* HOST: It's a big wide world beyond the suburbs Did you know that cold soil That it takes a seed to plant And that lettuce and fish have a Don't go anywhere, stories about the people are coming up next on ANNOUNCER: Major funding for is made possible in part by...

The Maryland Grain investing in smarter farming food, feed, and fuel, Additional funding Maryland's Best, Rural Maryland Council, a collective voice for MARBIDCO, helping to sustain for future generations.

A grant from the Maryland Specialty Crop Block Program.

Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit, lending support to agriculture Brought to you in part by... A donation from the The Maryland Soybean Board, Progress powered by farmers.

Wegmans Food Markets, healthier, The Maryland Association of Soil And by...

The Maryland Nursery, Landscape, The Maryland Seafood The Maryland Farm The Keith Campbell Foundation And by... Closed Captioning has been made empowering those who are deaf or speech disabled * HOST: We're at Broadview Farm Here, the Reese family grows soybeans, wheat, and more.

And to think, started out as Hi, I'm Joanne Clendining, and this is Today's show is We're taking a look at how get their start.

Then, we'll return to those with another episode Coming up, we learn to grow a seedless watermelon.

But first, Maryland farmers in 2020, making it one of in our state.

And as this farmer showed us, takes more than just putting * JOANNE: The start of is pretty easy to spot.

A farmer drives a planter depositing seed into neat rows.

But at most farms, including in Howard County, first requires a lot of [tape rewinding] On May 13th, farmer Ricky Bauer, and a team are working together to prepare First, they have to clear out planted in the fall The rye helps prevent into waterways.

Now, that it's completed an applicator from Willard to make way for the corn.

MICHAEL TWINING: Today, an application of fertilizer, to kill the cover crop and nutrient loss mitigation so that they can plant corn, no-till corn this year.

JOANNE: Ricky practices which means he doesn't plow Another environmentally RICKY BAUER: Since we've been we've seen our organic manner, greatly increase in the soils.

Other has to do with erosion, to hold it and stabilize it It keeps your input costs down because you don't have to have working the ground.

JOANNE: The dead rye preventing the spread of weeds as it decays.

A week later, on May 19th, But not all corn is the same, have different needs.

RICKY: We do our own plot to see what's going to work best And we decide varieties If a variety does good, as we get more confident of it, JOANNE: One factor that are deer.

They love chowing down So Ricky plants a cheaper around the outside in the hopes that from the pricier corn RICKY: We know the outside hammered hard by deer pressure.

So we buy more of a which is pretty well half the and just plant the outside to try and keep our input cost JOANNE: Then, of course, of when to plant the seed RICKY: We wait to the ideal soil We tend to wait than some other farmers do, start a fertilizer upfront, That gives them a little more cold temperatures than we do.

JOANNE: The warmer soil and puts less stress on Today's planting Maegan Mullins from follows behind Ricky's planter everything is going MAEGAN MULLINS: So what I'm the depth of the seed that's This grower, Ricky, that we're is looking to plant at a depth We're about there.

JOANNE: It looks like The optimal depth for corn seed and two and a quarter inches.

MAEGAN: That's enough space an adequate shoot when to create a root mass as it JOANNE: Inside the cab, Ricky is able to keep track of seed population, all via computers connected to Once planting is done, he'll from outside the cab.

RICKY: Willard's and I and they will have to come in The next step after that, to help it achieve the we want it to.

JOANNE: With a close eye and a little help this corn crop We'll be following and we'll return Stay tuned.

We hope you'll join us when we return to Ricky's farm, Meanwhile, to learn about the which animals eat, check out our YouTube channel, * All right, it's time to test Here is our thing-a-majig You think you know what it is?

Well here's a hint.

It is not a nail file.

Stay tuned and we'll have the Regardless of the crop, is one of the busiest times Thankfully, Maryland farmers still had time We asked them to send their to our Facebook page, * Here's a riddle.

How do you plant if they don't have any seeds?

As it turns out, but worth it to grow this sweet * CARVILLE MACE: You don't choose My father was doing it, I knew that this it's what I was born to do.

JOANNE: On this blazing Chip Mace leads the way behind Carville, enjoys the steady ride CARVILLE: Right now, we grow all different kinds.

JOANNE: Here at Foxleigh Farm the father and son duo and 60 acres of produce.

CARVILLE: The thing I love compared to any other job, the same thing day after day.

One day the next day you're planting.

It's always something different.

JOANNE: Right now, their last melon planting CARVILLE: We plant five different throughout the Spring.

The reason we do that at different rates.

So we want to be able to for an extended period of time.

[machine whirs] JOANNE: The most popular, are the seedless watermelons.

But how can you grow a crop CARVILLE: Seedless watermelons are not genetically modified, They are done, it's a process conventional plant breeding.

JOANNE: A watermelon is crossbred with a watermelon causing the resulting seeds The odd number of chromosomes can't reproduce, It's an expensive and complex which is why the Maces buy their CARVILLE: Plants come pre-grown because seedless watermelon on their own, You have to germinate the seed with special growing conditions.

JOANNE: When Carville they're about three inches tall, CARVILLE: The plastic mulch, so that the plant is actually higher than the ground level, disease pressure.

The plastic mulch is also very JOANNE: Not everything they're While these two look identical, CARVILLE: One person will be and then the other person what we call pollinator, plants.

JOANNE: The seeded male flower Its main purpose is CARVILLE: they're going to be flying and we hope that they'll land and collect some pollen.

JOANNE: And since the seedless have only female flowers, they for a little help.

CARVILLE: Then they'll fly over one of these flowers, to the seedless flower, JOANNE: For healthy they also need enough space with each other.

CARVILLE: The rows are and the plants are Each plant has a good bit of because if you plant them too the vines will tangle up with and they'll basically JOANNE: If the vines and the busy bees do their job, the Mace's will see little CARVILLE: They start out right on the plant.

Then, within those 30 days, that you see when you go to JOANNE: And in a few months, with Carville to enjoy CARVILLE: It's very rewarding in the summer time, you won't even be able to see It will just be a green mat of and you walk through great big fruit.

It's just very satisfying.

JOANNE: Don't forget, to see the finished melons.

And did you know a watermelon Technology is constantly and seeds are no exception.

Let's take a look at the history from then to now.

* For most farmers, means buying a new batch of This hasn't always Until the early 20th century, saved from their own crops.

Why buy what you already have But all that changed due to the invention of This was corn bred by scientists than corn that pollinated Hybrid corn seed couldn't be it wouldn't grow as well This presented a good business Starting in 1930, to produce hybrid corn seed.

The focus stayed on That's when the Plant Variety to encourage the research and varieties.

The PVPA granted companies they designed and bred, meaning on research because they'd JOANNE: The PVPA achieved but it also had unintended Most small seed firms Many were bought out by like chemicals or ones that saw opportunities to Seed companies have And in 2008, 10 companies of the global seed market.

Investment in these small The U.S. seed market was worth Talk about a high Coming up, Al Spoler learns that to plant lettuce.

But before we go to Al, earlier we saw what it takes Now, let's take a look As Joe Ligo shows us JOEL LIGO: A corn planter has to put the seeds at the exact then, And it has to do this because consistency is key This mechanism each one plants one row of corn, this planter has four.

However, some machines At the front of this unit, that clear away rocks, and clumps of dirt.

Next, this no-till coulter to prepare it for seed.

After that, these large rubber the cleared ground, and keeping contact which makes sure the seeds Each unit has a hopper Gravity pulls seed where it falls into this called a finger pickup.

Here, metal fingers pick up and drop them through this Next, a set of seed disks, cut a trench in the soil one at a time into the trench, Finally, a set of closing wheels covering the seed.

A corn planter does this for Before you know it, will be popping up all over this And that is the way it works.

JOANNE: Some things naturally Peanut butter and chocolate, lettuce and fish?

Al Spoler explains this on this week's The Local Buy.

Al.

* AL SPOLER: If you want to grow the old school approach is to in a big old field But if you want to be and you set up a system It's called aquaponics.

All of these fresh greens are with tanks full of fish, We're here at Bella Vita Farm in where they have really perfected AMY FALCONE: We are growing micro greens, kale, and in the winter months, and we also grow herbs.

AL: Under this 4,000 Amy Falcone is optimizing as as she can, in a controlled environment.

AMY: We have aquaponics, as our nutrient producers to And then we have a which is independent AL: While hydroponics relies on these fresh greens are thriving AMY: We have four, and we have about a Those fish swim, produce and then it's actually sent You can see the water.

This water never touches AL: In this recirculating which is high in ammonia, into a natural fertilizer.

The plants absorb it, before it returns to the fish.

AMY: Our system is about 6,000 will go between every six hours the water So everything that we use here, AL: The health of these at Bella Vita, regular maintenance.

JEFF DOWLING: Shake that up, we'll have the results.

AL: Farm manager, tests the quality of the water keep producing.

JEFF: We need to monitor so we know that the plants to you know grow at the rate and to fully develop.

AMY: I come in, I make sure that that they don't have they don't have any And then, the next thing I look there's aeration in the water, and we look at the root system.

AL: They grow year round, planting season It's a meticulous process that and a good pair of eyes.

It starts with these tiny seeds, which are planted in a coconut So how does this work?

It looks pretty simple.

AMY: So this is a flat of 128.

Every week we plant AL: And that's one seed AMY: Would you like to try?

AL: Yeah, I sure would.

Give me a few.

There, we'll get started AMY: I like to do them that way I don't lose track.

AL: There it goes.

Okay, good.

With a little coordination, I managed to plant Next, this tray makes its way where it will spend Twice a day, the plant decks and in about seven days, AMY: Then we moved them where they get natural light.

Then, at week four, they go into where they're on AL: Depending on the variety, lettuce seeds can take anywhere before they're ready to harvest.

I'm looking forward to coming to taste some of the fresh But today, we have something [fire crackling] ANGIE: We tent the foil, so it of the ingredients inside.

AMY: This is my sister, Angie.

She has created a wonderful AL: She's grilled up some which the farm sells alongside ANGIE: What I did for seasoning some roasted red pepper flakes, butter, and a little bit AL: Grilled tilapia with the micro-greens everything was grown about You might call it Tilapia is a wonderful fish, very moist... [Mm] I think the sisters We're going to get the recipe at mpt.org/farm, For The Local Buy, Joanne.

JOANNE: Thanks, Al.

Be sure to check out for all our local buy recipes, and you can watch Also, don't forget to follow us for show updates, Now, hold on, Remember, our thing-a-majig?

Did you guess it?

Our hint was that This is a seed finder.

After planting, a farmer uses and check if the planter Congratulations Join us next week for another along with more stories about who feed our state.

I'm Joanne Clendining.

Thanks for watching.

Closed Captioning has been made empowering those with to stay connected.

* ANNOUNCER: Major funding for is made possible in part by...

The Maryland Grain investing in smarter farming food, feed, and fuel, Additional funding Maryland's Best, Rural Maryland Council, a collective voice for MARBIDCO, helping to sustain for future generations.

A grant from the Maryland Specialty Crop Block Program.

Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit, lending support to agriculture Brought to you in part by... A donation from the The Maryland Soybean Board, Progress powered by farmers.

Wegmans Food Markets, healthier, The Maryland Association of Soil And by...

The Maryland Nursery, Landscape, The Maryland Seafood The Maryland Farm The Keith Campbell Foundation And by...