MPT’s Maryland Farm & Harvest Visits Anne Arundel, Carroll, and Talbot Counties and Washington, D.C. During Feb. 2 Episode

Photo Credit: Maryland Public Television’s Maryland Farm & Harvest

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Maryland Public Television’s (MPT) popular original series Maryland Farm & Harvest, will feature farms and locations in Anne Arundel, Carroll, and Talbot counties and Washington, D.C. as part of a “small things” themed episode airing on MPT Tuesday, February 2 at 7 p.m.

Maryland Farm & Harvest takes viewers on a journey across the state, telling stories about the farms, people, and technology required to sustain and grow agriculture in Maryland, the state’s number one commercial industry.

This season the series has added two new segments, one called “The Way it Works,” which offers a look at the mechanical side of agriculture, and another titled the “Facebook Photo Challenge,” featuring photos on a variety of topics submitted online by Maryland farmers.

With introductions filmed at Inverness Brewing and Farm in Monkton, northern Baltimore County, Maryland Farm & Harvest’s February 2 episode features the following segments:

• Farm Toy Fanatics (Anne Arundel & Carroll Counties). Maryland Farm & Harvest starts with a visit to Gambrills-based farm toy collector and John Deere fanatic Joe Trout, who has more than 1,500 models of miniature tractors. Next, the show travels to the Carroll County Agriculture Center in Westminster for the 34th Annual Central Maryland Farm Toy Show & Auction. Hundreds of toy collectors gathered back in January 2020 to buy, sell, and show off miniature tractors, equipment, and accessories. Show organizer Tim Talbert explains why this little hobby attracts so many big enthusiasts.
  
  
• A Small Bug Causes Big Problems for Soybeans (Talbot County). For a successful soybean harvest, fourth-generation farmer Kyle Hutchison must pay attention to all the little details. At Hutchison Brothers Farm in Cordova, Kyle is joined by University of Maryland Extension Agent Alan Leslie as they scout for dectes stem borer. This tiny insect burrows inside the stems of soybean plants and causes them to break and fall over, affecting harvest yields. By learning more about this pest, Alan and others are finding new strategies to protect soybeans and reduce insect damage. After corn, soybeans are the most popular crop grown in Maryland.
  
  
• The Way it Works: Grain Bins. A single kernel of corn may be small until it’s multiplied by corn harvested across hundreds of acres. Maryland Farm & Harvest Producer Joe Ligo takes a close look inside a grain bin and explains how these huge structures keep corn clean and dry.
  
  
• The Local Buy: Edible Flowers Add Flavor and Color (Washington, D.C.). The Local Buy host Al Spoler heads to Little Wild Things City Farm in northeast Washington D.C., where first generation farmer Mary Ackley grows edible flowers. Ackley explains the inspiration behind her urban farm and shows how these miniature blooms add color and flavor to food.  After a surprising taste test, Al notes that recipe ideas using edible flowers will be available at mpt.org/programs/farm/recipes/.  

New episodes of Maryland Farm & Harvest air on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and are live-streamed on MPT’s website. The newest episode will be re-broadcasted on MPT-HD Thursdays at 11 p.m. and Sundays at 6 a.m. and on MPT2/Create® on Fridays at 7:30 p.m.

All past episodes can be viewed at MPT’s website. Specific segments can be found on Maryland Farm & Harvest’s YouTube channel.

Nearly 10 million viewers have tuned in to Maryland Farm & Harvest since its 2013 debut. The series has taken MPT viewers to more than 360 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. 

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, 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 comes from the Mar-Del Watermelon Association, Eddie Mercer Agri-Services, Inc., and the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation (MAEF).

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Follow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Twitter @MdAgDept