Two Southern Maryland farms will be featured in episodes of the new season of the Maryland Public Television (MPT) series Maryland Farm & Harvest airing in December.
Highlighted on the program on Tuesday, December 15 at 7 p.m. is the Loveville Produce Auction at Harry Stauffer Farm in Mechanicsville. This wholesale fruit and vegatable auction represents more than 100 growers and occurs three days a week from April to December. Host Joanne Clendining experiences the auction firsthand and talks with some of the farmers and participants to learn more.
Featured on Tuesday, December 22 at 7 p.m. is Swann Farms in Owings. Swann Farms is famous for its perfect peaches each summer, but ensuring a good crop begins in the winter months. Farmers Joe Sam and Jody Swann take Joanne Clendining through the steps required in January and February to ensure a bountiful peach harvest many months later.
MPT’s Maryland Farm & Harvest is now in its third season. The series travels across the state to put a human face on Maryland agriculture, telling stories of the people, skills and technology required to sustain and grow the state’s number one industry.
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 three. She is joined each episode by Contributing Editor Al Spoler, who serves up The Local Buy segment.
The series airs on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and is rebroadcast on Thursdays at 11:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6 a.m. Each show also airs on MPT2, on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. For more information visit mpt.org/farm.
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; the Maryland Soybean Board; MidAtlantic Farm Credit; the Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation; the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation; and the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts. Other support comes from the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation; the Maryland Nursery, Landscape & Greenhouse Association; the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association; the Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.; Willard Agri-Service Company; the Maryland Farm Bureau Service Company; the Mar-Del Watermelon Association; and the Maryland Grape Growers Association.