MPT series Maryland Farm & Harvest features locations in Baltimore, Dorchester, Frederick, Howard, and Washington Counties on Jan. 16

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Maryland Public Television’s (MPT) popular original series Maryland Farm & Harvest, now in its fifth season, will feature locations in Baltimore, Dorchester, Frederick, Howard, and Washington counties during the episode airing Tuesday, January 16 at 7 p.m.

The upcoming episode features the following segments:

• World’s Oldest Crab Processor – The J.M. Clayton Company, in Cambridge (Dorchester County). The Maryland Blue Crab is a state icon.  During this segment viewers follow along as the day’s catch is steamed, picked and processed by The J.M. Clayton Company – straight from the water to a crab cake near you. The five-generation family company, started in 1890, prepares and ships up to 2,000 1-lb. containers of crab meat each day.
• Maryland Rye Trials – Carroll Mill Farm, in Ellicott City (Howard County). Could rye be Maryland’s next cash crop for farmers? University of Maryland Extension Agronomist Bob Kratochvil thinks so.  As Maryland’s craft brewing and distilling scenes grow, more maltsters, brewers and distillers are looking to use local grain. With the support of Dark Cloud Malthouse in Cooksville, Kratochvil is testing different varieties of rye grown at Carroll Mill Farm in Ellicott City to see if it can be made into malt, a key ingredient in beer, and for use in distilling for whiskey.
• Goat Milk to Goat Soap – Caprikorn Farms, in Rohrersville (Washington County) and Old Colony Company, in Middletown (Frederick County). The best time to visit Caprikorn Farms in Washington County might be during the so-called “baby blizzard” in early spring when the farm’s 100 award-winning Saanen dairy goats produce several hundred kids.  Some of the farm’s sought-after milk ends up at the Old Colony Company in Frederick County, where its blend of unique fats, proteins and minerals are ideal for making soap.
• Organic Herbs – Koinonia Farm, in Randallstown (Baltimore County). “The Local Buy” segment host Al Spoler visits one of the state’s oldest organic farms, located in Randallstown, where 12 varieties of culinary herbs are grown. Al also gets a taste of a bruschetta using the farm’s fresh basil, the recipe of which is available at mpt.org/farm.

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Maryland Farm & Harvest takes viewers on a journey across the state, telling stories about the farms, people, and technology required to sustain and grow Maryland’s number one industry: agriculture. Over the past year, MPT’s production team has filmed stories at more than four dozen farms in preparation for the new season. Maryland’s rich agricultural heritage, the importance of bees, and growing crops in the face of changing weather patterns are among themes covered in depth during upcoming episodes.

More than five million viewers have tuned in to Maryland Farm & Harvest since its fall 2013 debut. The series has visited more than 200 farms in its first four seasons, covering every Maryland county, as well as Baltimore City and Washington, D.C.

Joanne Clendining, who earned an Emmy® from the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for her work as Maryland Farm & Harvest host, returns for season five. She is joined by Al Spoler, co-host of WYPR-FM’s “Cellar Notes” and “Radio Kitchen” programs, who hosts The Local Buy segment during each episode.

Maryland Farm & Harvest airs Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and is rebroadcast Thursdays at 11:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6 a.m. Each show also airs on MPT2 Fridays at 7:30 p.m.  More information about the series is available at mpt.org/farm. Viewers can join the conversation on social media at #MDFarmHarvestFans.

Agriculture is Maryland’s largest commercial industry, contributing more than $17 billion in revenue each year. As of 2016 approximately 350,000 Marylanders are employed in some aspect of agriculture. The state has 12,300 farms accounting for approximately two million acres, with nearly 6,000 full-time farmers.  Today, 110 farms and more than 7,679 acres are certified organic in Maryland.

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; MidAtlantic Farm Credit; the Maryland Agricultural Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation; the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation; and the Maryland Soybean Board.

Other support comes from Wegmans Food Markets; the Maryland Nursery, Landscape & Greenhouse Association; the Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.; the University of Maryland Agriculture Law Education Initiative; the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts; the Maryland Farm Bureau Service Company, and by Mar-Del Watermelon Association; Hoffman Irrigation, LLC, an authorized Valley Irrigation dealer; Chesapeake College; and the Rural Maryland Council.

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Follow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Twitter @MdAgDept