ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland Public Television’s (MPT) original series Maryland Farm & Harvest will celebrate cute calves, happy heifers, cuddly cows, bubbly bulls, and the farm families that care for all of them during Cow Week. From July 21-28, Maryland Farm & Harvest’s social media channels will share a bevy of original and classic bovine stories through daily premieres of digital shorts, copious cow facts, and dozens of stories pulled from the series’ first 11 seasons.
Audiences are encouraged to like, follow, and subscribe to the Maryland Farm & Harvest Facebook page (@MarylandFarmHarvest), Instagram (@mdfarmtv), and YouTube channel to keep up with the latest stories throughout the week and engage in the conversation using the hashtags #CowWeek, #SharksvsCows, #CowShark, and #BovinePrime.
New digital shorts, featuring content from the series’ upcoming 12th season, will be unveiled each day. Highlights include:
- Cow Photography – Marketing cows is hard work! When farmers looking to sell need to advertise, they call the experts. Meet professionals such as Don Birk and Dale Stith, renowned photographers who travel the country snapping bovines on the cow walk.
- Cow Cuddling – Believe it or not, hugging an 800-pound steer has been scientifically proven to calm people down. Visit Clarksville Cow Cuddling at Mary’s Land Farm in Ellicott City to meet the team of six therapy cows and watch the “pasture puppies” in action.
- 2024 Ms. Agvocate is a Cow Girl – Having grown up on her family’s Church View Farm in Millersville, Lindsey Jacobs never considered herself a “pageant” girl. Meet the 2024 Ms. Agvocate USA winner and learn how ag pageants are helping to create new advocates for agriculture communities.
Maryland Farm & Harvest: Cow Week Special – Tuesday, July 23 at 7 p.m.
The eight-day initiative is anchored by a cow-themed special episode of Maryland Farm & Harvest on Tuesday, July 23 at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and the MPT livestream. The episode will also be available to view on demand using the free PBS App and MPT’s online video player. A preview of the 30-minute special is available on the Maryland Farm & Harvest webpage at mpt.org/farm.
The July 23 special episode includes the following segments and locations:
- Cattle Breeds (Carroll, Frederick, and Harford counties) – More than 65% of U.S. beef cattle are of the Angus breed, but – for various reasons – many Maryland farmers have chosen to fill their farms with other breeds. Visit family farm operations in Havre de Grace, Frederick, and Keysville to discover why breeds such as Charolais, Belted Galloways, and White Parks are making headway on cattle farms throughout the state.
- Caring for Calves (Carroll County) – Ever wonder why bovines have so many names and what they mean? See all sorts of bovine and learn what differentiates calves from heifers and cows from bulls during a visit to Maryland Delight Beef in Westminster.
- Dairy Struggles (Carroll and Frederick counties) – Agriculture is a volatile business. Profits each year depend on factors outside a farmer’s control, such as market prices and weather. Even among farmers, milking cows is recognized as one of the most difficult ways to make a living, and consistently low prices have pushed some Maryland farmers to sell their herds. Members of the Haines family of Locust-Ayr Farm in Taneytown and the Grossnickle family of Ellerton View Farm in Myersville explain why dairy farming can be so challenging, and why many of them can’t imagine ever doing anything else.
- The Local Buy: Misty Meadows Creamery (Washington County) – “The Local Buy” segment host Al Spoler satisfies his sweet tooth with a visit to Misty Meadows Farm Creamery in Smithsburg. Farmers Betsy and David Herbst show how their fresh milk becomes churned ice cream. The creamery’s other visitors are from Grace Academy Summer Camp in Hagerstown.
Hosted by Joanne Clendining, Maryland Farm & Harvest 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.
More than 16 million viewers have watched Maryland Farm & Harvest on MPT since its debut in 2013. The series has traveled to more than 450 farms, fisheries, and other agriculture-related locations during its first 11 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; a grant from the Rural Maryland Council Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund; Maryland Agricultural Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO); a grant from the Maryland Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Program; Farm Credit; Maryland Soybean Board; Wegmans Food Markets; Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts; Maryland Nursery, Landscape & Greenhouse Association; Maryland Farm Bureau; The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment; and a contribution made by the Citizens of Baltimore County. Other support comes from the Mar-Del Watermelon Association and Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation.
