at all this awesome zucchini and squash, squash blossoms.

EILEEN: You got me outta the market for a little while.

♪ ♪ KURT: Welcome to my kitchen.

First thing we're gonna do is clean our zucchini squash and patty pans.

We remove the seeds from the zucchini and squash because the seeds are a little bit bitter.

My personal favorite, the patty pan squash.

So we're just gonna split these lengthwise.

So here in the bag, we have a little ricotta and herb filling with a small opening at the top.

♪ ♪ We'll put those aside until we're ready to fry them.

Chesapeake Bay soft crabs.

Now so the whole crab is edible except three parts, the face, the lungs, and the apron.

So small pair of kitchen shears and remove the face, and the lungs.

Some people may know that as the, "the devil's fingers."

And then remove the apron.

One of my personal favorite preparations for the soft crab is, is a light dredging, not a huge fan of a lot of the, uh, thick breading so just a little bit of flour in Old Bay.

Just gonna lightly coat 'em.

Little uh, olive oil, you put these in presentation side down.

Start our zucchini and squash.

(pan simmering).

I will let those kind of finish and rest in the, in the pan.

Alright, after you get a little bit of char on your zucchini and squash, we pull those off.

Next, we're moving on to our squash blossoms.

We're gonna do a very light dredge in tempura and drop 'em in the fryer.

This is very delicate.

Alright, next we're gonna take our zucchini and squash, cut these up, do about inch to two-inch pieces.

Add our tomatoes.

Small spoon fill of zucchini pesto, gonna mix that up.

I'm gonna add our soft crab on top.

We'll finish with a squash blossom.

These are two of my personal favorite early summer delicacies.

This is perfect for your, your summer dinner parties.

I'm gonna give this a try.

Oh wow.

Tastes like summer.

Alright, guys, go get this recipe it's at mpt.org/farm.

JOANNE: Oh wow, that's Chesapeake living right there.

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?

Our hint was that farmers use this to confirm that size matters.

This is an egg scale.

The weight of each egg determines its size, small, medium, and large, or, wow, extra-large.

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 chirps).