ANNAPOLIS, MD – Maryland Public Television's (MPT) popular original series Maryland Farm & Harvest, now in its seventh season, will feature farms and locations in Baltimore City and Caroline, Frederick, Montgomery, and Washington counties during the season finale airing on Tuesday, February 4 at 7 p.m.

Maryland Farm & Harvest takes viewers on journeys across the state, telling stories about the farms, people, and technology required to sustain and grow Maryland's number one commercial industry – agriculture. MPT's production team filmed episode segments at more than four dozen farms in preparation for its seventh season.

The episode opens with introductions at Baugher's Orchard & Farm in Westminster in Carroll County. Other segments featured on this week's episode include:

• Big Trees for the Baltimore Zoo (Baltimore City & Montgomery County): It takes a long time to grow a tree, which makes it hard if you need a big one in a hurry. Thankfully, Ruppert Nurseries in Laytonsville possesses expertise in growing and transplanting large trees. When the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore needed mature evergreen trees for a landscaping project, Chris Ruppert and his staff answered the call. Viewers follow along to see the work that goes into growing, digging up, moving, and replanting large trees.
• From Field to Grain Elevator (Frederick County): Where does corn go when it leaves the field? It is usually sent to large storage facilities called grain elevators – such as the one at Eddie Mercer Agri-Services in Frederick. Viewers visit the agricultural business and learn from Eddie Mercer how corn and soybeans are transported, dried, and stored so that the grain can be sold and used year round until the next fall's harvest.
• Creating a New Apple Variety (Washington County): Maryland orchards grow a lot of apples, but some varieties don't do well in the state's warmer, humid climate. One professor at the University of Maryland has been on a decades-long quest to breed a new apple specifically for Maryland growers. After planting more than 5,000 different trees at the University of Maryland's Western Maryland Research & Education Center in Keedysville, Chris Walsh and his team have narrowed down their choices to a handful of varieties. Viewers learn why hopes are high as the new "Antietam Blush" apple – named after the Civil War battlefield near its birthplace – hits the market.
• The Local Buy: Cider Donuts (Caroline County): Segment Host Al Spoler takes a trip to Blades Orchard in Federalsburg, where Lynda and Stephen Blades teach him and viewers about the apple varieties that go into making great apple cider. Then, Lynda treats Al to her delicious cider donuts made using apples from the family's 60-acre farm. A recipe for cider donuts will be available at mpt.org/farm.

Maryland Farm & Harvest 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 7:30 p.m. Previous episodes of the series can be viewed for free on the MPT app and online at MPT's website.

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Viewers can join in on the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using the hashtag #MDFarmHarvest.

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 Agricultural Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation; MidAtlantic Farm Credit; the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program; the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation; the Rural Maryland Council; and the Maryland Soybean Board. Other support comes from: the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts; Wegmans Food Markets; the Maryland Nursery, Landscape & Greenhouse Association; the Maryland Seafood Marketing Fund; the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service; the Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.; the Maryland Farm Bureau; The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment; Mar-Del Watermelon Association; Eddie Mercer Agri-Services, Inc.; and Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission.

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Follow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Twitter @MdAgDept

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