JOANNE CLENDINING: From the Potomac to the Mason-Dixon Line and across the Bay, there's a truckload of agricultural goodness to be had.

Did you know Asian beef cattle is no longer a world away?

A saintly dairy farm milks intelligently?

And Baltimore blooms bright each spring?

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 Soybean Board and Soybean Checkoff Program, progress powered by farmers.

The Maryland Nursery, Landscape, and Greenhouse Association.

The Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts.

The Maryland Farm Bureau Incorporated.

The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.

The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation promoting the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.

The Maryland Pork Producers Association proudly works to educate consumers and advocate for farmers.

Taste what pork can do.

(bird chirping).

(theme music playing).

(bird chirping).

JOANNE: Maryland agriculture's incredible diversity is due in large part to its terrain and geographic location.

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

From its flat, fertile Eastern Shore to the rich and rolling Piedmont to the rugged Appalachians, Maryland is a dynamic mix of traditional and modern farmsteads, including this stunningly beautiful lavender and herb farm.

We are here at Star Bright Farm, where 25 years ago, Helen Norman and Mark Elmore began the resurrection of a tired parcel of land, transforming it into a slice of fragrant heaven.

They hold an annual lavender festival, plus there are lush gardens to enjoy and a gorgeous market, all reminiscent of the South of France.

It's an example of how Maryland farms can transport you without ever leaving the state.

Coming up, an Eastern Shore dairy farm moo-ved to robotic milkers, and it's been a cash cow.

Speaking of transportation, on our first story, artificial insemination of Wagyu cattle, I was sure we'd end up in Japan, but to my surprise, this unique herd is right around the corner.

(tractor engine).

♪ ♪ Dell Brothers Farm is a fifth-generation family-run grain and livestock operation.

I'm here to see a unique breed of cattle that Doug Dell is raising, but then we noticed a quiet yet essential practice underway.

Well, it looks like it's on pace for "knee-high by the 4th of July."

Hi, I'm Joanne.

GREG DELL: My name's Greg, it's nice to meet you.

JOANNE: Nice to meet you, Greg.

What's going on out here?

GREG: I'm out here pulling some tissue samples.

We will take samples of the corn to see what kind of, uh, nutrient uptake is going on at its current stage in life.

JOANNE: Greg tells me that at this early stage of growth, the corn plant is making critical decisions like how many kernels to produce or how large the cob will grow.

GREG: If we make the right application of a specific nutrient like potassium or phosphorus or a micronutrient, whether it be zinc or boron, things like that, we can, we can influence the plant's decision to make that ear.

JOANNE: That is fascinating.

Maryland farmers like Greg, use nutrient management strategies guided by science.

GREG: We get paid on pounds.

We want a, we want a full kernel, we want a heavy kernel, and we also are feeding animals, so we need to have a nutrient-dense, packed, uh, product.

JOANNE: Corn tissue sampling reminds us that a good harvest doesn't just grow; it's nurtured.

Dell Brothers Farm has been a fixture in Carroll County going back five generations.

Their deep connection to the land started with Doug's grandfather, Donald Dell, a centenarian whose witnessed an evolution of farming practices.

How does it feel to see your whole entire family continuing your legacy here?

DONALD DELL: You're gonna make me cry.

JOANNE: Now, the Dells' farm over 3300 acres of corn, soybean, and a mixture of small grains.

They also operate a grain elevator that began in the 1980s.

DOUG DELL: This is, uh, this is our grain elevator, we buy and sell other people's grains on top of our own grains that we store here.

JOANNE: Why would somebody from another farm want to bring their grain here?

DOUG: So, some farms don't have a, a bin system for storage, then they bring it straight here.

JOANNE: And is that all used for livestock?

DOUG: Uh, the corn and soybeans could end up anywhere in the end, it could end up for ethanol, but mo, most of it goes for livestock.

And then we use a small amount of it for the livestock we have.

(cow mooing).

JOANNE: And the livestock I've come to see isn't your run-of-the-mill cattle.

DOUG: Almost everything in this pen is, is heifers; there are a few steers in here.

Uh, most of those are Simmental crossed with Angus, but there are some, uh, Wagyu cattle in here as well.

JOANNE: Now, Wagyu not something that you would normally see in Maryland?

DOUG: No, not necessarily.

JOANNE: Why, why Wagyu?

What got you started doing that?

DOUG: So, just sort of on a whim, I started looking into it, and they were very expensive to buy as live animals.

So, I found that maybe I'd try a little bit of a gamble and buy some frozen embryos that were full-blood Wagyu.

And I ended up with four female full-blood Wagyu and one male.

JOANNE: Okay.

DOUG: From the eight embryos I bought.

JOANNE: For Doug, the luck of the litter gave him a jumpstart, and now he's hoping to keep that streak going.

(cows mooing).

DOUG: There's Cindy now.

JOANNE: Alright.

DOUG: Dr.

Cindy.

JOANNE: But before Dr.

Cindy Sheckels can artificially inseminate Doug's cows, he'd like for them to be in estrous synchronization.

So, Dr.

Cindy, what exactly is estrous synchronization?

CINDY SHECKELS: So estrous synchronization essentially just means we're gonna try to get all of these cows synced up together so that it makes it really easy for them to go ahead and AI breed them at the same time.

JOANNE: Okay, so it's just making everything more efficient for you.

DOUG: Yeah.

JOANNE: Well, let's see how this thing works.

CINDY: Alright.

JOANNE: First, the dock inserts device called a CIDR, an acronym for Controlled Internal Drug Release.

It contains the hormone progesterone, which mimics hormone levels during a normal estrous cycle.

CINDY: So, then I push it all the way in, and then once I'm all the way in, I release it, pull it out, give it a little tug, and I know it's in there nice and good.

JOANNE: The CIDR continuously releases progesterone, preventing the animal from coming into heat.

After about five to seven days, the CIDR is removed, causing a rapid drop in progesterone, triggering the animal into heat.

Doc Cindy will be back in about a week to inseminate the synced-up cows.

But as it happens, one of Doug's heifers is in estrus and ready to be inseminated.

DOUG: So, this is a semen tank or storage tank.

It's, uh, we're gonna use a bull today named Energizer.

JOANNE: So how exactly does this work?

CINDY: I'm feeling for the cervix, and that's what I ultimately pass my rod through to deposit the semen right on the other side into the uterine body.

Alrighty.

Now I'm feeling for her cervix, and I can feel the tip of my rod right on the other side of the cervix in the uterine body.

And then I just inject the semen and then pull it out.

And she is now been inseminated.

DOUG: Thanks, doc.

CINDY: You're welcome.

JOANNE: What started out as a whim for Doug Dell is now a thoughtful use of science and technology to build his Wagyu cattle herd far into the future.

And it's just what the doctor ordered.

The word is out about the over-the-top tenderness of Wagyu beef.

And Doug Dell hopes to capitalize on this growing trend by making his beef products available at local markets.

♪ ♪ Alright, it's time to test your inner agronomist.

Here is our thingamajig for the week.

You think you know what it is?

Well, here's a hint.

The name of this tool is in its profile.

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

Farming is a tradition that's woven into the fabric of American life, and those displays of history and identity are proudly evident with the flying of Old Glory.

Here are some of our favorite patriotic pics, enjoy.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ When an Eastern Shore dairy farm wanted to increase efficiency, they switched to robotics, and now they're milking till the cows come home.

(tractor engine).

(birds chirping).

JUDY GIFFORD: Let's go.

Good morning.

So, I grew up on a dairy farm, I loved cows from like the beginning.

My two sisters were not cursed or blessed; it was just me who got the gene to love cows, and so I've always wanted to be a dairy farmer.

JOANNE: St.

Brigid's Farm in Kennedyville, Maryland, is a little slice of heaven for Judy Gifford and Dr.

Robert Fry.

And with a farm name like theirs, you could say these jerseys are as close to being canonized as a cow can be.

JUDY: Most farms have names, and sometimes it's the hybrid of the farm, you know, the owners or like where the location, which is Locust Grove Road, which sounds like a plague, so we didn't wanna go with that.

So, we just had a friend, she was a social studies teacher, so she just did some research for us, and she discovered St.

Brigid.

JOANNE: St.

Brigid is the Irish patroness saint of dairy maids and scholars, perfectly representing Judy and Bob the veterinarian.

JUDY: She was known for her compassion to animals, so that's why we named the farm St.

Brigid.

So, she's pretty amazing.

JOANNE: But not even the patroness saint of cows could have predicted the advancements that would come to the dairy industry.

This farm has been retrofitted with the Lely Astronaut Robotic System, designed to fully automate the milking of dairy herds.

It's a free-flow system, meaning the cows can enter the robot as they wish, ensuring a less stressful milking process.

JUDY: So, they go through whenever they want, there's one in there now, and it just goes on their pace.

Occasionally, I'll have a cow that I'll go get.

It's way cooler than locking 'em in a holding pen for a couple hours, and they have to go through the process, and then they come back out, and yeah, they're letting cows be cows.

There we go.

JOANNE: Each cow wears a sensor on their collar that contains a radio frequency identification specific to that cow.

JUDY: When she goes in the robot, there's a sensor that reads it when she puts her head in the feed bunk, and it knows who she is.

And then there's a, a 3D light, a 3D camera, rather above her, and knows where she's standing.

And so now the robot knows the coordinates for her teats, so it knows where to put the teat cups when it milks her.

And, um, 'cause every cow's a little different.

JOANNE: Not only that, but the robot can provide information on over 120 different data points.

JUDY: And then this is anybody who might be in heat.

BOB FRY: There's tremendous number of data points that it can feed to us.

So, you know, anything cow's body temperature, her respirations, her ruminations, eating behavior, walking behavior, uh, how fast she's milking, when she got milk last time, it notifies us if a cow is sick and gives us an indication as to why she might be sick or, or what the sickness is.

JOANNE: The robot also knows the dietary needs of each cow and can deliver different quantities of feed depending on age, pregnancy status, or number of visits, improving health and milk production.

BOB: Any of our herd metrics, such as breeding efficiency or, uh, udder health, longevity of animals.

A lot of those things have improved since we've, uh, gotten the robot.

JOANNE: The robot has helped in all facets of the dairy operation, but getting to this point didn't happen overnight.

And instead, was the result of years with no off days, short-staffed, and a nagging injury that wasn't getting any better from twice-a-day milkings.

JUDY: My shoulder was really bothering me.

So, you know, repetitive motion was killing me.

And we had had three interns that summer quit within like two weeks.

And I knew we were not gonna find anybody, and my shoulder was killing me.

And I, I said, Bob, we have to get a robot or we have to sell the cows.

JOANNE: Bob was shocked, but it didn't take much convincing.

BOB: On some of my client farms, I was already doing some work for robotic milked herds.

Okay, and I kind of thought it was neat and had some potential, but I never even brought it up.

I knew she just had a very personal relationship with... JUDY: It was my job.

BOB: ...with her cows.

It was her job.

And it would be like me saying, "Well, you're not doing your job good enough."

So, uh, I, I think the greatest thing that ever happened was that it was her idea and not my suggestion.

JUDY: Good point.

Good thing I ca, came up with the idea before you had to suggest it.

(laughing).

JOANNE: Regardless of whose idea it was, clearly it was a good one.

JUDY: I mean, it's just been a game changer in, in the way we look at farming, and it is just so much more fun to watch the cows behave like cows.

They teach you so much about how to live life and how to just be chill and not take everything so seriously and sort of have a perspective of who you are in the planet and, and the universe.

And so, yeah, I'm just really lucky person to have been able to spend so much time with cows.

JOANNE: The robotic milker has given Judy and Dr.

Fry flexibility from the rigid schedule and labor-intense lifestyle that so well defined their years in the dairy industry.

And did you know of the 25,000 dairy farms in the United States, only about 10% have robots.

In Maryland, there are only a handful of farms.

Coming up, Al takes a budding interest in flowers.

But first, not all farms have livestock.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that most farms have dogs.

How farm dogs became ubiquitous, both "Then and Now."

FARMER: Bunch them up.

Find them.

JOANNE: The earliest examples of farm dogs date back to the Neolithic period, these early dogs inherited wolflike features from their ancestors, but were far easier to domesticate and command.

(barking).

Historically, dogs were commonplace throughout great agricultural societies.

The Romans used extinct breeds like the Molossian, an ancestor to the mastiff breed, and Laconian, an ancestor to various hound species, to herd animals and protect crops.

The Romans also used the still prominent Cane Corso breed.

As time went on, farmers began selectively breeding dogs to enhance specific attributes.

Nowadays, there are nearly 100 dog breeds, specifically bred for working on or around farms.

Many of the breeds bred centuries ago are still common staples on farms today.

Breeds ranging from Great Pyrenees to shepherds to collies, terriers, and cattle dogs are still fixtures for farming.

However, many farm dogs are not necessarily bred for the job as long as they are hardworking, loyal, and downright good boys and girls, almost any dog could be a farm dog.

So, in a world of agricultural innovations, it seems that the need for faithful, furry farm hands won't be put out to pasture anytime soon.

(barking).

On this week's, "The Local Buy," Al grabs his work gloves and pocket shears to help a local flower grower prepare for Baltimore's ultimate Flower Mart.

Al?

♪ ♪ AL SPOLER: Here at Jones Family Farm in Harford County, spring is in full swing.

The farm is stirring, the market is bustling, but these colorful blooms are really stealing the show.

In fact, some of these flowers have places to be and people to impress.

The annual Flower Mart is just around the corner, and co-owner Reese Jones is prepping some colorful ensembles for center stage.

For over a century, this street fair and garden show has brought thousands of visitors to Mount Vernon Place for two days of food, fun, and flowers.

REESE JONES: We have a tendency to, to try to be different than everybody else.

And when, when it comes to making display, whether it be produce or flowers, we're able to do something very unique and special.

And I think when people see that, it promotes them to, to want to plant.

And that's what we're our goal is, the Flower Mart should be inspiring people to want to beautify their landscape.

AL: And while this farm may look beautiful from the outside, behind the scenes, it's a flurry of sprouts, boxes, and nonstop hustle.

DEBORAH JONES: Whoa, okay, good.

REESE: Good job.

AL: Well, it's a good thing he's got a full crew at his disposal, including his parents, Maurice and Deborah Jones, his sister Allison, and possibly some more help on the way.

At Jones Family Farm, family isn't just in the name, it's in the workforce.

REESE: You guys just operate so slow.

(inaudible chatter).

AL: And with one of his prized assets on hand, I'm sure he'll be done in no time, as soon as he teaches this asset, the patented Jones Hanging Planter.

REESE: We've got three themes, we got the spiller, the filler, and the... AL: Thriller?

REESE: The thriller.

REESE: It's a Michael Jackson theme, yeah.

AL: That's funny.

REESE: So, for the, for the filler, we're gonna be using typically a grass.

AL: Mm-hmm.

REESE: The grass is supposed to be growing up thick and vertical.

AL: Right.

REESE: So that when you look at the pot, you see this beautiful color throwing itself out the top of the pot.

Um, a spiller is gonna be something like a vine, but these guys here, these are gonna be more of the, the thriller.

AL: And after a quick crash course, I began making a basket worthy of Flower Mart.

Complete with filler, spiller, and of course, thriller.

Beautiful, to me, at least.

Wow.

REESE: Three more trucks left to go, Al.

AL: And look, that's a big truck.

And with a little hustle and probably a lot of caffeine, the Joneses had all trucks loaded and ready by 6:00 a.m.

the day of the festival.

But now they had to perfect the scene.

REESE: Um, we're literally, I think we're looking for a flowing river design where it's just like, it comes out of vase and you, you tip it over and then it'll be an outpouring of color.

That's what we're looking for.

You'll see it.

AL: And by the time I found their stand amongst the crowd of stalls, the design was already taking shape.

The whole thing has come together beautifully.

You must have, uh, had about 20 trucks and emptied the, uh, greenhouse.

REESE: Something like that.

AL: And while the Jones family put the finishing flourish on their display, I couldn't help but wander off to see what else Flower Mart had blooming.

Starting with one pretty unusual stand.

JANET FLOWERS: Yeah, what we're doing, uh, windows, vintage windows that we are salvaging and... AL: Uh-huh.

JANET: Um, we're putting the dry flowers behind and then putting beadboard there.

AL: It just, it just seems like, you know, springtime, frozen for a moment, and keep it forever.

JANET: Absolutely.

SHELLY BAKER: But this is like a real rose in a preservative.

AL: How about that?

SHELLY: They're really reasonable.

AL: Uh-huh.

SHELLY: Um, people seem to love them.

AL: And you can tell the future with these.

SHELLY: Absolutely.

AL: But if you're wondering what all this commotion is about, the perfect person to speak with is the executive director of the Mount Vernon Place Conservancy, who has organized this event for years.

LANCE HUMPHRIES: We wanna represent local growers here.

The craft vendors have to make their own product, and to be here at Flower Mart, they need to be able to produce things that are on flower and plant theme.

You know, in the city we have very little green space.

Every effort to plant trees or you plant flowers in your tree wells.

All of this makes the city a more livable and beautiful place to be.

AL: From preserved flowers to perennials, Flower Mart is a place where spring takes stage, but for the Joneses, it's a place to flaunt their flowers and reconnect with the community.

Well, Reese, I want to thank you for inviting us down here to the Flower Mart this year.

I've had a ball.

I can't believe how many flowers there are, how many different ways there are to present the flowers, this is really cute.

REESE: Well, it's really special how we're able to bring so much color in people's houses and also into their backyards, there's something special about plants, and we just love bringing that color and... AL: Yeah.

REESE: ...that exciting energy to Baltimore.

AL: And we're gonna put information about the annual Flower Mart on our website, so you can check it out for yourself.

Maybe come next year.

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 guess it?

Our hint was the name of this tool is in its profile.

This is a broadfork.

It's used to break up soil for planting.

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 Soybean Board and Soybean Checkoff Program, progress powered by farmers.

The Maryland Nursery, Landscape, and Greenhouse Association.

The Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts.

The Maryland Farm Bureau Incorporated.

The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.

The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation promoting the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.

The Maryland Pork Producers Association proudly works to educate consumers and advocate for farmers.

Taste what pork can do.

(bird chirping).

♪ ♪