Episode 1113

JOANNE CLENDINING: It's a big wide agricultural world, from the shore to the mountains and all points in between.

Did you know a valley in Frederick County is a preservation paradise?

That a dairy farm won the prize conservation award?

And that with harvest time comes moonshine?

Don't go anywhere, stories about the people who work the land and feed our state 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 Soy Bean board and Soy Bean Check Off program, progress powered by farmers.

Wegmans Food Markets, healthier, better lives through food.

The Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts.

The Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association.

The Maryland Farm Bureau Incorporated.

The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.

Baltimore County Commission on Arts and Sciences.

And by... (theme music plays).

The future of Maryland agriculture could be summed up in two words: preservation and conservation.

Hi, I'm Joanne Clendining, welcome to "Maryland Farm and Harvest".

While conservation and preservation are seemingly opposing philosophies, we argue that each play a vital role in the future of agriculture.

Preservation ensures the legacy and heritage of farmsteads.

And conservation calls for enduring land ethic, where soil health and water quality are paramount.

On this week's episode, we feature stories that delve into each.

Coming up, Bicentennial Dairy Farm understands the effect farming has on the land, and created an award-winning strategy to counter the impact.

But first, we're here at the Daniel James Farmstead built in 1791.

It's one of several farms on the Peace and Plenty rural historic district.

And, if you've been paying attention this season, you'll know that we visited a few of these historic farmsteads.

Here's a closer look at this unique preservation initiative.

These rolling acres near New Market Maryland hold a rich history and a special designation as Maryland's first rural historic district.

Welcome to Peace and Plenty.

JIM JAMIESON: Coming upon Peace and Plenty, you will encounter structures and landscapes which look virtually identical to the way they look 250 years ago JOANNE: The Peace and Plenty Rural Historic District is just over 1100 acres, encompassing nine farmsteads and a historic lime plant all built between 1760 and 1940.

AMANDA WHITMORE: The Peace and Plenty Rural Historic District contains all the historic houses, there are still historic outbuildings.

JOANNE: Each farmstead offers glimpses back to an age before modern conveniences.

Jim Jamieson, of Stillwork Farm, completely restored his 18th-century home.

JIM: It was built in 1758, JOANNE: His barn, and its original dairy cooler.

JIM: This is the Spring House, which was built at the very outset of this farmstead, it's where the farmers kept their jugs of milk to keep them cool until the milk wagon came by to pick them up.

AMANDA: This area is unique for the eastern part of the county in that, you can see the evolution in the farming area of this district, moving from grain farming to dairy farming, which occurred in the late 1800s, early 1900s.

JIM: But at the same time it's comprised of farmers who are adapting every day to an evolving market and business of agriculture, so you have a, a living community that's historic in nature, has a long history, but at the same time is alive with energy about how to adapt to the challenges that farmers face today.

JOANNE: Farmers like Dana and Steven Schultz, whose Basil Harding Homestead has been in Dana's family since 1929.

STEVEN SCHULTZ: The benefit is that they're able to preserve the heritage of early agriculture in Frederick County and without that, farming's expensive as it is, and they don't have extra money to be putting into a building that really does not help them.

They're actually farming for dirt and not for historic homes.

JOANNE: By being a Peace and Plenty farmstead, farmers like the Schultzs can apply for a rural historic preservation grant, that they can use for exterior renovation on their historic farm structures.

AMANDA: And so those buildings get reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission, they get eligible for tax credits, and grant programs that we have available here in the county.

STEVEN: We have a grant for $46,000 to replace this metal roof with standing seam roof, and then later we can go back and reapply for another grant in order to finish the outside with shutters, windows, and such and cornice.

JOANNE: The benefit of funding to conserve and maintain historic structures is a big plus.

But for working farms in the district, perhaps a bigger benefit is that they are still able to adapt and grow to meet future agricultural changes.

SANDRA STORM: This house was built in 1791.

Rumored that George Washington spent the night here a time or two.

JOANNE: Limited authority is what Sandra Storm and her husband, Jason, owners of the Daniel James House and Cemetery, needed to have before joining the district.

SANDRA: Their authority is limited to the buildings.

They don't have any authority to our land or any of our agricultural practices, because this is a working farm, and we need to still work it.

JOANNE: And work it they do.

Today, Jason is off to harvest corn.

But on his way, he'll pass his soybean field that runs right to the stone wall that encases the county's oldest recorded cemetery.

Holding a War of 1812 general, his family, and 14 unmarked graves of those enslaved on the farm.

JASON: Those graves must be recognized, they will be mournfully recognized in time.

We want this district to serve as a, a way of increasing awareness in the community, the broader community, about what farming is all about.

Have them appreciate it, have them respect it.

And also have them come on to our properties and take a good look at it as well.

AMANDA: I think other counties definitely can use this as a model.

How we can make ag preservation and historic preservation work together.

It's really been a nice segue, because the purposes are all the same.

You know, ag preservation wants to make sure the land is preserved for future farming, and we wanna make sure that the buildings that represent that agricultural history are preserved as well.

JOANNE: Preserving farmland is a major goal for the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

Through its agricultural preservation foundation, landowners volunteer to permanently preserve their farmland.

The program recently purchased easements of 4,600 acres of prime farmland across Maryland for an investment of more than $16.9 million.

All right!

It's time to test your inner agronomist.

Here is our thingamajig for the week.

Do you think you know what it is?

No, it's not a child's game.

Here's a hint: it's named after a light source that's no longer used.

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

One of our more popular farm pic requests was farm rides.

We received dozens of tractor and combine photos, too many for just one episode.

So, here's another round of those pride and joy rides.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ An 8th-generation farmer picks up the reins of the family farm and with it came a responsibility to protect not only his family legacy but the land as well.

The sun has barely risen, but already the work on Long Green Farms has begun.

stalls are cleaned, cows are milked, and hungry heifers are fed.

CALEB CROTHERS: Life here is sort of routine, you know.

I'd say that it's persistent, every day, can't stop.

JOANNE: It's a routine with roots running centuries, all the way to 1759 in fact.

A family tradition that 8th-generation farmer, Caleb Crothers strives to honor.

CALEB: This farm was purchased, 180-acre parcel in a rent-to-own agreement with England, and purchased in pounds, not dollars.

In its inception, it took immigrants from Scotland that risked everything to get here and then every generation had to survive something.

The Revolution, the Civil War, every war in between, Great Depression, and so, you know, when I look at it it's like, don't be the one to mess it up, right?

JOANNE: On the contrary, Caleb and his wife, Alice, are working hard to honor that family history, and while conservation has always been a big part of Long Green, the new caretakers of this land are making it their guiding principle.

ALICE CROTHERS: The land is our livelihood, not just for today, but continuing for the future.

you don't get to be eight going on nine generations old if you don't take care of the land.

JOANNE: The Crothers are utilizing no-till practices and planting 300 acres of cover crops to reduce erosion, and improve soil health.

But conservation on a dairy farm can be dirty work.

Because where there's a lot of cows, there's a lot of... well...you know.

CALEB: I say probably your biggest gripes when they look at a dairy is the volume of manure that leaves the field how you manage that's important, it's a nitrogen source, it's a fertilizer source for us, we don't want it to go anywhere but into our ground and through our plants.

If you let it go away and wash down the field, that's literally our money going away.

JOANNE: Today, Caleb and his team are digging out the manure pit so it can be spread across the fields where the Crothers are growing crops like corn and soybeans.

It's a very cyclical approach at Long Green, cows eat and provide fertilizer, which benefits the crops that feed the cows.

And in a volatile dairy market, reduced inputs can be a lifesaver.

ALICE: So conservation for us is a business model, and at the heart of it, honestly is finances, so when you think about what the word conservation means, it means to save, right?

And so our philosophy a lot on the conservation practices that we have instituted have been about cost savings for our organization, long term.

CALEB: We look at our day-to-day and how can we be more efficient in how we use our time?

You know, can we burn a little less fuel?

Can we do anything to ultimately help our bottom line, which helps our environment, which helps everybody.

JOANNE: The Crothers are showing that it pays to take care of the land.

And they're also putting in the work to protect the local waterways.

In 2020 they partnered with Appalachian Stream Restoration and Wetland Studies to plant 60,000 trees, and reconstruct over 14,000 linear feet of streams, reducing the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen entering the Chesapeake Bay.

ALICE: So I think it's a unique opportunity for our farm to participate in the cleaning up of the Chesapeake Bay.

For multiple reasons, and not just for conservation efforts.

Our kids drink from a well.

The well that is on the land that we are the caretakers of.

So we want clean waterways just like everybody else wants clean waterways.

JOANNE: Caleb and Alice's efforts have been recognized with the Aldo Leopold Award, an honor given to those who excel in voluntary conservation.

It's even more impressive when you consider that Caleb wasn't supposed to inherit the farm.

CALEB: I was like the Prince Harry, right?

So, part of the family but not destined for the throne.

That was my seat, and I just wasn't supposed to be the one that, that takes it.

But Dad was sick, and things changed at home, and so, I kind of fell in line for the pecking order, was asked to come do this, and so we did.

JOANNE: And now and now Caleb is carrying the torch, just like those who preceded him in the past, with eyes toward the future.

CALEB: Whether my kids choose or don't choose to continue this, you know, it will not be forceful, you know, it's their life to live.

But if they do, got to give them a chance.

They're going to have their own problems.

You know, there's gonna be something that happens that nobody saw coming, that you weren't prepared for, and you'll have to survive it.

but everything we're doing is so that we're still here when I'm not here.

JOANNE: Caleb and Alice Crothers are all in.

Their commitment to the family farm, and to land stewardship is what sets them apart.

Given in honor of the renowned conservationist, Aldo Leopold, the prestigious award recognizes farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners in 23 states who inspire others with their dedication to land, water, and wildlife habitat management on private, working lands.

Coming up, Al Spoler is moved by the spirits.

But first, farmers need to apply nutrients to their fields to ensure a quality crop, but back at the turn of the 20th century, fertilizer was short in supply, so they turned to bird droppings or guano, a surprising supplement both then and now.

During the 1800s a wave of American explorers began laying claim to uncharted islands, but not just any islands, islands that were home to vast deposits of a new, highly-prized agricultural commodity, guano.

That's right, these American pioneers were scouring the seas for islands covered in bird droppings.

Used for centuries by the ancient cultures of South America, guano had only recently been discovered by American farmers and it all started in Maryland.

Guano first arrived on Maryland shores in two casks consigned to John Skinner, the Baltimore-based editor of the prominent agricultural journal, "American Farmer".

Other natural fertilizers were in short supply, but with guano's high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, it seemed the solution was in fact, just falling from the sky.

20 years later, another Maryland farmer, Edward Stabler, demonstrated the impressive yield benefits of guano over the existing fertilizer of choice, manure.

Baltimore soon became the bird droppings capital of the US, and in 1856 the US government passed the Guano Islands Act, enabling US citizens to claim uninhabited islands containing guano deposits.

Today, the Guano Islands Act is still in effect, technically, but no new claims have been made since the end of the 1800s.

On this week's "The Local Buy", Al visits a farm in Washington County, to sample fruit-infused moonshine.

That's right, moonshine.

Direct from the still... Al.

AL: When you say the word "moonshine", you're apt to think of bootleggers and whiskey trippers or Grandad's old secret still.

but here in Keedysville, at Pathfinder Farm, they aren't mashing in the moonlight, they're turning sunshine into moonshine.

That play on words is at the heart of a niche product that Nate and Natalie Kraft have crafted!

NATE KRAFT: Sunshine into moonshine is the idea that any type of moonshine starts out as an agricultural commodity which is powered by the sun.

NATALIE KRAFT: Our moonshine is corn whiskey, fruit-infused, in a jar, we call it moonshine because that's like, looks like classic moonshine.

NATE: I like to say we make really fine corn whiskey, and we're redefining moonshine.

AL: The big difference between whiskey and moonshine is the aging process.

Whiskey is usually aged for at least several months whereas moonshine is bottled right after distilling.

Moonshine got its name when a government tax on alcohol sprouted illegal homegrown whiskey stills, that brewed under the cover of darkness.

It can be made with pretty much any type of grain, but corn is the most popular.

And at Pathfinder Farm, it's not just any old corn.

Now what kind of corn is this?

NATE: So the variety is called Bloody Butcher, and it's a native from our Virginia-West Virginia- Western Maryland region.

AL: Wow.

How's it get the name?

NATE: So the story is that the red kernels is why they would call it Bloody Butcher, cuz of the coloring.

AL: Want to show me?

NATE: Sure!

Let's pull one down.

AL: Okay.

Let's take a look at this.

NATE: Yeah.

AL: Oh my goodness!

NATE: Isn't that a beautiful red color?

AL: That is pretty, that is pretty.

NATE: And it has kind of a nutty flavor... AL: Mmm-hm.

NATE: So, really a great heritage variety.

AL: That's really beautiful.

Now for making whiskey, what's so beneficial about this variety?

NATE: Well I like this variety because it's non-GMO, so not genetically modified... AL: Mm-hm.

NATE: And that it is a variety which would have been grown here hundreds of years ago.

AL: Oh really?

Wow.

NATE: And, that it just makes a wonderful whiskey.

AL: And making moonshine begins at harvest time.

The distilling process for us, it really starts with our partner farmer Lorne, he'll harvest it with a combine harvester and it'll come to us, shelled, beautiful red color, ready to go into the grain bin.

AL: The corn is then ground into a fine powder, ready for mashing.

NATE: That's where we take that, combine it with water and enzymes that change the starches and the corn into fermentable sugars.

AL: There's no technique, I'm just gonna dump, right?

NATE: Nope, just send it.

AL: Making whiskey.

The malty enzymes break down the complex carbs into simple sugars.

Looks like molasses going in there!

NATE: Yep, but it takes the thick corn mash and makes it thin.

AL: Mm-hm.

Good old enzymes.

NATE: Let that go for about a week, and from there, pump it over into the still.

From the field to the flasks.

AL: Nate, this is kind of a Rube-Goldberg operation here, but it must be working, cause you got something coming out, what is that?

NATE: Oh yeah, that's fine corn whiskey coming out.

AL: Really?

NATE: Mm.

Smells great, sips smooth.

Here, would you like to try a sip?

AL: Oh, yeah, yeah, just give me a little bit.

Mmm.

You got to be kidding!

It's powerful, but it's very sweet too, and it's got slightly a nutty taste and it's still burning.

You can light a campfire with this.

NATE: You could, it's 160 proof there, Al.

AL: Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.

NATALIE: Some people are really surprised that we're selling "moonshine?"

"Oh!

I can't handle that!"

But we started sampling the moonshine, but also moonshine cocktails, so that convinced a lot of people that it's drinkable.

AL: I guess I'm about to find out.

Natalie this is such a great setup you got here in the back of your trailer, look at all the merchandise and stuff you got, what do you got to drink here?

NATALIE: We do our four main moonshines, which are the red corn moonshine, apple pie, blueberry, orange cranberry, and our aged Daily Driver whiskey.

AL: Oh man, I gotta try some of these.

NATALIE: This is our apple pie... AL: Oh, man.

That's apples in there!

NATALIE: It is.

Apples in the jar, it's fruit infused, in the jar with apples and a cinnamon stick, we get our apples locally, from Smithsburg Maryland.

AL: That's right up the road.

NATALIE: Yeah.

AL: It actually smells like an apple pie, it truly does.

Oh my goodness.

This you can have for dessert!

NATALIE: Oh yeah, and it's delicious with... AL: Would be, would be great.

NATALIE: Add some cream soda and it's like dessert, call it apple pie a la mode.

AL: Now what's this drink, I can't quite figure it out.

NATALIE: That is our blueberry lemonade.

AL: Oh!

NATALIE: So it's our blueberry moonshine with lemonade, super simple but delicious on a summer day.

AL: Let's give this a try.

Mmm, my goodness!

That is so good, it's so refreshing, it's perfect for a warm day, I just love it.

NATALIE: Thanks for visiting our farm AL: Well, I'm glad to be here, and what I'd like to do is put information about all of your moonshines on our website at mpt.org/farm, so people can learn about it, maybe plan a visit.

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 figure it out?

Our hint was that it's named after a light source that's no longer used.

This is an egg candler.

It's used to check freshness of eggs, or fertility.

You'd place the eggs here, turn on the light, and check the status for air or the status of an embryo.

The darker the room, the better.

And it's named a candler, because the original source of light used were candles.

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 Soy Bean board and Soy Bean Check Off program, progress powered by farmers.

Wegmans Food Markets, healthier, better lives through food.

The Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts.

The Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association.

The Maryland Farm Bureau Incorporated.

The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.

Baltimore County Commission on Arts and Sciences.

And by... (moo) ♪ ♪