ANNAPOLIS, MD – Maryland Public Television’s (MPT) original series Maryland Farm & Harvest, currently in its 12th season, will feature farms and locations in Western Maryland, the Eastern Shore, and the National Capital Region during an episode premiering on Tuesday, March 25. A preview can be found on the series’ webpage at mpt.org/farm.
Maryland Farm & Harvest airs on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and online at mpt.org/livestream. Episodes are also available to view live and on demand using the free PBS app and MPT’s online video player.
The popular weekly series takes viewers on a journey across the Free State, telling engaging and enlightening stories about the farms, people, and technology required to sustain and grow agriculture in Maryland, the state’s number one commercial industry.
The March 25 episode features the following stories:
- Willard Family – Maryland Agriculture Hall of Famers (Montgomery County) – Farmers face long hours, unpredictable weather, and stresses that seem to come from everywhere. Having operated the same Poolesville land for over 150 years and six generations, few families understand those hardships better than the Willards. Throughout the years, the Willards have survived bad seasons and weathered whatever Mother Nature has thrown at them. The family’s perseverance and commitment to excellence in the agriculture industry are among the reasons why the Willards were inducted into the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2024.
- Deer Management Food Bank (Kent, Frederick, and Washington counties) – Maryland is home to an estimated 220,000 deer, and they can cause major headaches for farmers. At Rich Levels Grain, Inc. in Galena, deer account for more than $10,000 in crop damage every year. Owner Rob Level deploys several strategies to limit the impact, but the most effective method of deer management continues to be hunting. Using Deer Management Permits, local farmers are allowed to hunt deer out of season to protect crops. Meanwhile, the Hagerstown-based nonprofit Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry stands at the ready to process donated harvests and distribute processed game meat to local shelters such as the Frederick Rescue Mission in Frederick.
- The Local Buy: Sangfroid Distilling (Allegany and Prince George’s counties) – When Al Spoler thinks of Brandy, he sees rolling Normandy hills and autumn fruit harvests. When he visits Sangfroid Distilling co-owner Jeff Harner in downtown Hyattsville, he is forced to change his view. While Hyattsville’s arts district may share France’s joie de vivre, Jeff’s apple orchard along Martin Mountain Ridge gives the rolling French hills a run for their money. After checking out the burgeoning orchard, Al and Jeff return to the distillery to taste some Sangfroid spirits. More information about Sangfroid Distilling will be available at mpt.org/farm.
More than 19 million viewers have watched Maryland Farm & Harvest on the statewide public TV network since its debut in 2013. The series has traveled to more than 500 farms, fisheries, and other agriculture-related locations during its 11-plus season run, covering every Maryland county, as well as Baltimore City and Washington, D.C.
Encore broadcasts of Maryland Farm & Harvest air on MPT-HD on Thursdays at 11 p.m. and on Sundays at 6 a.m. Episodes also air on MPT2/Create® on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. Past episodes can be viewed on the free PBS app and MPT’s online video player, while episode segments are available on the series’ YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/MarylandFarmHarvest/featured.
Audiences are invited to engage with the series on social media @MarylandFarmHarvest on Facebook and @mdfarmtv on Instagram.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture is MPT’s co-production partner for Maryland Farm & Harvest. Major funding is provided by the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board.
Additional funding is provided by Maryland’s Best; MARBIDCO; a grant from the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Specialty Crop Block Program; Farm Credit; Maryland Soybean Board; Maryland Nursery, Landscape & Greenhouse Association; Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts; Maryland Farm Bureau; The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment; Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation; and by the citizens of Baltimore County.
