State Department of Agriculture Joins with Maryland Public Television to Showcase Maryland Agriculture Thirteen-Part Television Series to Air this Fall

State Department of Agriculture Joins with Maryland Public Television to Showcase Maryland Agriculture Thirteen-Part Television Series to Air this Fall ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 8, 2013) – The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) in cooperation with Maryland Public Television (MPT) is co-producing a 13-part television series showcasing many facets of Maryland farming. The series of half-hour shows tentatively titled “The Maryland Farmer” will report on challenges facing today’s farmers and help to bridge the widening “understanding gap” between farmers and the Maryland consumer. Funded with private contributions, production is now underway. The series will air this fall featuring diverse agricultural operations all across the state. “We want this series to help people understand how diverse farming is, even in a small state like Maryland, and for viewers to learn about the process of farming,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance. “The series aims to put a human face on Maryland agriculture, and tell the stories of the industry that built this nation and continues to feed the world. We are very excited about the ideas MPT has presented and look forward to seeing this series take shape over the summer.” MPT Executive Producer Michael English, former editor of Maryland Farmer newspaper, writer of Public Television’s Farm Day series, and producer of MPT’s long-running Outdoors Maryland series, is leading the project with Series Producer Robert Neustadt who has produced television for A&E, Fox, NBC, Discovery and other public television affiliates. Most Americans once lived or worked on farms or had family and friends who did. With each generation, the nation has grown further away from its agricultural roots. The goal of the MPT series is to bring residents back to the farm and show them how their food is grown and harvested. The program will take viewers from the mountains of Western Maryland, to the rolling hills of the Piedmont, to the broad, flat fields of the Eastern Shore – to explain the complex story of growing food and fiber in Maryland. Each episode will include a series of short magazine-style segments about Maryland farmers, farms and agribusiness. Episodes will be produced on location at farms and agribusinesses throughout the state. Crews are on location now. When the series is complete, it will be broadcast several times on MPT and available for viewing on several websites (including MPT, MDA and YouTube). It will also be distributed through libraries, schools and community groups. Program sponsors include: Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board, Maryland Agricultural & Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation, Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit, Maryland Farm Bureau, Maryland Soybean Board, Maryland Department of Agriculture/Maryland’s Best, Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association, Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts (MASCD), Maryland Grape Growers Association, Harford County Government, MAR-DEL Watermelon Association and the Delmarva Poultry Industry