JOANNE CLENDINING: From the coastal plains to the Appalachian highlands, Maryland agriculture sets the standard.

Did you know Maryland has a food distribution center?

That success grows in the dark?

And that just add water can be a life-changing phrase?

Don't go anywhere.

Stories about the people who work the land and feed our state, along with "The Local Buy," 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.

A grant from the Rural Maryland Council, Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Fund.

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.

The Maryland Pork Producers Association proudly works to educate consumers and advocate for farmers.

Taste what pork can do.

♪ (theme music playing) ♪ (bird chirping).

JOANNE: Bridging both coastal and inland ecosystems, Maryland boasts one of the most ecologically diverse agricultural regions in the country.

Hi, I'm Joanne Clendining.

Welcome to "Maryland Farm and Harvest."

We're in the northern reaches of Baltimore County, known as the Piedmont Plateau, characterized by rolling hills and fertile valleys.

It's where Shane Hughes took over his family farm in 2009 and started Liberty Delight Farms, a livestock operation.

Coming up, a young couple tried their hand at a few farm startups before making fungus their future.

But first, have you ever wondered what circuitous route your food takes from the farm to the grocery store shelf?

Well, so did we.

And here's what we found.

(tractor engine).

Every night while Maryland sleeps, this place comes alive.

But this isn't just a warehouse.

This storage facility is part of the Maryland Food Center Authority.

A 400-acre complex positioned halfway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

DAVID OLIVER: Let's show them how we do this thing.

OMAR EL SAWI: OSHA's gonna have a field day with you up there.

DAVID: Yeah, I know.

JOANNE: It's the food distribution center for products grown locally, regionally, and imported.

OMAR: 35.6, well within acceptable range.

DAVID: Are we good?

OMAR: All good.

DAVID: All good?

JOANNE: In this wing of the complex, fresh produce is inspected, logged, tagged, sorted, and stored, but not for long, because within hours of arrival, those same products are on their way to grocery store shelves, farm markets, and restaurant kitchens throughout the region, well before the sun rises.

For many local farmers, this complex system begins much quieter.

JOSEPH BARTENFELDER: We'll do some right here, and then we'll go to that section over there.

JOANNE: But just as hurried.

JOSEPH: Woke up early and loaded boxes up, and been out here and haven't got to eating lunch or dinner yet or breakfast.

Summertime you can work 15, 16 hours a day.

Right now, we're like, we're down to like 12.

JOANNE: For Joey Bartenfelder, Jr.

and his team at Bartenfelder Farms, it's all about getting the day's harvest out of the field, no matter how long it takes.

Then it's washed.

Boxed.

And packed.

Now this fresh produce needs to reach a buyer pronto.

JOSEPH: They're gonna be heading to Jessup, Maryland, it's a distributor called Edward G. Rahll.

He's like the middleman, and he is actually the guy that delivers to the stores and saves us time.

JOANNE: In the wee hours of every morning during harvest season... trucks are loaded for drivers like Eddie Kukta to make the long haul.

♪ ♪ JOANNE: He is no stranger to these nighttime gigs.

(laughing).

EDWARD KUKTA: Too many.

Try to do nights as much as you could.

JOANNE: Eddie's nightly routine is a three-hour drive from the Eastern Shore to the Maryland Food Center Authority in Jessup.

EDWARD: Who we got tonight?

Hey buddy, pick up Rahll.

Have a good evening.

JOANNE: Here, Bartenfelder's Produce is delivered to distributor Edward G. Rahlls, which is one of the largest distributors in the complex.

DAVID: Okay, we'll start with the fruit box.

Fresh quality beans, fresh quality, long hots, mangoes, cantaloupe, like the lettuce, mesclun, baby spinach.

We keep tomatoes back here.

Okay, we have your white potatoes here, your red potatoes there.

A reds.

You have your Yukon golds here.

OMAR: So I've been doing this for about 25 years.

When I first got, uh, onto the market, it was a eye-opening experience, uh, walking up and realizing that, that there's this much, uh, productivity during the night hours and in the early morning hours.

It's, it's something that's sort of like it's in you or it's not.

JOANNE: And for David Oliver, who is currently working at 4:25 a.m., it's safe to say it's a routine he seems to enjoy.

(singing to himself).

DAVID: This is the order for a customer named Gus.

I'll sit it on the front dock.

They'll be here about 7:30 or a quarter to eight to pick it up.

OMAR: So here at Rahll, we operate from seven o'clock till noon the following day, uh, Sunday night through Thursday.

We typically work through the night because, uh, most of our customers will be delivering during the daytime.

JOANNE: And by 9:00 a.m., this facility becomes palpably still.

Grocery stores and restaurants across the region want their shelves stocked and kitchens prepped before the first customer walks in the door.

KATIE ZENK: You know, we're, we're that critical middle link between food, food production, and retail.

JOANNE: Katie Zenk, the executive director of the Maryland Food Center Authority, is charged with overseeing the facility.

KATIE: The tenants that do business here are literally who are making those connections to take food from the farm or the port or wherever food is coming from to get to an actual consumer's table.

JOANNE: For distributors like Rahlls, it's a critical role that connects consumers with farmers.

OMAR: Basically, we handle anything that they have that they can grow that's in season, and that, uh, we will find a market for it.

If the market doesn't exist locally, we'll find, find a home for it.

JOANNE: Through this complex food distribution system, farmers can focus on growing, knowing there's a dependable way to get their local produce to a much larger market.

From local farmers to grocery store shelves, Maryland's food network is a web of connections that never really sleeps.

And did you know, it's estimated that processed food travels an average of 1300 miles, and fresh produce can travel over 1500 miles from farm to grocery store.

This journey is referred to as food miles.

(bird chirping).

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

Here's our thingamajig for the week.

Any idea what it could be?

Here's a hint when using this tool, Julie Andrews might say that a teaspoon of sugar can help.

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

One of the sweetest things to see on a farm are the babies, calves, piglets, chicks, foals... (sighs) ...just so adorable.

Here are a few pics of those cutie patooties, enjoy.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ JOANNE: Farmers are constantly reinventing themselves to stay current and relevant.

Our next story finds a young couple who ventured down a few paths until settling where the sun don't shine.

(tractor engine).

It's a crisp Saturday morning.

IAIN DAVIS: Coming through with fungus.

JOANNE: And the Manchester Mushroom crew... (snoring).

...well, most of them... are packing for the day's farmers' markets.

KAETLYN BERNAL: Tinctures and honey, I've definitely counted that at three in the morning.

JOANNE: For market manager and co-owner Kaetlyn Bernal, late nights and early mornings are simply what it takes to get their latest batch of mushrooms and mushroom-based products to local markets.

KAETLYN: I went to bed at like 3:45 'cause I had to make sure everything was picture perfect.

JOANNE: Like for today's market in Old Ellicott City.

That's where general manager and co-owner Iain Davis, along with Walker Santos, spend a lot of their market time explaining what it is they're growing.

CUSTOMER: What?

WALKER SANTOS: That growth that you see is called mycelium, and mushrooms will just poke right outta the plastic.

JOANNE: And what they're called.

WALKER: They're called Matsutake.

IAIN: This is Lion's mane.

Snow mushrooms.

WALKER: This is called the lobster of the woods.

Probably won't find these in the grocery store.

JOANNE: Mushrooms have been transitioning from a niche market to a mainstream high-growth product, providing smaller farms a stable income stream.

CUSTOMER: My favorite animal is an otter.

IAIN: Yeah, it's definitely unique.

But we didn't always have mushrooms.

We started with eggs.

JOANNE: The COVID pandemic changed many lives.

KAETLYN: Lots of handles everywhere, so you don't fall.

JOANNE: For Iain Davis and Kaetlyn Bernal, it meant moving back to his parents' small farm to contemplate what's next.

KAETLYN: We didn't move out there to be farmers.

IAIN: Yeah.

KAETLYN: We moved up there to get away for a little bit.

JOANNE: Then they caught the homesteading bug.

IAIN: So I got 10 chickens from a local mill.

We're like, oh, this is great.

KAETLYN: I remember still, at 26 years old, getting our first farm-fresh eggs.

These like tiny little things that were just like, I'd never seen that happen before.

JOANNE: Those 10 chicks led to 20 that then led them to open Birdland Pastures in 2022.

IAIN: And we quickly grew that from 100 to 300 and 300 to 900.

JOANNE: And while their spirit and work ethic were strong, their reliance on a single revenue stream was not so much.

KAETLYN: Chickens have the respiratory systems of like 70-year-olds.

IAIN: We had a very scary time with, uh, disease.

JOANNE: The infectious disease, laryngotracheitis, forced them to rethink their plans.

IAIN: So now our soil's tainted and we can't continue to bring new hens here 'cause then they're going to get sick.

So really, we didn't have any other choice.

KAETLYN: Mm-hmm.

IAIN: We were like, we have to now pivot towards another direction, and what would that direction be?

And we said, fruit trees.

JOANNE: And 20 active bee colonies.

KAETLYN: So that probably equates to 3 million bees.

(laughs).

IAIN: I wanna see if I can find a queen for you.

JOANNE: If you haven't noticed, Iain and Kaetlyn don't doddle.

IAIN: No, if we did things slow, then we would be losing money.

JOANNE: In June of 2024, they changed their business to Davis Highlands, Orchard and Farm.

They knew there was a lot they didn't know, so they found people who did.

IAIN: If we didn't have mentors, I mean, we would be so lost.

KAETLYN: This whole thing, Iain learning how to breed queens, he just learned that from one of our mentors in the beekeeping association here in Carroll County recently.

IAIN: Here's the queen, I found her.

JOANNE: With a lot of help from fellow farmers and a couple of years' work, they now care for nearly 450 fruit trees.

But bees and trees take time.

IAIN: So, what do we do in the meantime other than that?

Inside of here is where all the magic happens.

JOANNE: In July of 2025, Kaetlyn and Iain made their third pivot in four years.

IAIN: What we do now is everything mushroom.

JOANNE: And they're feeling confident that this move will stick.

IAIN: Everybody can have eggs, or they can have meat.

Not that many people can grow mushrooms.

JOANNE: Luckily, Walker Santos can grow mushroom.

WALKER: I'm one of those people who, when I get into something, I really get into it.

JOANNE: And he's passed his knowledge to Iain and Kaetlyn so that together, their Manchester Mushrooms pivot is providing some needed stability.

WALKER: So these mushrooms that we just harvested are all set to go, and we'll be going to the Ellicott City farmer's market tomorrow with us.

KAETLYN: So now our goal is really just making it all work together.

Being able to combine it all in the future, you know, being able to figure out how we bring in the orchard to the mushroom side or just really this whole native approach to stewardship of the land, and, um, making sure people, again, are connected to it.

JOANNE: This fall, Iain and Kaetlyn will harvest the first fruits from their young orchard, bottle their local honey, and continue to expand their mushroom base.

All the while keeping an eye on the markets in case another pivot is required.

There is little doubt they'll be ready.

I wish I could bottle their energy and ambition.

The Manchester Mushroom crew plans to be moved into their new mushroom facility by spring of 2026.

They've also applied to several more markets and might be at a market near you soon.

And did you know a single acre can produce up to 1 million pounds of mushrooms annually.

(bird chirping).

Coming up, Al plants and harvests soilless produce.

But first, big ag requires large-scale planting machines.

Josh Ernst is here to walk us through the intricacies of a seed planter on this week's "Ask a Farmer How it Works."

♪ ♪ JOSH ERNST: I got a question about planting and how we plant different types of grain.

The type of planter we use is a finger unit planter.

Um, they're, they're pretty versatile, you don't just plant corn with them.

It can handle soybeans with, uh, like cover crop like clover seed, sunflowers, uh, we plant with this, and of course corn.

This is a 12-row planter, so we have 12 seed boxes.

The seed goes in this box here.

There's a mechanism under here, and what that's doing is that is feeding seed at a uniform rate into the drop tube below it.

The plastic tube actually has a seed sensor that is counting the seeds, so we know how many seeds are being placed, what their spacing is, all of that.

And so that tube is between two metal discs that are cutting the soil and spreading any material apart to get the seed placed in the ground.

And so that's what makes a planter a planter, the fact that it is feeding the seed uniformly so that you get the correct seed spacing and an even plant job, that's what makes a planter so advantageous.

So after this closes the trench and the seed is planted, uh, we're just waiting for the right rain and the right sunlight, and uh, then we'll come in and harvest it.

So that's how a planter works.

JOANNE: Traditionally, plants are planted in soil, but for centuries, planting in water has proven to be a game changer.

Al Spoler plants and harvests hydroponically on this week's "The Local Buy."

♪ ♪ AL SPOLER: We're here near Wharton, Maryland, where the Williams family has tended this land for almost a century and a half, whether they're raising cattle or tending chicken or growing grain, each generation has had to innovate in order to survive and thrive.

But perhaps none more so than fifth-generation farmer Bryan Williams, who's transitioned the farm from Holsteins to hydroponics.

BRYAN WILLIAMS: We've changed with the times because in modern-day farming, the small farmers are getting swallowed up and pushed out.

So we're trying to diversify doing the hydroponics.

AL: Hydroponics is the method of growing plants without soil, using nutrient-rich water to nourish the plant.

And for Bryan, it was a discovery he found back at school.

BRYAN: So my wife was the high school principal, and they had an open house one night at the high school.

They actually had about 10 trays set up off hydroponic looked just like this.

I thought it was pretty cool that you could grow a crop year round, pesticide free and it's good for the environment 'cause there's no water runoff.

That really intrigued me.

AL: How many different varieties do you have here?

BRYAN: We grow seven to eight different varieties of lettuce right now, we grow up to 11 or 12 if we have a special order by a chef.

AL: Now, a lot of people think that in order to grow something, you need soil, but there's not an ounce of soil in this whole operation.

BRYAN: No, 'cause if we use soil in the hydroponic, it would be mud.

AL: Of course.

BRYAN: So what we do, we use a product called Rockwool, and you see the roots start to come through.

AL: Yeah, yeah.

These roots pick up all the nutrients that they need.

BRYAN: Yes, that's what it looks like when we transplant.

AL: Mm-hmm.

BRYAN: And then if we pull one, this is what the Rockwool looks like... AL: Oh, it, it grew right through that.

BRYAN: Grows right through it.

AL: The plants are fed a constant supply of water, and behind the scenes, controlling that flow as well as other variables like temperature is a computer that Bryan refers to as "the brain."

BRYAN: It basically runs the greenhouse heat, cooling, airflow, the CO2 emitters; it runs all that part.

AL: You might be surprised to find the hydroponics uses two-thirds less water than traditional crops, and the computer can also monitor pH levels of the water and pump in nutrients as needed.

It's a technical marvel, but the crops still must be planted and harvested by hand.

BRYAN: So after we clean the trays, we take the, the seeds out of the nursery, and we all we do we break 'em off, so you get a nice little square and just stick 'em down in the, in the hole.

Just like that.

AL: Oh, that's easy, wow, I don't have to worry about preparing the soil or anything.

BRYAN: No, it's all ready to roll.

AL: Bryan does the hydroponic plants grow faster?

BRYAN: Yes, they do.

Um, they're in a climate-controlled environment... AL: Oh, sure.

BRYAN: ... year-round.

AL: Oh sure, yeah, yeah.

BRYAN: So the wintertime months when it can't grow outside 'cause it's freezing... AL: Yeah.

BRYAN: ...and the summertime months when it's blazing hot and it's too hot for lettuce, we can produce lettuce year-round.

AL: Once harvested, the crops will be delivered to local restaurants or sold at Red Acres onsite market.

How the Williams farm has changed, but the dedication persists.

And the story of Red Acres cannot be told without mentioning Bryan's mother and business partner, Elizabeth "Sis" Williams, who was mindful of the family legacy.

ELIZABETH WILLIAMS: The Williams family has been in this farm since I think 1880, that's the best thing ever, I'm so proud of this family, that's what we've done.

And to hold this many generations, it's been wonderful.

AL: Sadly, Elizabeth Williams passed away in early 2026, but her influence on the farm is eternal.

Heeding the call to continue the farm for another generation is granddaughter Rachel Williams Nolan, who has begun offering up the family's historic and restored barn as an event space.

RACHEL WILLIAMS NOLAN: We have transformed these barns into our venue barn.

And when COVID hit in 2020, we had people come to us and asking if we could do weddings and other type of parties like birthday parties, uh, baby showers.

But that's kind of where we started our events was during COVID.

AL: Oh my goodness, look... Parts of the barn date back to 1910, and we're used in the family's dairy operation.

Wow, what a beautiful old barn.

RACHEL: Thank you.

AL: Just amazing.

What did this used to be?

RACHEL: Back in the day, before there were screen tanks, this is where they would store the grain that the farmers had.

AL: Now it's a space with fun for everyone.

And whether it's ag tourism or hydroponics, this family just won't quit.

Bryan, we're sitting in the middle of some very prime and productive farmland that's been in the care of your family for generations now, but you haven't been able to keep it without evolving.

BRYAN: It's tough to make a living just on a small farm if you just own crops.

So a lot of the small farms have gone to diversifying and doing many different things.

AL: Well, Bryan, I'm so impressed with your farm, I hope, uh, you keep going for a long, long time.

BRYAN: We're gonna try Al.

AL: Good.

BRYAN: I really appreciate it, thank you.

AL: And folks, we're gonna put information about Red Acres Farm on our website at mpt.org/farm.

So you can make a visit out here.

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 using this tool, Julie Andrews might say that a teaspoon of sugar can help.

This is a bolus gun, a specialized instrument used to safely and effectively administer large oral medications like these tablets deep into a cow's throat.

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" was 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.

A grant from the Rural Maryland Council, Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Fund.

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.

The Maryland Pork Producers Association proudly works to educate consumers and advocate for farmers.

Taste what pork can do.

(bird chirping).

♪ ♪