Maryland Farm & Harvest visits locations in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, and Baltimore City during February 25 episode

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 21, 2025) – Maryland Public Television’s (MPT) original series Maryland Farm & Harvest, now in its 12th season, will feature farms and locations in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, and Baltimore City during an episode premiering on Tuesday, February 25. A preview of the new episode 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.

With introductions filmed at Willowdale Farm in Reisterstown (Baltimore County), the February 25 episode features the following stories:

• Vineyards at Dodon (Anne Arundel County) – Dodon Farm in Davidsonville has primarily been in the Pittman family for 10 generations. The protected land trust covers more than 550 acres of natural forest, pasture, a farmstead, and – since 2010 – the burgeoning Vineyards at Dodon. Co-owners Polly Pittman and Tom Croghan explain how their careers in public health helped them integrate modern science into their farm operations, enabling the couple to develop an “agroecological-focused winery” that produces superb wines while enhancing biodiversity within and around the vineyard’s grounds. Their focus on soil health is paying dividends, as the Vineyards at Dodon was the only winery outside of California to be named a 2024 finalist for American Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine.
• Future Harvest Beginner Farmer Training (Baltimore County) – In 2022, the average age of the American farmer was 58 years old. The Beginner Farmer Training Program (BFTP), run by the Cockeysville-based nonprofit Future Harvest, aims to replenish this aging farmer population through mentorship and training. Viewers meet first-generation farmer Sam Phelps, who is turning his love for farming into a full-time career with help from the program and BFTP mentors Jack and Beckie Gurley, owners of Calvert’s Gift Farm in Sparks.
• The Local Buy: John Newman Honeybee Company (Baltimore City) – Segment host Al Spoler visits John Newman Honeybee Company in Baltimore City’s Curtis Bay neighborhood, where he meets Chief Operating Officer Kairi Dukes. Al suits up to help Kairi harvest some honey at the urban apiary. There, he also learns about the company’s history and embrace of beekeeping as an opportunity to empower and reconnect African Americans to their agricultural roots. More information about the John Newman Honeybee Company 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.

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