JOANNE CLENDINING: From the shore to the mountains and all points in between, there's a truckload of agricultural goodness to be had.

Did you know there's a farmer whose sweet corn obsessed?

That a battle's being waged against a field corn blight?

And that a sweet corn ice cream is turning ears?

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.

(theme music playing).

(bird chirping).

JOANNE: Anyone know what crop is king in the United States?

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

If you said, "corn," you'd be correct.

The U.S.

is the largest producer, consumer, and exporter of the versatile crop.

Globally, it's used to make whiskey and alcohol, syrups and sweeteners, cornmeal and cereals, and, of course, livestock feed.

And the dairy cows here at Maple Dell Farm eat their fair share, mostly in the form of silage.

Silage is fermented ground grain harvested while the plant is still green.

The cows love it.

I'm guessing you figured out by now, this episode is all about corn.

Coming up, leaf disease that has corn growers stalking the fields of green.

But first, I don't wanna start any corn wars or anything, but I'm ready to bet my bottom dollar that Maryland sweet corn is the best around, and some of the sweetest is grown on a small farm in Baltimore County, but it's not the variety you think it is.

(tractor engine).

♪ ♪ Tucked down the end of a dead-end road on a back river Peninsula sits Zahradka Family Farm.

GEORGE ZAHRADKA: So, this farm is pretty much the last working farm in the whole zip code of Essex.

LIBBY ZAHRADKA: I would describe it like a little oasis right outside of Baltimore.

People don't realize we're even here half of the time.

JOANNE: And when they do visit, it's not by accident.

GEORGE: The majority of the people that leave their house know they're coming to the farm.

LIBBY: They don't just drive by; they'd have to put us in a GPS, and that might not even get them here completely, so they follow his signs.

JOANNE: Ah, George's hand-painted signs.

LIBBY: Many times, spelled wrong and look like a kindergartner might have done them, but everyone knows us by the signs, so we just keep it like that year to year.

GEORGE: Hold on, I'm not real good at this thing.

Here comes the cows, though.

Hey girls.

JOANNE: George has a small herd of registered miniature Herefords, and by miniature, they mean shorter, not lighter.

GEORGE: Their meat-to-food ratio is better than a regular Hereford.

They're minis, but they're still pretty big animals, you know, probably pushing 900 pounds, I'd imagine.

Let's go see some pigs now.

JOANNE: Having animals on the farm was part of George's upbringing and woven into his DNA.

GEORGE: It must be like my Polish background to have animals everywhere because when I was a kid growing up, we had everything, Muscovy ducks, geese, chickens, guineas, the whole nine yards, and... LIBBY: We have a lot of pigs, cows, a lot of dogs, chickens, and goats, and whatever other miscellaneous pets we collect during the year.

JOANNE: And then there's George, the other George.

LIBBY: Yes, we have a free-range horse, his name is George, like many other members of this family are.

GEORGE: Hey, Georgie.

All right, so here is the Mangalicas.

Hey guys.

(makes clicking noise).

JOANNE: These European Mangalicas weren't part of the U.S.

hog scene until the last couple of decades.

For George, they're a no-brainer.

GEORGE: We chose this breed because number one, it's the best pork you ever put in your mouth.

It'll rival any Berkshire, Duroc flavor-wise.

JOANNE: Fed on a variety of grains, grass, and a daily helping of produce scraps.

These hogs are happy as pigs in... well, you get the idea.

GEORGE: Pigs to me are, this is like my relaxed time, you know, I come down pet their bellies.

Most of 'em are friendly, there's, I don't know where the big boar is, he's probably still down there eating, but he's usually friendly, but I kind of keep my distance of 'em a little bit.

JOANNE: For George and Libby, providing quality meats is value added for their customers.

Because produce is their main focus, everything from asparagus to zucchini, including good old Maryland tomatoes.

GEORGE: These are our heirloom tomatoes, I mean, this is a really good-eating tomato, very old-fashioned type, soft skin, very juicy.

LIBBY: I would say we blame the amazing tomatoes on the soil.

GEORGE: This one, this one here, is looking alright.

LIBBY: We just grow a really good-tasting tomato.

GEORGE: See what she looks like on the inside.

LIBBY: Just has the right acid, the sweet profile, it tastes just like a really ripe summer tomato.

GEORGE: Yeah, it's pretty good.

JOANNE: But everything, every pig, tomato, or horse named George lives in the shadow of the farm's superstar... sweet corn.

GEORGE: I'm a corn snob, you know, like good corn, it's gotta be, it can't be just good, it's gotta be great.

LIBBY: He's obsessed with corn.

He is obsessed with corn.

GEORGE: Test it out, see what it looks like in here.

LIBBY: He makes everybody try it.

GEORGE: There's the bicolored corn that we love.

LIBBY: Try it raw.

GEORGE: Looks good... (crunching).

...and tastes better.

JOANNE: And while some farmers might plant one large plot, George has a plan to keep the corn coming.

GEORGE: Yeah, I try to do every four days, three to four days.

In June, you should be planting every three to four days.

Little patches, little patches, little patches.

You plant one big patch, you got all this corn, you know, and you don't know what to do with it all.

So, we plant enough to do like that's about a quarter acre, and then we'll plant another quarter acre, and we'll plant another quarter acre, another quarter acre.

LIBBY: The corn that he's growing and he's grown for a really long time, it's a bicolor sweet corn, so it's yellow and white.

A lot of people were really weird about it; they wanted silver queen, so we had to do a lot of taste testing to get people to buy it, but now we have a huge following for it, so it's worked out well in the long run.

JOANNE: And around here, customers aren't just customers, they're part of the farm's fabric.

LIBBY: All of my customers, they're my social life, I know about their families, they talk to me about all these things and, and I just like seeing everybody, and I think they like seeing us too.

And they do feel like they're a part of it because they are a part of it.

GEORGE: My always saying is that without you, there's no us.

JOANNE: Out on this hidden stretch of farmland, George and Libby grow more than produce.

They grow community, connection, and one unforgettable ear of sweet corn.

Whether we're talking eastern shore versus the western shore, the debate over who grows the sweetest corn in Maryland is an age-old question, and I'm not touching that with a 10-foot corn stalk.

But did you know, according to a recent survey, Maryland farmers grow approximately 8300 acres of sweet corn annually.

(bird chirping).

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?

Well, here's a hint: every time I use a tool like this, I get all misty.

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

One of the more recognizable crops growing in Maryland fields is corn.

The symmetry of rows, tassels waving in the breeze, it's picture perfect.

And here are some of our favorites.

Enjoy.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ JOANNE: Grain farmers constantly run against the tide of unpredictability, like weather, wildlife pressure, and disease.

That last one can be a season-ender.

A fairly new fungal disease that threatens Maryland growers is called Tar Spot, and it's keeping growers and researchers on their toes.

(tractor engine).

Greg Rose and his family have been stewarding the land at Clear Meadow Farms since the 1940s.

With experience in dairy milking, beef, and commodity crops, the Roses have seen almost everything that nature can throw at them.

GREG ROSE: Being farmers, I mean, we're faced with challenges every day, the way you plan it, that never happens, so take the new challenge and roll with it and, and deal with it the best we can.

JOANNE: One of those challenges is corn disease.

Gray leaf spot and corn smut are two issues that Maryland farmers are familiar with, but perhaps no one more than University of Maryland extension agent Andrew Kness.

ANDREW KNESS: Farmers are up against this every single year in a production system, in an agriculture system, there's always gonna be pests, there's always gonna be diseases, and we somehow, we have to manage them, or else there's gonna be no crop or very little crop to harvest.

JOANNE: And now farmers have to deal with Tar Spot.

ANDREW: Tar Spot on corn is caused by a fungus, scientific name is Phyllachora maydis.

They quite literally look like somebody took tar or paint and splattered it onto the leaf.

JOANNE: The fungus is native to South America; however, in 2015, it was found in the United States, and in 2022, the state of Maryland, including Greg Rose's farm fields.

GREG: You can see here, it's uh, all the black speckles on the leaf that's your, your classics Tar Spot infection there.

This is the worst we've seen it.

It's been around for about three years, but this is the worst we've seen it affect our corn crop.

ANDREW: Like this, I would definitely be looking at how much lodging you have and... GREG: Yeah, yep.

ANDREW: And trying to get ahead of it before it all falls over.

JOANNE: When there's concern in the fields, Greg calls Andy, who knows those black spots are more than just a cosmetic problem.

ANDREW: All these tiny little black spots, they're the fungal reproductive structures, they're actually called stromata.

And inside of these tiny black structures inside of that stromata, there are spores.

JOANNE: Those spores will overwinter in the residue after a harvest, and then reinfect next season's corn.

Inside the plant, the fungus will consume sugars and carbohydrates, compromising photosynthesis.

GREG: Look at this leaf here, how it's green up top, really shutting down.

ANDREW: Yeah, it's a really good example, you can see how the leaf should be green, but it's Tar Spot is causing this leaf to, to shut down before, before it really should.

And this is a leaf that was right around the ear leaf, too, so this should be contributing a lot to your yield, but unfortunately, it's not gonna be able to at this point.

GREG: Yep.

JOANNE: For Greg, it's now a race against time before Tar Spot completely destroys the crop.

GREG: You're gonna see here in the next two weeks, it's gonna kind of shut the plant down much more prematurely than it would if you would naturally let it do it itself.

You know, you're not gonna have as heavy as kernels, so you're affecting the grain fill.

It's gonna push harvest sooner on it as well.

JOANNE: In other parts of the country, growers have seen yields reduced by 60 to 80 bushels an acre.

Fortunately, reports in other parts of Maryland have been minimal, and Maryland's climate might offer a natural advantage.

ANDREW: We do know that Tar Spot is, is a little bit more of a cool weather disease.

It is really favored by temperatures between the mid-60s and mid-70s.

In Maryland in July, when our corn is tasseling, the most of the corn is tasseling, we tend to be a little bit warmer than, than that 75-degree range.

What we've observed in in the last couple of years with Tar Spot here is that the majority of our corn crop is close to that maturity and ending by the time Tar Spot moves in, which is why its yield impact has been minimal to this point.

However, there are isolated areas where it has been significant.

JOANNE: While hybrids resistant to Tar Spot are being developed, Andrew is working to find effective treatment strategies at the University of Maryland's research farm in Keedysville.

ANDREW: This corn has the potential to be very vulnerable to the Tar Spot infection versus other fields that were planted, say, a month or a month and a half earlier.

The question that we want to answer here is the fungicide application beneficial in situations when you have really late-planted corn?

JOANNE: The fungicide is carefully mixed by Willard Agri Service applicator Spencer Cook and will be broadcasted across the corn by drone.

SPENCER COOK: So, one thing that the drone does well is it, it has atomizers on it, which give it a really fine spray, which gives us good coverage.

JOANNE: This will be compared to a test plot that won't receive any treatment to see the fungicide's efficacy.

It's important research as farmers battle Tar Spot in the years to come.

ANDREW: This is something that's not going to go away, so it's something that farmers are gonna have to deal with, and we're gonna have to work with them to come up with ways that they can manage it, not only environmentally, but also economically for them.

GREG: I think at the end of the day, Tar Spot's just another challenge that farmers are gonna have to face, but we'll find a solution for it the best way to, to target it and take care of it, keep moving forward.

JOANNE: Our thanks go out to extension agents like Andrew Kness, who work tirelessly, helping farmers overcome challenges like Tar Spot.

And although Tar Spot is relatively new to Maryland, there's plenty of research available, and early detection is key.

If you think you see Tar Spot on your corn, contact your local University of Maryland extension agent.

(bird chirping).

Coming up, Al's sweet tooth is working overtime, but first, protecting crops from pests with a scarecrow has always been a quintessential practice for farmers.

But just where did these guardians of the harvest come from?

On this week's "Then and Now."

Scarecrows have been around for ages, with the earliest examples, dating back to ancient Egypt, where farmhands would scare birds into improvised nets.

And by the medieval ages, these deterrents took a more familiar shape with farmers giving them gourd heads and straw bodies.

And as scarecrows took human form, hard times during the Great Depression often meant they were dressed in the farmer's clothes.

SCARECROW: Wake up, Bobby, breakfast time.

BOBBY: Scarecrow!

SCARECROW: With Quaker corn bran.

JOANNE: Contemporary America has used the scarecrow as a character for ghost stories, horror films, and cereal commercials.

But the figure is well known for its goofy personality in America's classic "Wizard of Oz."

So, while scarecrows were born of humble origins, nothing more than thin wooden frames and nets, these guardians of the harvest have conjured up terror to any creature unfortunate enough to cross its path, both "Then and Now."

There's no better way to beat the summer heat than fresh homemade ice cream.

On this week's "The Local Buy," Al heads to Harford County to try a cup of sweet corn ice cream, Al?

♪ ♪ AL SPOLER: It's no secret that Maryland dairy industry has had some pretty serious hurdles to overcome.

Here at Broom's Bloom near Bel Air, Maryland, where the ice cream is cow to cone, the Dallams are reinventing our favorite treat, and they're churning out a different story, one wild flavor at a time.

And behind every flavor is a family hard at work, whether they're milking cows, processing dairy, or herding livestock, the Dallams are determined to keep this dream alive for generations to come.

BELLE DALLAM: So, it's our family's farm, it's been in our family since 1726.

We're the ninth generation to be on this farm.

Currently, it is a dairy farm with the processing plant and ice cream store on the farm.

AL: After graduating college, sister Emmy and Belle Dallam returned to work at the old family farm only to discover a familiar problem.

BELLE: It was not financially feasible for both Emmy, myself, and my parents to be supported by just the milking of the cows and the ice cream store.

AL: But there was a solution in sight, becoming a one-stop shop for all things dairy.

BELLE: Starting the processing plant was kind of a next logical step, we also were able to make more of a profit with the ice cream because we were able to make our own ice cream mix, which was the most expensive part of having the ice cream store.

EMMY DALLAM: From the beginning, our parents really leaned into the value-added products.

AL: A process which starts here and begins with just a tiny bit of housekeeping or cow keeping, I suppose.

BELLE: And then completely cover each teat... AL: Mm-hmm.

BELLE: ...in the iodine.

And so, this sanitizes the teat, so we'll keep it on here for about 45 seconds; it acts as disinfectant before we put the milker on.

AL: And once everything was cleaned and ready to go, Belle demonstrated how this operation gets the milk moving.

BELLE: So now we're gonna grab the milker.

AL: Right.

BELLE: So, each one of these attaches to a teat.

AL: Mm-hmm.

BELLE: On the udder, so we'll turn it on by this valve down here.

AL: I'd love to say I picked it up quickly, but that would be a fib.

Oh.

BELLE: Oh.

AL: Didn't practice.

BELLE: Yep.

AL: Here, I'll let you handle this.

BELLE: Okay.

So, you just attach the back two and then the front two.

AL: It takes a lot of experience to do this, believe me.

Okay girl.

The milk is then pumped through a maze of cooled pipes... into the processing room where milk is homogenized... bottled... and of course turned into ice cream mix.

KATE DALLAM: We had a lot of middlemen that were doing the processing, but when we had our two daughters come on board, we realized we really needed to tie these businesses together more and make it more sustainable.

AL: And the bonus for blending their milk production with their ice cream stand, wild and wonderful flavors like this sweet corn ice cream, Kate and I were about to prepare.

KATE: The first time I made it, I thought, well, this could be a one-and-done flavor, but actually, people request it all the time.

In fact, we have people that come in in the middle of winter and wanna know where it is.

AL: Well, they don't call it sweet corn for nothing.

KATE: That's true.

AL: It really is sweet.

KATE: Yeah.

AL: And the ingredients, like this ice cream mix, only enhance the flavor.

KATE: So, this ice cream... AL: Look how thick that is.

KATE: Yeah, it's a combination of milk and cream.

AL: Holy mackerel.

KATE: And then we add cane sugar to it.

AL: And of course, the sweet corn.

KATE: We get it from Hopkins Produce, which is in Havre de Grace.

AL: Mm-hmm.

KATE: That's always the challenge, is to get it in without spilling it.

AL: And finally, a machine freezes and mixes the two in a particularly um, goopy manner.

That's probably the best way to describe it.

But that's enough talk about all this ice cream, it's time to dig in.

The thing is, it really does taste like corn and sweet corn, too.

It's just wonderful.

You're extending the life of the farm by practicing value-added farming, and you're taking your products, but you're doing things to them to make them better, and as long as you keep making ice cream this good, you're gonna go a long way, I think.

BELLE: Yes, yes, hopefully, yeah, our success of the farm has really been based in our value-added products and now we process it all on the farm so we can make the delicious ice cream churning cheese, to bottling our own milk.

AL: Oh, that's really great.

We're gonna put a lot of information about Broom's Bloom on our website at mpt.org/farm so people can check it out and make some plans to come and visit.

BELLE: Yes, thank you.

Hopefully, a lot of people come out.

AL: 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 that every time I use a tool like this, I get all misty.

This is a hand pump sprayer.

A little sprayer like this can be used to mist plants and small doses with pinpoint accuracy.

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).

♪ ♪