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Summary

On this episode of the Farm Credit AgVocates podcast, Meaghan Webster explores a current trend sweeping rural America that is surprisingly “small”. Nick and Tessa MacDonald in Camden-Wyoming, Delaware decided to ditch debt and downsize their living quarters back in 2019 and began working up a plan to build a tiny home on a couple acres.

Nick and Tessa were kind enough to give Meaghan a (very quick) tour of their beautiful tiny home and educate our listeners on their journey and how they went about buying land and building a tiny home.

Meaghan Webster:

Welcome to the Farm Credit AgVocates podcast, I'm your host, Meaghan Webster, Content and Digital Marketing Strategist at Horizon Farm Credit.

Today's guests are going to give you some serious HGTV vibes in the form of tiny home living. In case you're not hip to some of the background on the tiny home movement, I wasn't, until I did some digging. I wanted to see how this trend started and has carried on throughout the years. So the tiny home movement itself originated in the late seventies, and it was a counter-cultural response to a “greed is good” mentality. Conversely, it encourages environmentalism and social consciousness.

In 2008, the financial downturn caused many to be unable to pay their mortgages, and they started looking to something called right-sizing to find homes that traded extra square footage for a more affordable payment. More recently TV shows like “Tiny House, Big Living” and “Tiny House Nation” have glamorized the small home lifestyle and help gain appeal among those looking to live with less.

I'll have to admit, I think it's kind of a romantic thought to sell most of your things and live a more simple life. But today we get to hear what tiny living is really like, and I couldn't be more excited to hear all about it. To make matters even better, they've invited me to their kitchen table to record this interview. So let's jump right in.

BACKGROUND OF TESSA AND NICK

Meaghan Webster:

Thank you guys for having me over today. I am so excited to be here, before we jump into getting the scoop about tiny house living, I'd like to get to know you guys first. So if you could just tell me a little bit about yourself, who you are, what you do, kind of introduce yourself to our listeners. That would be awesome.

Nick MacDonald:

My name is Nick and I work for a church in Dover, it's called United and I've been there for just about five years. So when we moved back to Delaware, I joined them and we love it.

Tessa MacDonald:

My name is Tessa and we've been married for seven years, almost eight. I grew up in Delaware, I grew up in Sussex County in Greenwood. So I work for A&E properties as the Marketing Director, it is a small business in downtown Dover.

Meaghan Webster:

When you guys were growing up, are you guys familiar with country living or is this kind of like a new thing?

Tessa MacDonald:

So I definitely grew up in the country and had fields all around us on a lot of acres. So I'm used to it. I think for Nick, it's probably a little bit new.

Nick MacDonald:

I went to Lake Forest. It's kind of out in the country a little bit, but I kind of moved around a lot, growing up with my dad being in the military. So yeah, this would be newer for me.

Meaghan Webster:

So how did you guys end up meeting?

Nick MacDonald:

We met through a mutual friend when we were in high school at our church and we just started talking, hanging out and dated for about four years, a little over four years and got married right after college.

Meaghan Webster:

Well, I was excited when your loan officer, Amber, sent me your Instagram. She sent it to me, I think earlier this year, maybe late last year, she sent me the picture of you guys closing on your land. I was so excited. She was like, you have to talk to them, whether it's for the podcast or a video or something, they are so cool. They've got the coolest setup going on. I am a huge fan of seeing all the different kinds of tiny homes.

One of the ones that stands out in my brain, I watch a lot of HGTV when I get the chance, but one that stands out, they were doing a whole episode where they revamped the inside of a school bus. He had like hammocks all over the place and like a kitchen and it was just really cool. But can you describe your tiny house and the land that we're sitting on right now? Just to give our listeners like a little visual?

THEIR TINY HOME

Nick MacDonald:

We are currently sitting in 386 square feet of our home and we're currently in the dining area and I love it. I mean, it's laid out super open and we have nine foot walls, 13 foot vaulted ceilings. It definitely doesn't feel like as tiny for us. We didn't know how it would feel. But it doesn't feel super small for us. This is all on two and a quarter acre of land and so lots of open outdoor activities as well.

Meaghan Webster:

It definitely feels a lot bigger in here with the ceiling. I think in any house, the ceilings are like kind of a key to like how it feels, but it definitely feels bigger than that, which is super cool. So what kind of started like the conversation around tiny home living? Like who started it? Let's point fingers.

Tessa MacDonald:

That’s me. I was actually doing research. I worked for like a home construction company and kind of stumbled across tiny houses. And I was like, oh, they're a lot nicer than what I expected. So then I started kind of doing the math and I was like, wow, if we did do this, we could pay off our student loans a lot faster.

So I jokingly said to Nick, you know, if we sold our house, we lived in a three bedroom, 1800 square foot house at the time. I said, if we sold our house and moved into a tiny house, we could pay off our debt a lot faster. He laughed and I thought that was kind of the end of it. But he did his own research the next couple of days and came back and said, do you really think we could do it? And I said, yes. So here we are.

Meaghan Webster:

That’s so cool. What an idea? My husband's been talking a lot about RV living. He wants to buy an RV, sell the house, travel the country, and we have two dogs. So I don't know, I'm not quite sold on it yet. I need to do my research, but I think that's super cool that you guys kind of just like put it out there and then all of a sudden it just stuck. That's really cool.

So what was your experience like buying land and then building on it? You guys started this process during COVID, is that right?

BUILDING THEIR TINY HOME

Nick MacDonald:

We bought the land in 2019. We still had our current house at the time in Dover. But we knew we wanted to like make the shift. So when we came upon this piece, we were excited about it. I was more excited at first than she was, and so we purchased this land and then we sold our house in January of 2020.

Right before all of the craziness then we started the whole process kind of right as we were heading into the shutdown, we started everything and it was good. There were lots of delays later on in the year, which made things a little more anxious, but all in all it ended up really well.

Meaghan Webster:

Have you guys ever bought land and built before, or this was like completely brand new and then throw a pandemic onto that. That's crazy. Well, I'm glad that you guys were able to kind of skip some of that delay period, at least in the beginning.

So I know it's been a struggle for a lot of people right now with lumber prices and material prices and everything is delayed. So that's good to hear that you guys kind of enjoyed it. If you don't mind me asking, what made you guys go with Farm Credit?

Nick MacDonald:

When we found this property we were looking at a bunch of different lenders and it was really difficult because there was a portion of the land that was improved. So a lot of lenders won't even entertain that. We had a lot of friends recommend Farm Credit.

Once I started looking into it and had conversations with one of your lenders, it just got even better. They're really easy to work with, super friendly and were really fighting for us, even with the improved parts of the land to help make this happen.

Meaghan Webster:

We'll get back to the tiny living perks. That's the more interesting part. So when you guys decided, okay, this is what we're going to do, we're going to buy the land, we're going to build this tiny home.

Did you guys work with a builder that specialized in that? Did you guys pick your own floor plan? Like how did that journey like really start?

TINY LIVING PERKS

Tessa MacDonald:

So we stayed in a lot of tiny homes before we kind of made the decision and we really originally were going to put it on wheels. We were thinking that it would be nice to be mobile, but after talking with my boss who, like I said is a builder, he kind of recommended putting it on a foundation if we weren't planning to travel with it, which we weren't.

So we put it on a foundation, it made it a little bit safer and then I found the floor plan online, and we sort of customized it with the help of A&E as well. So that's kind of how we came up with this specific floor plan and customized it to what we needed.

Meaghan Webster:

I did a little bit of Googling myself just to see like what was out there. It seems like it's starting to become a very niche market for construction companies. Being able to do all of that and kind of make it your own, I think is what really makes it special.

Were there any like unique challenges, I guess with permitting or maybe insurance? It seems like there might be like kind of hang-ups with people or companies that don't typically have to permit or insure something like this.

UNIQUE TINY HOME CHALLENGES

Tessa MacDonald:

We didn't have a ton of issues, but I do think the biggest reason for that was because we did take it off the wheels. I think if we would've left it on wheels, we would have had a little bit more of issues. And Nick has really good relationships with the Kent County area. So we didn't really have any hang-ups with that.

Nick MacDonald:

Oh yeah. It was mainly the wheels, but even the wheels, they ended up getting approved. It just had to have like certain like egress windows and stuff like that. Kent County was definitely way easier to work in for this specific house.

Meaghan Webster:

I feel like there are a lot of people that are still thinking about the tiny house kind of thing. I can imagine that would be kind of overwhelming to have to start from scratch and have to explain to people it's actually a tiny house. So that's good to hear. I personally, definitely see the lore of like minimalistic living. I love cleaning out my closets, my drawers, all of that kind of thing. I love just getting rid of the stuff that doesn't bring me joy anymore. That popular book was, I can't remember the name of it, but I think one of the things that I would definitely miss hosting friends and having people over and not that my kitchen is very big, but I would definitely miss having a full-sized kitchen.

But what has been your biggest challenge moving into a tiny home and having to kind of manage all of that?

Tessa MacDonald:

We always struggle to come up with an answer to this one when people ask us because we really love it and we really, really enjoy it. I would say one of the biggest challenges is just getting to this point, we had enough stuff for a three bedroom home. So we had to sell a lot, all of our furniture and then downsize our clothes and our kitchen stuff and things like that.

But we are looking forward to kind of improving our outdoor area so that we can still have friends over and do things like that. But it definitely was a challenge kind of getting things pared down to get to them.

Nick MacDonald:

Yeah. I think the outdoor that was one of the reasons we wanted to get like more land as we were building and so that we can focus our space in here, but then also have like a larger space outside that we can spend time together and also have like friends and family over.

Meaghan Webster:

Do you guys have any current plans right now for the rest of the space? Two acres is kind of a lot when you have a very small house on it.

FUTURE PLANS

Nick MacDonald:

As far as like living space outside, we definitely are in the process of finding the right concrete person to put a patio in the back and kind of connect the fire pit area and everything. But as far as the rest of the land, it really depends. I mean, we've had thoughts of maybe one day we'll build a standard house on the other side of the property and use this as a rental or an Airbnb or something like that. Or we might just put a couple more tiny houses.

Meaghan Webster:

Yeah. Why not?

Tessa MacDonald:

I think there's beans over there. The farmer uses some of the land for some beans. So that's awesome.

Meaghan Webster:

So I saw that you guys just got back from a trip in a camper van and you drove through Arizona and Utah. How did that go? Like how different was that than being here, with foundations?

Nick MacDonald:

It was a lot of fun. That was our first time out west. So it was really cool just to see some different terrain, just some different environments of Arizona and some of Utah. So it was really cool to be able to experience those things. And the van living was interesting.

It was definitely much smaller. But the biggest hurdle was there was not a bathroom in it and no hot water. So they had a shower hookup in the back, but it was freezing. But we made it work, it was good. And then we were definitely like running into each other a lot more. I think the exciting part was like, it made the adventure so much fun. You can just get up and go.

Meaghan Webster:

Do you think that's something that you'll add into your lifestyle, like add a camper van to it?

Nick MacDonald:

I would love to, yeah. Being able to like outfit something like that is something I would love to do.

Meaghan Webster:

You could do something similar to what you're saying earlier about having it set on wheels. A lot of people love the idea of being able to just get a brand new truck and hook it up and take off with it. I see the lore of both of them.

I'm kind of a homebody. So I get having a foundation somewhere too. And the van life, I don't know if I could deal with not having hot water, I get that, but we'd probably have to make a lot of stops. So how long were you guys doing the van life?

Nick MacDonald:

It was about a week. Throughout the different places we stopped we were able to meet different people. And a lot of the people we met were doing that full time and really the pandemic helped give them that push to work remotely. Many of them sold their house, got an RV or camper and just started traveling.

Meaghan Webster:

Well, something else that some of my colleagues have told me that I needed to ask you guys, do you have any newfound hacks for organizing or getting rid of clutter or anything that makes it a little bit easier for the rest of us?

ORGANIZATION HACKS

Nick MacDonald:

We have a closet organization system that we got from the container store and that helped a ton. So as we were looking at like storage space, especially for our clothes and things like that we wanted to make sure that we were making the best use of our space and there's amazing options that they have for storage space for your closet. So that helped a lot. Other than that, instead of a weekly cleaning, it's more of just like daily tidying up, making sure nothing gets out of hand too quick.

Tessa MacDonald:

Yeah, and doing the laundry every other day instead of saving it for the weekend because we have a two in one, so it takes like six-ish hours to complete a load. So we just have to plan ahead.

Meaghan Webster:

I didn't even know they made those. I would have assumed that it was like a stacked one.

Tessa MacDonald:

It washes first and that's like a normal cycle and then the dry load just takes a lot longer, but it does completely dry the clothes.

Meaghan Webster:

That's really cool. How efficient for your space? I like that. That's great. If you guys had any advice for somebody looking to go the tiny home route, what would you tell them?

ADVICE FOR TINY HOME BUYERS

Tessa MacDonald:

I would say definitely try out staying in some tiny homes. It really helped us figure out what we wanted to prioritize. There's people that work from home and they need office space. I definitely did not want to sacrifice on the closet. I was like, I need room for my clothes and my shoes.

So we have a standard size, it's not huge, but it is standard size. So I think staying in tiny homes, figuring out what it is that's important to you is going to be really, really helpful.

Nick MacDonald:

I think just having fun with the creative options, like the washer and dryer, or a storage bed that you can put things in and stuff like that.

Meaghan Webster:

Does your bed fold up like one of the murphy beds?

Nick MacDonald:

No, it's more of like a drawer storage option, like under it.

Meaghan Webster:

As I thought about that, I was like, that sounds like such a pain. Like what if you fall asleep on the couch and then you have to put it down, it's like, now I'm just sleeping on a couch. That makes sense. We're going to end on something fun. But before we get to like the end part, where can our listeners find you guys if they want to follow along with your tiny home journey?

Tessa MacDonald:

Yeah. So we have an Instagram where we kind of try to post the entire process and tips and stuff like that. And it's @ourtinyplace.

Meaghan Webster:

Perfect. And we will put that in the show notes for anybody listening. So you will definitely be able to find them. This has been so much fun. Thank you guys again for having me here in your dining room.

Before we sign off, I thought it might be kind of fun to end the interview with like a, this or that kind of game. So I'll give you two home features and then you can choose which one that you just can’t live without, or that you prefer. And I want an answer from both of you. So the first one is front porch or back deck?

TINY HOME: THIS OR THAT

Tessa MacDonald:

Oh, back deck.

Nick MacDonald:

Back deck for sure.

Meaghan Webster:

What is your like dream back deck? Like what's it got on it?

Nick MacDonald:

A grill, definitely. Some lounge chairs to soak up that sun and then maybe like a dining table.

Tessa MacDonald:

Yeah, places for friends and a gas fire pit.

Meaghan Webster:

I've always been a big fan of a porch swing.

Tessa MacDonald:

I do love a good swing.

Meaghan Webster:

Indoor plants or an outdoor garden?

Tessa MacDonald:

Indoor plants. Yeah. I'm working on that though. I killed a lot of them so far. I've only killed two, but I have 13. So I think the ratio is pretty good.

Meaghan Webster:

Well, you have a lot of wall space that you can put, you can get lots of and the best part is the ones that vine, then they can go everywhere.

Tessa MacDonald:

You just got to keep them alive that long.

 Meaghan Webster:

Right. What about you? Same one?  

Nick MacDonald:

I would say outdoor garden, but I know that, and she's giving me a look of like, yeah, I probably won't keep up with it. I love the idea of it.

Meaghan Webster:

And the last one, this one's going to be hard. A bigger bathroom or a bigger closet?

Tessa MacDonald:

I'm going to go closet, for sure.

Nick MacDonald:

Yeah, closet.

Meaghan Webster:

Yeah. I'm with you. I have a lot of shoes. My husband always jokes that I need to worry about getting rid of shoes before I get rid of anything else in the house. And I was like, I don't think I can do that. That's a stretch. See, that's my priority. So I would also need a full sized closet.

So we usually sign off with a question about agriculture, but since we're kind of switching it up a little bit, what do you guys advocate for in rural America and country living?

WHAT DO YOU ADVOCATE FOR IN RURAL AMERICA?

Nick MacDonald:

The biggest thing, especially for me being more new to country living would be just like the quiet, the peace, never going to find sunsets like you do out here. And that's been like the best part for me. It's like, I would encourage people. You have to try it at some point in your life because it just brings so much peace to you.

Tessa MacDonald:

I would definitely agree with that.

Meaghan Webster:

Thank you guys so much for having me again. I can't get over how nice of a day it is, how beautiful the house is.

Meaghan Webster:

Thanks for tuning in to today's episode. If you haven't already make sure to rate, review and subscribe to our channel, you can even take a screenshot to share it with a friend. You can get the podcast notes from this episode and previous episodes over at mafc.com/podcast. If you have any suggestions for future topics or guests that you'd like to hear from shoot us an email at podcast@mafc.com. Thanks again for tuning in and until next time, keep on agvocating for what you believe in.

Summary

On this episode of the Farm Credit AgVocates Podcast, we interviewed Diane Kearns, Orchardist from Fruit Hill Orchard and Winchester Ciderworks in Winchester, Virginia. In this episode, you’ll learn about favorite apple varieties, what goes into making an award winning hard cider and how female orchardists are playing an important role in Shenandoah Valley orchard production.

Johanna Rohrer:

Welcome to the Farm Credit AgVocates podcast. I'm your host Johanna Rohrer, Marketing Specialist at Horizon Farm Credit. March is Women's History Month and we wanted to continue sharing great stories of awesome farm owner operators. Diane Kearns is a fifth generation orchardist from the Shenandoah Valley. After completing her schooling, she returned home to the family farm, Fruit Hill Orchard to stay close to the land and to learn from her father. Today she manages over 2,500 acres and produces over 700,000 bushels of apples each year. Some of their apples are then processed into hard cider at Winchester Ciderworks. In 2012, she started Winchester Ciderworks, which is located in Winchester, Virginia, and is known for creating award-winning hard ciders.

Diane, let's get started chatting about all things apples. Hi, Diane.

Diane Kearns:

Jo, how are you?

Johanna Rohrer:

I'm good. I thought it might be interesting to talk first about what it means to be an orchardist.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN ORCHARDIST

Diane Kearns:

Well, an orchardist to me is somebody, number one has got to like to work outside. You've got to enjoy the outside. You need to be a plant person and I'm definitely a plant person. In this day and age, you need to be a problem solver because there's plenty of problems to solve.

Johanna Rohrer:

You spend a lot of your time tending to the fruit trees in your orchards. Could you tell us a little bit more about your farm operation and your business?

Diane Kearns:

Well, our organization is called Fruit Hill Orchard and it has been around like you said in the introduction for about five generations. We are a commercial processing grower, so we grow apples that have been destined for a processor for apple sauce, apple juice, and apple slices, etc. We have had in the past a large amount of acres. We've had up to 3,000 acres of apples and our largest harvest ever was about 1.3 million bushels, which was a lot. Currently that's changing a little bit because it's extremely difficult to make a profit these days in processing apples. That's sort of where the cider concept came in. We were looking for ways to morph our orcharding operation into something that's a little bit more profitable.

Johanna Rohrer:

You've been able to use innovation and that value added piece to enhance your business. Do you see more female owned operators in the fruit business today?

Diane Kearns:

Yes, relative to when I came back because I am 62, I'm not a spring chicken, but yes more than when I first showed up. Now there are actually some of the younger generation coming up. Plus you see more partnerships where the husband and the wife are participating in what's going on, which is really good.

Johanna Rohrer:

Yes, it's really neat to see other people getting involved in the fruit industry and seeing that next generation transition over some of the responsibility. What does your day-to-day work look like? Do you have a favorite season that you work in the orchard?

DAY-TO-DAY IN AN ORCHARD

Diane Kearns:

Well, I would say first of all, my day-to-day, you just never know what's going to happen. It changes from season to season what you end up doing. I wish I could say I were outside all the time, but I'm not. I have to take care of all of the business end of things, so there's a fair amount of time spent in the office doing stuff.  I am not, unfortunately our main horticulturalist. I wish I had that job, I wish I could be outside all the time looking and scouting orchards. I actually have another guy that helps me do that. What my day to day world is, come in and fire up the computer, answer the messages on the phone and just see what's going on. Of course in the spring time, like now, there's a lot of planning going on for what our plans are going to be for the growing season. Of course, you never know what that's going to be.

During the growing season, it's a lot of monitoring what's going on and how you have to adjust those plans. Then, you get into the fall season- which I love the fall. As far as the weather, it’s just tremendous and it's great to be out there, but boy, it’s usually a lot of work. Particularly when in the past years, we've had these massive crops and you have to get it all off as quickly as you can, because all of our apples are handpicked. There's lots of labor, lots of payroll, lots of details to take care of. Then you get into the winter time, which we're just coming out of now. It’s a slow season because everything's asleep and you're pruning. Every now and then you get a day off because of the weather or whatever. You just never know, pick a season and I can tell you a little bit more specifically.

Johanna Rohrer:

I think that's what's so neat about orchard production. I myself grew up in an orchard operation and I think one thing that I've always been able to admire is that the work changes throughout the season. In the winter you might be pruning and doing maintenance in the orchard. Then in the spring, the blossoms start to show and I always feel like it's a time to remember new life. I think I get excited around that time because it feels like the start. Then over the summer you get to watch the apples grow.  Then in the fall, you have that opportunity to reap and benefit from the harvest of what you've been working so hard to produce all year long.  I think when you're in orchard production, it's neat to look at it from different seasons because your work changes throughout the year.

Let's talk a little bit about the idea of planting a new tree. We talk a lot in orchard production that it's called tree stock. You decide you're going to plant a new apple tree, Diane what does the growing and the timeline look like? From the time you plant a tree to the time you actually pick a perfect apple and get that peak production.

DECIDING TO PLANT A NEW TREE

Diane Kearns:

Well first of all, when you decide you want to plant an apple tree, you probably should start planning about three years ahead because all the commercial apple trees are grafted, essentially cloned. What you need to do, I mean you can certainly grow them yourself, but you have to start with a rootstock. You choose a rootstock, which needs to grow for a little bit before it gets the scion or the top wood grafted onto it.

If I were going to buy a tree from a commercial nursery, I would need to tell them three years ahead that I want this particular rootstock, so they can get that rootstock growing. Then, I want this type of wood on top of it. They'll then put that wood on top of it and then they will grow it for a year before they give me a tree. It’s a little wick, maybe slightly bigger than pencil sized and it might be three, four feet tall. That’s when we would set them out into our orchard to start growing them.

I am very familiar with the semi-dwarf trees. We do not grow any of the very high-density type of rootstocks that need to be trellised and irrigated. All of our trees are freestanding, although they only get to be about maybe 18 to 22 feet tall. You plant a tree like that, a semi-dwarf tree and you want the tree to have its skeletal system before you allow it to bear. You don't allow it to have apples, you drop the crop for at least two to three years after you put it in the ground to allow the tree a chance to grow the skeletal structure in the wood needed to hold a full crop. After that, you can begin cropping the tree and generally apples have a tendency to be biannual.

If you don't do anything, they will have a heavy crop one year and not much of a crop the next year and then a heavy crop, then not much of one. That's not particularly desirable from the commercial point of view. You'd like to know and have an even crop, so then you began trying to do things like chemically thinning the crop. You get it even, and then a lot of the semi-dwarf trees will sort of hit their peak production at about 15 years, so they are on a bell curve. They sort of ramp up and their curve goes up and at 15 years they peak and then they will start down the other side, so production will begin to drop off.

The tree itself can live for quite a while. It could live for 25 or 30 years, but the production will just be less and less. In the commercial processing world, you are looking at moving on in about 20 to 25 years after you plant a tree. That's how you get to the perfect gap. You wait about six years after your concept and then you'll have a tree that's producing, assuming that you have managed all the bugs and the diseases during the growing season.

Johanna Rohrer:

I think sometimes as consumers we kind of take it for granted. We go into the grocery store or into a farmer's market and we pick up an apple, but never think about how long it truly can take from start to finish. It's a very long timeline and I think it takes some patience to be in this business. To put those roots in the ground and then wait a number of years until you actually have that production piece off of it. It's a lot of nurturing.

Diane Kearns:

Definitely, definitely. That's one of the reasons when the economics are very different than other things because you have a lot of capital intensive in the very beginning and you have to wait years for that to pay off. That’s one of the things that's interesting about orcharding- that it is a very long-term big picture thing, but at the same time you get the seasonal cycles.

Each year it starts over again and you get to try to make things better. Then even within the year, as you pointed out, you have different seasons, so things are always changing, but there's a big picture to it.

Johanna Rohrer:

Apple producers say this all the time, you can't make good cider with bad apples. I'm curious, what you do to ensure your apple crop is high quality for your cider master?

What types of things do you focus on as an apple grower?

THINGS TO FOCUS ON AS AN APPLE GROWER

Diane Kearns:

Well, I would say one of the first things is in a commercial cidery, you’re trying to make a consistent product so we have a certain blend. Of all the apples I grow, I sort of know what mix of fruit we want to send to the cidery on the base that of a lot of our ciders is an apple called Gold Rush. It gets a lot of sugar and also has a good acidity to it, which is necessary for good cider. What I would say for that one is making sure the Gold Rush basically get enough sugar and are of the size that we want.

One of the things that's really sort of interesting as far as making a good apple for hard cider, is that the developing research hasn't even completely been done on things like the microbiome of the apple, and the fungus. Sulfur is one of the classic things that you put out in the orchard to control fungus, particularly in the late season. Well, too much sulfur can actually affect the fermentation.

I'm thinking about things like that, even though I can't tell you all the great details about that because nobody can yet, we're still researching it. I am thinking about that, looking at the fruit that goes to the cidery and taking notes of what happens during fermentation and trying to see if I could figure out how to make that better. One of the big things I think any cidery would tell you is sugar, because the sugar content is what dictates alcohol content. You can always dilute it if it's got too much sugar, therefore too much alcohol, but if you don't have enough sugar, you are not going to get it. You have to let the fruit ripen appropriately.

Johanna Rohrer:

That's really interesting because one thing that I thought about just in researching before this conversation was what apple varieties do you particularly grow to make hard cider? One of the questions I kept coming back to was, I wonder if they use sweet or tart apples in their apple blend for cider production. I was used to pressing fresh cider as an orchardist with my family's operation, so it was more of a blend of a little bit of sweet and tart in there. From what I hear you saying, the sweetness side to make the fermented hard cider is really important.

Diane Kearns:

It's very important and actually what we try to achieve with our ciders is a consistent balance of acids and tannins which again, naturally occur in apples and we don't need a lot of tannin. It’s the balance of the acid, tannins and of course the taste.

Apples are all over the map and the taste of the fruit is really important, then the sugar is really important. One of the things I think that is absolutely key, and again this is not me- it's my cider master Stephen, to be able to taste fruits and then extrapolate what it's going to be like once you've fermented it and blended it. You have to blend the apples because nothing has the exact mix that you're looking for. A lot of people do single varieties, but a blend allows you to use different kinds of fruit because the fruit is different every year.

Every season, the growing season is different so the fruit is slightly different. If I make a cider out of a single variety, like nothing but a Pippin or nothing but a Harrison, that cider will be slightly different year after year because that's the way the apples are. By using a blend of apples, we're trying to hit a more consistent product across the board. There's a lot that goes into the fruit selection for ciders.

Johanna Rohrer:

You know, I think it's a good reminder that there's a lot of science behind what we do every day. There's a ton of science and innovation behind all of the agricultural goods so many of us enjoy including hard cider.

What made you want to get in to the hard cider business?

HOW DIANE GOT STARTED IN THE HARD CIDER BUSINESS

Diane Kearns:

That's an interesting question because actually we got into it before I really completely understood what I was getting into. It was a bit of a fluke. I won't bother telling you the whole story that Stephen and I just randomly met. My Fruit Hill Orchard randomly ended up with some pressing equipment, like juice pressing equipment. We just started this business and I really didn't understand all of the ABC alcohol laws, which they're significant. I didn't really realize everything it would take to get started nor did I realize how much I was going to get into it once I got into it.

We started with a very small group, very organically because we had other jobs to do so whenever you could put your time to it, you could. The more I got into it, the more I really enjoy the cider apple thing. What I realized now, it sort of goes hand in hand with my concept of organic growing because I can do different things horticulturally with cider apples and I need to understand things more.

The learning part and the working with plants is really fascinating, which I really love. One of the things I'll point out, is having that sugar is really important. When the fruit is fully ripened, they'll also have different flavors. I want a fully ripe apple, but what happens to a fully ripe apple; it falls off the tree. In the commercial processing world, we can't pick any fruit off of the ground because of the chance of contamination.

In the cider world, it's quite interesting. The creation of the alcohol, when the sugars turn into alcohol by the yeast, that's a kill process. Anything else gets killed because it can't live in the alcohol, which means that I can actually pick that fruit up off the ground. There's a bunch of different things like that on the horticultural side that just allow different things in the cider world that perhaps wouldn't be allowed in the commercial world. There are a lot of things you have to pay attention too.

Johanna Rohrer:

What types of signature ciders are available at Winchester Ciderworks?

WINCHESTER CIDERWORKS

Diane Kearns:

Well, I would start out with the very first one that we created was an entirely apple cider and a blend of five different varieties and we called it Malice, which is a takeoff on the genus name of an apple, malus. That would be our signature, number one brand. Stephen really enjoys experimenting, so what we create is basically English style ciders from where he grew up with sort of a new twist. We do different flavors.

The signature ciders, I would say what we call our flagship which are basically the same apple blend. We have a black currant, ginger, pear and then there's a combination of the black currant and the ginger. We also have barrel-aged ciders. Instead of the cider being aged in stainless steel tanks, Stephen puts it into a barrel. If the barrel happens to have a flavor like bourbon, rum, or brandy, it picks up that flavor, which really adds a different, interesting taste to that. We also do some natural fermentations.

The two types that I was talking about prior is when you introduce a yeast, a strong strain of a yeast that will basically overpower the natural yeasts that occur. We also do fermentations where you don't add any yeast and it naturally begins fermenting from the yeast that's floating around in the air, which creates a slightly different animal.

Johanna Rohrer:

Where can we find your site or [where the cider is] sold for all of our folks listening? What is the best cider to try first?

Diane Kearns:

Well, we currently have distribution in basically the Mid-Atlantic region. We have distributors in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. We're getting ready to move into North Carolina. Right now, other than online through a company called Tabor in Washington State, that's the only place you can get it.

Within the Mid-Atlantic region, you can find it in Trader Joe's, Martin's food stores and in specialty beverage shops. The way the alcohol laws work is that we sell our cider to a distributor and the distributor then has the sole discretion who he sells that product too. Of course we try to collaborate, but I can't tell you exactly where all of our product goes. I do know in our region Martin’s food stores, Trader Joe's down toward DC has moved quite a bit. We are in Wegmans and most specialty beverage shops.

Johanna Rohrer:

If I'm going to buy my first cider from you guys, what do you recommend?

Diane Kearns:

I would suggest you either get the Malice cider or the 522 Black Current. The 522 Black Currant has been super well received. Many people tell me it tastes slightly sweeter. Both of these ciders are what they consider off dry. It's about 2% residual sugar, so there's a tiny bit of sweetness, but not much. The acidity on the 522 is a little bit different than the Malice, and that's why people think it's sweeter. Actually it's not sweeter, it's just the acidity is there.

Johanna Rohrer:

Okay, I want to come buy some hard cider, hopefully soon! I really want to try some of this. I'm looking forward to taking your recommendations and having a taste test here in the near future.

Besides hard cider, do you have any other favorite ways that you enjoy apples?

FAVORITE WAYS TO ENJOY APPLES

Diane Kearns:

Well, as you might imagine, I eat a lot of apples. I would say the best thing is just fresh. Picking one off the tree or having a few in a basket or refrigerator or whatever. I do like to eat fresh apples a lot.

I guess I would say one of my favorite ways, is take an apple, it doesn't matter whether it's sweet or tart, cut it up and eat it with a little bit of caramel. That's one of my favorite desserts. Also, I've been trying to perfect my apple pie. For years, I made apple crisp and then recently I felt like I needed to get better at making pie. I don't think it's perfect yet, but it's a lot better than it used to be.

Johanna Rohrer:

Yep. I enjoy making apple pies. I have a favorite apple that I always go to for apple pies.

Diane Kearns:

Which is what, what's your favorite for apple pies?

Johanna Rohrer:

Actually, it is a Lancaster County apple called a Smokehouse- it's a greener apple. It comes into season in September and by the middle of September, I'm ready for apple season. At that point in our growing season, we've finished peaches or we're coming down to the end of peach season. We’re transitioning into those early season apple varieties. I love a Smokehouse apple because it cooks down in the pie and it gets a little softer, but it still keeps its shape and I love the flavor. For me, that's my favorite local apple for pie.

Speaking of favorites, let's do a little rapid fire. I'm going to test you to see what you like better.

Do you like apple pie or apple dumplings?

Diane Kearns:

Apple pie.

Johanna Rohrer:

Okay. What about whole apples or cut apples?

Diane Kearns:

Whole apples.

Johanna Rohrer:

I'm the same way. I totally eat whole apples. I don't take the time to cut them up because it's too much work. I'd rather just eat an apple whole.

Tart apples are sweet apples?

Diane Kearns:

Oh, it depends on what kind of mood I am in. After dinner, I want a sweet apple. If it's a snack in the afternoon, that’s a tart one.

Johanna Rohrer:

I know that's the beauty of so many different varieties of apples. You can always find a flavor that's going to fit what type of mood you're in or what you're looking for.

If you had to pick one favorite apple variety, we've heard you talk about a couple of varieties throughout the interview, but one favorite apple variety. It doesn't necessarily have to be for cider production, but what's your favorite?

Diane Kearns:

Oh, you're going to have to tell me, what am I using it for? If I'm cooking, I really like York Imperial because they hold their shape. For making applesauce, something completely different, like maybe a Lodi. If I'm going to just pick one up and eat it, I really do like Gold Rush as a really balanced apple, but I also like Fuji's. They are really sweet and sometimes a Fuji is what I want. It really depends on what I'm using it for, which is like you said is the beauty. When I go to store some apples, I always put multiple varieties away, so I have that option.

Johanna Rohrer:

Yes. I asked that question as a trick question, because I think many of us in the orchard business would have answered it the same way. We have specific apples that we like for certain things. If you're listening and you've not necessarily figured that out yet, there are some apples that are better to cook with, there are some apples that are better for applesauce, and there are some apples that are just better to eat fresh. When you're visiting your local orchards, reach out to those orchard producers, they'll be happy to steer you in the right direction.

What are you are most proud of as a female apple producer?

WOMEN IN AG

Diane Kearns:

I guess I would say the fact that everybody I work with does not address the fact that I'm female. I would say in our group of apple growers, there are girls or females that are working, doing this, but we're all the same. I guess I would say when I was younger and came in, I was happy that the men treated me as an equal. Now, I feel like we are all equals and we're all just people working in this industry. That to me is exactly what I want and exactly what I think it should be.

Johanna Rohrer:

This month is Women's History Month and I'm just curious, where do you see the future role of women in Ag heading in the future?

Diane Kearns:

Well, I hope it's going to continue to be more and more women in Ag. Eventually you would love to see the 50-50 split because I just see people as individuals. We're all individuals working toward the same thing. We all love to be outside, love to see the natural world at work, understand how it works and helping it along to create the things that we need/want from it.

I hope that there'll be more and more women that will venture out, like to work outside and feel comfortable working right alongside whoever it is. Being in a male companion, or someone from a foreign country because that's the way it is with a lot of labor right now. Actually for me, working with a diverse population is fantastic, I love it. I just hope more women get to enjoy that and get the opportunity to do it.

Johanna Rohrer:

I think agriculture just continues to grow and the network of people that we're working with also continues to grow. It's just such a nice time to be able to do business with each other and make the industry the best that we can for the future. I think that is what's so neat about how the industry is growing in the space that it's in today.

Before we sign off today, what do you advocate for in agriculture?

Diane Kearns:

More direct-to-consumer sales. What I really, really want to see happen is more people pay attention to where their food comes from, go out and seek it directly from the farmer so that they can understand where it is and the farmer can explain to them how it works.

Johanna Rohrer:

The story of how it's produced on the farm and then how it gets into family members homes is such an opportunity to make that connection. I think that's a great answer to advocate for the future of agriculture.

Well, thanks Diane so much for joining us. Remember to visit Winchester Ciderworks on Facebook, Instagram, or visit winchesterciderworks.com.

Please rate, review, subscribe, and share this podcast with a friend. Get podcasts notes and subscribe to email alerts at mafc.com/podcast. Send any topic or guest suggestions to podcast@mafc.com.

Horizon Farm Credit recently announced the six recipients of their first annual Farmers on the Rise program, awarding $10,000 prizes to young, beginning, small, minority, and/or veteran farmers in their territory. The following agriculturalists received this year’s honor:

• Caleb Crothers and Alice Crothers of Long Green Farms Inc. in Rising Sun, Maryland
• Emma Jagoz of Moon Valley Farm in Woodsboro, Maryland
• Joseph and Jenell McHenry of McHenry’s Harvesting/Beef in Kennedyville, Maryland
• Robert “Wesley” Miller, Jr. and Amanda Miller of Chesapeake Gold Farms in North East, Maryland
• Matthew “Levi” Sellers and Bille Jo Sellers of South Mountain MicroFARM in Boonsboro, Maryland
• Atiya Wells of Backyard Basecamp, Inc. in Baltimore, Maryland

“We were pleased to have received more than 60 eligible applications and were inspired by each and every one of them,” says Tom Truitt, CEO of Horizon Farm Credit. “The six recipients of this year’s award were recognized based on their efforts in agriculture, financial character, leadership, community wellbeing, and environmental stewardship. The future of agriculture within our region is incredibly diverse, and we are excited to watch these producers positively impact our industry.”

The contest was open to applicants that identify with at least one of the following categories: 18 to 40 years of age, a minority farmer, a veteran farmer, run a small farm with annual gross ag income less than $250,000, or a beginning farmer with less than 10 years of farming experience.

Horizon Farm Credit recently announced the promotion of Jason Reep to mortgage loan origination manager. He is based in the association’s Bel Air, Maryland office.

“I’m very excited to continue my career with Farm Credit in this new role,” says Reep. “My years of experience with the association and our mortgage solutions will allow me to make a bigger impact with our customers.”

Prior to becoming the mortgage loan origination manager, Reep was a mortgage loan originator with Farm Credit for over nine years. In his new role, he will be supporting the secondary mortgage market department by helping them reach sales and training goals, while ensuring compliance standards are met for all consumer lending practices.

“Jason knows the ins and outs of Farm Credit, our customers, and our mortgage programs,” says Jim Aird, Horizon Farm Credit’s PennMarVa Regional Vice President. “He will transition well into this role, and we look forward to having him oversee this department and working closely with our members across our territory.”

Reep is a member of the Cecil County Board of REALTORS®’ mortgage finance committee and the Harford County Chamber of Commerce. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, exercising, and spending time with his family.

LISTEN TO OUR Women in Ag EPISODE HERE OR FIND US ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST LISTENING APP!

 

Show Notes

Summary

On this episode of the Farm Credit AgVocates Podcast, Jenny Kreisher and Meaghan Malinowski celebrate National Women's History Month by shouting out their favorite Women in Ag to follow online. From a former dancer to a Midwestern cricket farmer, this is a list of ladies you won't want to miss following. 

In this episode, you'll find great examples of storytelling in marketing and how to use digital channels for marketing your own farm business. 

Links

Hannah Neeleman (Ballerina Farm)

• Ballerinafarm.com
• Ballerina Farm Facebook
• @ballerinafarm Instagram

Marji Guyler-Alaniz (FarmHer)

• Farmher.com
• FarmHer Facebook
• @farmher1 Instagram
• @marjialaniz Instagram

Mary Heffernan (Five Marys Farm)

• Fivemarysfarms.com
• Five Marys Farms Facebook
• @fivemarysfarms Instagram

Lisa Hinton (Old Westminster Winery)

• Oldwestminster.com
• Old Westminster Winery Facebook
• @oldwestminsterwinery Instagram
• @lisahintonn Instagram

Emily Shaw (Dairy Girl Fitness)

• Dairygirlfitness.com
• Dairy Girl Fitness Facebook
• @dairygirlfitness Instagram

Kelly Barb (Prancing Deer Farm)

• Prancingdeerfarm.com
• @prancingdeerfarm Instagram
• YouTube Video

Jenell Eck (McHenry's Beef)

• @mchenrysbeef Instagram
• @jenelleck Instagram

Shelby Smith (Gym N Eat Crickets)

• Gymneatcrickets.com
• @gym_n_eat_crickets Instagram

Lindsey Buckman (Assateague Farm)

• Assateaguefarm.com
• @assateaguefarm Instagram

Emma Cunniff (Kneehigh Farm)

• Kneehighfarm.com
• @kneehighfarm Instagram

 

Transcript

 Meaghan Malinowski:

Welcome to the Farm Credit AgVocates podcast. I'm Meaghan Malinowski, Content and Digital Strategist. Today I'll be joined by Jenny Kreisher, Director of Communications and Creative Services here at MAFC. Today's episode, we're going to shake it up a little bit. We're going to do something a little bit different than normal. We're really excited about Women's History Month and we've decided to make March attribute to the women in ag making history every day; working hard to feed and clothe our communities, supporting their families out in the field, at home and at their other jobs. You name, women are doing it and they're rocking it. We want to bring it back to that history part as well because a major part of history is making sure that the story is recorded and told to educate our future generations.

Jenny Kreisher:

And what a story it is Meag. I actually went and looked at some of the stats from the 2017 Ag Census to share with our listeners today that I feel really illustrate just how big of an impact women have made on our industry. So, are you ready? 

Meaghan Malinowski:

Yeah, absolutely. Give them to me. 

Jenny Kreisher:

All right. Believe it or not, 36% of all of US producers, which is 1.2 million, are female producers and together they're farming 388 million acres. That's crazy!

Meaghan Malinowski:

That's insane!

Jenny Kreisher:

I also found it very interesting that 67% of them, so well over half of them, indicated having a primary job off the farm. That to me means they're really just working hard all over the place. 

Meaghan Malinowski: 

Yeah, absolutely. I think that definitely calls for a digital celebration and for today's celebration, Jenny and I are going to talk about our favorite women in ag that are doing an amazing job telling their stories virtually and doing their part to educate people on agriculture and where their food comes from. After the episode, make sure to head to mafc.com/podcast to get all the links to the websites, social media accounts and all of those things so you can show your support for these women in ag and follow along as well. 

Jenny, it's been a while since we've been on here together and I'm really happy to have you here for this conversation. 

Jenny Kreisher:

I am super excited to join you for this conversation. I think I speak for both of us when I say it was really difficult to pick five. There are a lot of fantastic women in ag to follow on social media, but I'm super excited to compare our lists. 

Meaghan Malinowski:

Good, good. Well then for our audience, I will let them know that I challenged Jenny to choose her top five favorite women in ag to follow and I did the same. We're going to start with Jenny's list first and we'll go through why we love reading their updates, what we love about their marketing aspect and all that jazz. 

Jenny, I'm going to hand it over to you. Who's your number one?

Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm

Jenny Kreisher:

All right, my number one. Meag, you've heard me talk about her a few times and that is Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm. I follow her on Instagram, and it’s @BallerinaFarm.  Her and her husband, Daniel live on a ranch in Utah with their five kids. What makes Hannah really unique is that she was a former Miss New York City and a graduate of the Juilliard School of Dance. She's actually a ballerina, hence the name Ballerina Farm. Daniel, her husband, was a history major. A little backstory on them is that they both spent some time in Brazil and that is where they actually fell in love with farming. They met a guy there who was talking with them about their cattle production, but Daniel, her husband, was actually super intrigued by how this guy raised his pigs. They were free range and they were free to eat the fruits from the trees on that farm. After spending four years in Brazil, they moved back to the States and founded Ballerina Farm. Today, they raise Berkshire pigs and Angus cattle. If you do check them out on social media, their dog Hoss really steals the show. They also have a ton of chickens, dairy cows and these two hilarious geese that are very noisy and it's really fun to watch. She does a great job sharing their family's story on both Facebook and Instagram. She shares a ton of recipes and I could watch her bake sourdough bread all day. For some reason it's become very therapeutic for me.

Meaghan Malinowski:

I was just about to say, that sounds very relaxing. 

Jenny Kreisher:

I feel like I smell it through the phone. The other really cool thing about Ballerina Farm is that they sell meat boxes. You can actually go on their website, ballerinafarm.com and order farm fresh meat. They also have some really  cool merch, such as super cozy looking sweatshirts, mugs and some fun things like that. That has been one account that I've really enjoyed watching that I discovered somewhat recently. 

Meaghan Malinowski: 

That's awesome. You know, I'm going to confess you have been talking about her for forever and I have not followed her yet. I know I'm so bad. I need to do that. 

Jenny Kreisher:

You will not regret it. 

Meaghan Malinowski:

All right. Well, who is your number two? 

Lisa Hinton of Old Westminster Winery

Jenny Kreisher:

All right. Number two is Old Westminster Winery, specifically the winemaker Lisa Hinton. They are actually based right here in my backyard in Westminster, Maryland and to be honest, I spend quite a bit of time there. They've been a great solace for me during COVID for sure. The organization or the company Old Westminster Winery is family run by three siblings and Lisa is the winemaker of the bunch. I don't know if many people follow Old Westminster Winery, if not, please do. Their wines are delicious, but the family does a great job of telling the story of their operation. Their first vines were actually planted in 2011 and today I'll just say that they've really put Maryland wines on the map. Not only throughout the state of Maryland and on the East Coast, but throughout the entire country. She and her husband have two adorable littles that they share photos of on her Instagram. She also shares a lot of her and her family's wine making journeys, which has been really fun to watch. Old Westminster Winery has always been a hotspot even before COVID, but they truly took it to another level over these past 11 months. They added a pizza oven, they started offering free wine home delivery, which is amazing. They've also added a market full of local products at their tasting room location. They do craft cocktails, fire pits, you name it. It's truly become a destination and everything that Lisa and her family have done to make Old Westminster Winery what it is today is honestly really inspiring. So they are definitely one to watch. 

Meaghan Malinowski:

If we were making a list of wineries that were our favorites in Maryland, they would have made that list for me. I am a huge fan. I love that when I come across the bridge, that's somewhere that we can meet and hang outside. The pizza oven was definitely an awesome addition, especially during COVID. They have so much cool outdoor seating and their wines are just really good.

Jenny Kreisher:

Their wines are fantastic for sure. So for all those listening, we're going to include them in the show notes, but you can find Old Westminster on Instagram @oldwestminsterwinery and Lisa's Instagram is @lisahintonn. 

Meaghan Malinowski: 

Well, so far I did not have either one of those on my list. So, let's see who your number three is. 

Marji Guyler-Alaniz of FarmHer

Jenny Kreisher: 

All right. Number three, my girl Marji from FarmHer. Marji Guyler-Alaniz was actually on the podcast not too long ago and I had the privilege of interviewing her. She's a fellow woman in ag storyteller. Definitely check out her podcast interview at mafc.com/podcasts. For a little bit of Marji's background, she started FarmHer with the goal of sharing the impact women have had on the industry, so exactly what we're trying to do with this podcast today. Today, her media empire as I like to call it includes her own podcast and blog. She’s got a TV show on RFD-TV. She sells some really cool merch and all kinds of other fun stuff. She travels all around the country speaking with women in ag to learn more about their operations and their plans for the future. Fun fact about Marji- all, or I guess I should say most, of the artwork that you'll find on FarmHer merchandise is actually designed by Marji. She's also a little bit of a graphic designer as well.

Meaghan Malinowski: 

That's so cool. A little bit of everything. 

Jenny Kreisher:

A little bit of everything, yes. You can follow her on Instagram. The tag is @farmher1, which again we'll include in the show notes, but she's definitely fun to watch.

Meaghan Malinowski:

And that was a fun interview to listen to as well. I did not know that deep into her background so you guys should definitely go and download that and give it a listen. And with that, we're going to queue up Jenny's number four. 

Mary Heffernan of Five Marys Farms

Jenny Kreisher:

All right. Number four, Mary Heffernan of Five Marys Farms. I don't know if you've heard of Five Marys Farms, but they are based in Northern California. Mary is a rancher, entrepreneur, writer, blogger, you name it and she has probably done it. The really cool thing about Five Marys Farms is it's named that because Mary and all four of her daughters are all named Mary.

Meaghan Malinowski:

Oh, wow. That makes sense. 

Jenny Kreisher:

Right? That's why I thought that was so cool. Each of them go by a nickname, which is based on their middle names. 

Meaghan Malinowski:

I love that!

Jenny Kreisher:

I know, that's pretty neat.  Mary, the mother Mary I should say, has always been passionate about her community and finding ways to fill any gaps that she sees in hers. That’s really led to her entrepreneurial spirit, which started with the summer camp when she was just a kid herself. After graduating college, she went on to create more businesses often with children in mind, which included a restaurant that was really focused on being kid-friendly. When they started the restaurant, her husband Brian found that they were spending a lot of time trying to source local high quality meats, which inspired them to start getting into ranching. Today, they're highly successful business owners. They've got cookbooks and another restaurant. They do a ton and Mary does an awesome job documenting all of it. Not only on the business side, but of her four daughters and all of the fun things they get into on the farm.  I actually learned when doing some research for this podcast that in 2018 they were actually named Best Farm in America.

Meaghan Malinowski:

Oh, wow. 

Jenny Kreisher:

Yes, I thought that was pretty incredible.

Meaghan Malinowski:

What an honor! I love that. Well, now we are four for four with not matching any at all. Jenny, this is crazy. I can't wait to hear who your number five is.

Emily Shaw of Dairy Girl Fitness

Jenny Kreisher:

I'm not going to lie, I really thought we'd have one. My fifth and final, again this was so hard, but I went with Emily Shaw a.k.a. Dairy Girl Fitness. I went with Emily for a few reasons. Number one, she went to Penn State, so hello fellow Penn State fan here. She’s a personal trainer and a PA dairy girl. She actually grew up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania, and she now lives in Florida. Along with offering personal coaching and nutrition training, she’s a huge advocate for the dairy industry, sharing facts about dairy farming on her Instagram, which is @dairygirlfitness. Both of her parents grew up on dairy farms and she did as well. She actually grew up raising heifers for 4-H and FFA, went to Penn State to study Ag Business Management and Dairy Science. Many of her family members are still farming today in Pennsylvania, so she's kind of a local girl too. She's really funny and she posts a lot of really great educational workout videos and nutrition tips. She's just super encouraging and I'm not going to lie, any personal trainer that advocates for me to eat ice cream has my vote.

Meaghan Malinowski:

I'm in, how do I sign up?

Jenny Kreisher:

Right!?

Meaghan Malinowski:

I would love to see what that meal plan looks like. 

Jenny Kreisher:

I know, right! She offers group training opportunities on her website dairygirlfitness.com and she is another good one to watch. 

Kelly Barb of Prancing Deer Farm

Meaghan Malinowski:

Awesome. Well, I am excited to tell you about my list, especially since you haven't said any of them. I'm going to go ahead and just jump right in. My number one, I’m sure you could guess I've been talking about her since the day I met her. Her name is Kelly Barb and she is with Prancing Deer Farm in Warwick, Maryland. I met Kelly back in May of 2019 and I was inspired by her story from the very start. She is a chemical engineer by education and she started a Christmas tree farm and outdoor event center. I think for me the coolest aspect of her business is the collaboration that she does with local photographers, event planners and other entertainment groups. I think she's done goat yoga and all kinds of stuff, and you know how much I love goat yoga. I loved hearing her story and how she really was concerned with getting outside and making sure that she wasn't spending her whole day in the office and behind a desk. Her parents are very involved in the Christmas Tree Farm.  They have cows, goats and they are really interested in creating their little oasis that they can share with everybody else. I think the coolest thing for me was that she started to branch out and reach new people when she posted on social media about her farm. She started posting photos and a lot of local photographers reached out and would ask if they could come out and do a photo shoot there.  She said yes and she got to use those images as well. I just love the collaboration aspect and what that does for the marketing of it, you know?

Jenny Kreisher: 

Absolutely, I think she does a fantastic job. I unfortunately couldn't make that interview, but I know you and our colleague Morgan came back gushing about Kelly's story. I do hope to meet her one day.

Meaghan Malinowski:

I am hoping to get her on the podcast later this year, so that would be super exciting. 

Jenell Eck of McHenry's Beef

Meaghan Malinowski:

Going into my number two and she is a local girl to the shore. Her name is Jenell Eck with McHenry’s Beef in Kennedyville, Maryland. I put Jenell on here because we've worked with her a lot at MAFC in several different ways. We're always at the same events and she's just so ingrained in ag here on the shore with different events. When her and I connected on Facebook and on Instagram, I realized that she actually helps to run their beef company and they provide local beef to the surrounding areas. I love watching her Instagram and her Facebook updates because she is such a strong advocate for educating consumers and helping to run their beef operation in such a transparent way. You can find them on Instagram @mchenrysbeef. They do such a good job of behind the scenes look, giving you an idea of where your food comes from and I love that.

Jenny Kreisher:

I love that too. I am adding her to my follow list now. 

Meaghan Malinowski:

Yes, 100%. 

Shelby Smith of Gym-N-Eat Crickets

Meaghan Malinowski:

Number three, I think you might cringe a little bit, not at her, but at what she's growing because I did a little bit. Her name is Shelby Smith and her company is called Gym-N-Eat Crickets. 

Jenny Kreisher:

I'm sorry, what's that?

Meaghan Malinowski:

Gym-N-Eat Crickets, like G-Y-M. She's from Iowa, so she isn't in our service territory, but I had to share her on my list because I think she's doing something really cool in the space of innovation and working really hard to normalize alternative proteins. Michael introduced me to her because he grew up with her.  I was super interested because you know crickets have been a topic of discussion as far as proteins for human consumption or animal consumption. It still kind of makes my skin crawl a little bit, just the thought of it, but I pushed myself and I ordered a bunch of her energy bars that she makes. She's also big on testing different recipes and they were really, really good, so I had to put her on here. I love her Instagram and her website. She showcases a lot of the behind the scenes of raising the crickets and the stores that sell her product. She's always promoting them, the people that buy and try them. She's very informative, very relatable and I love the educational approach to marketing. Crickets seem really good for you the way she puts it out there. I might try it again. I don't know.

Jenny Kreisher:

I have a lot of questions for her and I would love to get her on the podcast. That's such an interesting field to get into. I think I would try them.

Meaghan Malinowski:

The way she makes them I don't think you would even be able to tell. Somebody could probably sneak you one and you probably wouldn't have any idea, they're definitely very good. She grew up on her family farm and her dad encouraged her to find her own niche of farming which I thought was fun too.

Lindsey Buckman of Assateague Farm 

Meaghan Malinowski:

I'm going to go into my number four. Her name is Lindsey Buckman of Assateague Farm in Berlin, Maryland. When I lived in Berlin, we took lots of trips to Assateague Island to go to the beach and on the way there's this little cottage that is surrounded by a mass of flowers and plants. It's very, very cozy looking and I fell in love with it. Every time we would drive by, I was always looking to see what's new and what's out there. I looked them up on Instagram and Lindsey Buckman has done an amazing job at showing the behind the scenes of their family farm and creating such a beautiful place for people to window shop on Instagram and her website. The in-person shopping is obviously just as beautiful. She's got so much going on there, but they have really fun activities as well. You would think being that close to the beach, you might not have enough space, but they've got a really great farm stand. They've got you-pick fruits, cut flower garden and they also have two goats, Cosmo and Jasmine. So naturally I am basically obsessed.

Jenny Kreisher:

Okay, this is the second one that had goats so I'm picking up a theme here. 

Meaghan Malinowski:

Yeah, you've known that for a long time though. For anybody else, if there's anybody out there that wants to let me borrow their goats for a little while, I totally would and I would love them so hard.

Emma Cunniff of Kneehigh Farm

Meaghan Malinowski:

Finally, number five for me is Emma Cunniff of Kneehigh Farm in South Coventry, PA. I came across Kneehigh’s website and Instagram when I first started here at MAFC because I was doing a lot of research on CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in our area and I have followed them ever since. They are 100% women owned and operated, which is super cool. They're constantly educating people on what they grow, why they grow it and what they do with it. I think one of the most interesting ones recently is that they grew indigo and then they use it to dye fabrics and clothing. I thought that was really cool. They're always pushing for the local movement and getting food to places that don't have a lot of fresh food. That is the epitome of girl power to me, 100% women owned and operated.

Jenny Kreisher:

I love it. That's another one to check out for sure. A wonderful story.

Meaghan Malinowski:

Yeah, for sure. So we've got 10 women or 10 women owned operations that we're going to have in this episode's notes for you. I love it so much. I wish we could have all of them on the podcast now and talk to them.

Jenny Kreisher:

I know. I would love to ask our listeners to please share their favorites with us as well. You can do so by heading over to mafc.com/podcast or emailing us directly at podcast@mafc.com.If you've got someone that would make a great interview or have a fantastic woman in ag story to share, we would love to hear from you.

Meaghan Malinowski:

Usually we sign off each episode talking about what our guests advocates for in agriculture, but we decided that we want to make this segment a little bit different because we both would like to advocate for something super important for women, men, everyone. We are advocating for mental health during this month.  I did a little bit of researching because I was curious to see what the numbers were. I learned that women are twice as likely to experience anxiety than men. It is not that surprising to me, but I was definitely interested in that aspect of it. After this past year, I don't know about you Jenny, but I have been battling my anxiety uphill and downhill. It's kind of like a roller coaster, but I do think it's really nice to know that we offer a free Member Assistance Program that can help with so many different things that affect your mental health.

Jenny Kreisher:

Yeah, you're absolutely right, Meag. I mean this past year has been unexpected to say the least, and we know that our members are really feeling it from all sides. We added our Member Assistance Program to our lineup of member benefits where you can get all kinds of free resources for counseling related to marital issues, parental aging, and managing work-life balance. There's legal and financial services, identity theft protection and so many other helpful tools available.

Meaghan Malinowski:

It’s 100% anonymous for anyone who needs it, so you can access all of those resources. Head to mafc.com/map to learn more and to get the log in information. Once you get in there, you'll click the button to access the page at mygroup.com and then you'll click on my portal log in and then work life. We have all of that on the website, so just head to mafc.com/map to learn more and take care of yourself.

Jenny Kreisher:

Meag, this was a really fun interview. Thank you for inviting me on for this. I think this was a really great way to share some of our favorite women in ag and I'm looking forward to learning about more this month.

Meaghan Malinowski:

Absolutely! We have such a long list of people we can reach out to now and we can have individual interviews with them too. So thanks for joining me! And until next time everyone, keep on advocating for what you believe in. 

Jenny Kreisher:

If you did like this interview, we would love if you would rate, review, subscribe and share this with a friend. You can get all of the notes from this podcast including all the links to the amazing women that we talked about today over at mafc.com/podcast. Like I mentioned earlier, we'd love to hear from you so feel free to email Meag and I at podcast@mafc.com. Thanks everyone. keep on advocating!

 

Important:

We recorded this prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve been working remotely for the past several weeks to be able to share them with you while you have a little more time at home. These uncertain times have altered the way we’re all doing business right now, but that isn’t keep us from doing whatever we can to support our membership and communities. Head to mafc.com/update for resources related to your cooperative and the pandemic. From all of your friends at MAFC, stay healthy and safe. Thank you.

 

Meag:

Welcome to the Farm Credit AgVocates podcast. My name is Meaghan Malinowski, content and digital marketing strategist at MidAtlantic and I'll be your host for this episode. I am super excited to share this conversation with you - It is one of my absolute favorite ag stories. We visited Katey and Kevin Evans back in 2017 to shoot a customer testimonial video at their new farm market. We got to see how everything is made and learn how Farm Credit was able to help them grow their operation. In three years they've continued to be a fan favorite here on the Eastern shore and have announced that Katey will be featured on the March 27th episode of ABC’s Shark Tank. They're doing great work putting Bridgeville Delaware on the map and shining great light on what it means to be a farmer. So without further ado, here's my interview with Katey Evans of The Frozen Farmer in Bridgeville, Delaware.

Could you start off and tell us a little bit about yourself and how frozen farmer came about?

Katey:

Sure. So my husband and I are, well, my husband's a third generation farmer and The Frozen Farmer came about because of our family farm business at Evan's Farm. We grow a ton of fresh produce to grocery chain and the more grocery chains that we picked up, the more food we saw going to waste. Not because it didn't taste good, but because it didn't look good; because grocery stores have high cosmetic standards for produce. And so you know, the more grocery customers we had, the more food we had going to waste because of the way it looks. And we thought, “Well, this food is perfectly edible even though it's not cosmetically beautiful.” So we were looking for something to do with the food waste and we decided that it would be a perfect inclusion in sorbet. So we went away to ice cream school to learn how to make sorbet and then we learned how many more awesome flavors of ice cream with the fresh fruit that we had going to waste. And so that's how The Frozen Farmer came about.

Meag:

Can you tell us about ice cream school? I had no idea that was a thing.

Katey:

So we went away to the ice cream university in West Orange, New Jersey where we got taught by the world renowned Malcolm Stogo, who actually invented cookies and cream ice cream. He taught us all the ins and outs of ice cream making; the scientific part behind it, all about overrun and what that means. And you know, how to make a great tasting super premium ice cream. And so when we came back to the farm, we got in the kitchen and got really creative with our flavors. And put our own flair on things and that's where we went from there.

Meag:

That's so cool. I feel like it's probably more of a science, baking is definitely  a science. I feel like ice cream is probably similar to that.

Katey:

It is. And following an ice cream recipe is so specific that we actually weigh all of our ingredients. They're not measured in cups like you would in a traditional kitchen. Everything is weighed. Obviously, you know, the liquid ingredients and dry ingredients weigh differently. So a scale is our number one tool in the kitchen.

Meag:

Have you guys added anything into your typical planting seasons to make sure that you have enough produce for your flavors?

Katey:

We don't grow anything specifically for The Frozen Farmer and our ice cream. We have gotten more creative with our flavors through the years to include more of the things we already grow at Evans Farms. So the sweet corn summer flavor that is super creative and it's  a fun one to try. It basically tastes like a sweet cream, sweet buttercream ice cream because we cook the corn and then we cream it and basically churn it into our vanilla bean batch and it gives the vanilla batch a creamier, more buttery taste. And then we run the kernels and we run it through for that proper crunch. So we definitely try to think outside of the box and using more of the other varieties of fruits and vegetables that we already grow on the farm. But as far as growing anything specifically for The Frozen Farmer, we've not gotten to that stage yet.

Meag:

Your patrons are probably getting a lot of a lot of flavors and things that they've probably never had before.

Katey:

Yeah, we like to get really creative with flavors and even the traditional ones. You know, blueberry instead of just blueberries, we do a blueberry strudel. Or raspberries, we do a raspberry chocolate chip. We do lots of different creative things.

Meag:

Most of the farmers that I come in contact with are generational farmers. So I think it's neat that you’ve got a third generation farm happening.

What kinds of changes have you guys seen from one generation to the next?

Katey:

Well, my husband actually inherited the family farm before he and I started dating. His Mom passed away from cancer and his father passed away in 2005. He was actually in the line of duty as a volunteer firefighter, so he inherited the family farm at the age of 27 which was a lot of responsibility at a super young age.

When he and I got together, I really tried to help him grow the grocery side of the business. One thing that I know has changed is that side of the business. Our grocery chains are becoming a lot more local friendly and their produce sections carry local fruits and vegetables fresh from the farm. We serve close to 80 grocery stores DSD, meaning direct store delivery, which means essentially the fruit and vegetables are picked at our farm that morning or in the wee hours of the morning and are delivered to the store within an hour later. So the sweet corn is actually arrives hot to the store. That's something that grocery teams didn't used to do.

I know Evan's Farms didn't grow fresh market fruits and vegetables for the grocery level before I got involved in the business and we grew that side together. They did large scale processing vegetables and, obviously grains, but the grocery side of the business has increased. And I think that that's consumer driven too. And it's a generational thing. I think consumers nowadays that are going to their local grocery store and pretty much demanding that the produce be local, which is a fantastic food movement.

Meag:

I don't come from an ag background, so meeting our farmers and meeting the people that we're serving at MidAtlantic puts everything in a perspective for me. When people bring up things GMOs or those other buzz words, “no antibiotics” or anything like that, I try to challenge them and ask, “are you thinking about it from the farmer side?” I think that's one thing that we've been lacking in the industry, is that level of education for consumers. And I think labels can be pretty misleading. But I love that our grocery chains are actually working with you guys and making the effort to make things more local friendly.

Katey:

Yeah. And it's becoming so much more important to people and consumers that they know where their food is coming from and who better to tell you than the farmer himself or herself. And for us, that goes a long way with our customers, and our grocery customers in specific: we serve a lot of customers in the city areas, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and they've come to know us as their farmers on a first name basis and feel like they have a relationship with the farmer that provides the fruit and vegetables for their grocery store. That's translated into the Frozen Farmer brand as well. Knowing that name and the person behind producing our food is so important to consumers nowadays. It builds trust and it  allows us as farmers to  put an end to all of the negative buzz words, rumors and stigma that surrounds farming practices in today's world. So it's a great connection all the way around.

Meag:

I noticed that you guys have a strong digital presence in in social media and so I was going to ask you a little bit more about that. You guys have a great presence and a lot of great engagement. And I think we're seeing more and more producers trend towards getting online and trying to start those conversations.

Can you tell us a little bit about your journey [with social media marketing] from starting and building it to what it is now?

Katey:

Well thank you very much. We work hard on our social media strategy and it's to connect our consumers with our farm and with us. And we field a lot of questions here at our farm store and at farmer's markets that we attend throughout Sussex County. So, we take the social media to address those. We also like to engage the public. I think that we found the posts that performed the best are those of us actually in the field working. And by in the field, I don't literally mean in the field but in the kitchen, in the market, hands on with the process. Consumer’s want to know how that tomato got on their shelf or in store and social media has been a great way to tell the story behind the product directly. And so we use social media as an avenue to do that, as well as to make them feel a part of our operation; given the history of who we are, the generations before us were  and allow them to be part of the process of where we're going.

Meag:

So you're inviting them into your story. That's something that we've been talking about quite a bit for the last couple of years here in our marketing department is how are we able to tell the story about MidAtlantic but also helping the rest of rural America tell their stories. We have so many awesome rural communities here and I definitely think that social media is one of the best ways to do it. It encourages that connection and it builds trust and it creates almost a friendship. You don't think about having a friendship with a business, but I know that if I comment on one of your guys' photos, you guys are going to comment back. Or if somebody asks you a question, you guys are reliable and responsible and respectful to respond to those and want to make sure you keep people in the loop.

If you had to give any advice to someone who's looking to start on social media and start building that engagement and connection, where would you tell them to start?

Katey:

I would telling them to start at that personal level. People are driven away from businesses or companies that look to social media to sell a product or a service. We do less salesy pitches and more personal stories; Informational stories. We want to give our followers an experience that they can learn from. Whether it's sharing recipes of what we do with our ice cream, or what we do with our produce; whether it's sharing tidbits to fun facts from the farm. As long as you can give the customers an educational and personal experience, I think that that's the biggest thing on social media. Obviously to gain the sales and business is the end goal for any company if they're on social media, but you want to connect with your customers through that or otherwise they're not going to gain the followers that you're looking for.

Everybody is on social media to learn something or wants to explore a new part of the world that they don't already know about; otherwise we would all be flipping through ad after ad of meaningless information. I think that making that personal connection would be the biggest piece of advice that I would give for somebody and that goes for reviews, or feedback also. Private messages are a high priority for us and making sure we’re addressing every private message that comes in, in a timely fashion. We do have an automated response set up but there are four or five people that have access to our social media accounts and so we're always cross checking one another and making sure that somebody's question has been answered. We want our customers to feel important on social media. Even if they contact us directly or privately, we want to make sure what they're requesting is answered or their concerned gets addressed, or the older gets taken. It's important not to let anything slip through the cracks when it comes to social media.

One thing that we've tried to do, is not spread ourselves too thin. We established the Facebook page and felt we had a good grasp on it. Then once we felt we could handle and manage our Facebook page, then we established Instagram. We're still not on Twitter. We're going to be spread a little bit too thin if we attempt to tackle Twitter as well. I know that there are other social media platforms out there that allow you to funnel all of them through one place, they all arrive in one organized inbox. Those are tools that we started with Facebook and Instagram, but right now, I don't think it's something that we're ready to do. But take baby steps if you need to, just make sure that whatever you do, you do it well.

Meag:

When you first start off, you get very focused on the numbers, on how many people liked this post, or how many followers do we actually have. Or even thinking, “oh no, we lost two followers. Why did they unfollow us?” And it takes so much focus off of the quality of content that you're putting out and the quality of the connection that you're building when you focus on things that don't  matter that much.

Katey:

That’s an important thing to note too, is don’t post just to post. You want to make sure that your post is well thought out, is meaningful, will create engagement. And know the impact on whoever is reading it, looking at it, and interacting with it. You don't want to post just to post because we've learned that that can actually work against you.

Meag:

It’s very hard to be very active on each platform, but I find that the more that I use them personally, I learn different and better ways of using the platforms.

Can you tell us how you guys made that expansion into the grocery stores and if you're willing to, share some of that process?

Katey:

Sure. So, on the farm side of things is where we got our foot in the door with a grocery team, all of the grocery teams that we work with. And sometimes it comes from a lucky break. Literally, we had a major corporate buyer of an enormous chain in the United States, ring our front doorbell one day and my sister-in-law and I had the time available to sit down with him in our office. At that time they were looking for a local grower within the area. And other times it’s a matter of, seeing these people out. I'm talking like every week, finding the right person at that team to speak with at the right time, when hearing they’re in need of a local grower. And then when you start to sell to the stores, whether it’s two or three or four or 50, it’s important that you give them the same amount of time, attention, and make them as important as you did from day one.

We're actually on a first name basis with a lot of our grocery managers. Even in the off season, I always make sure I text back. Other grocery produce managers stop by the farm now because they got to know us so well. So it's about creating personal experience with your buyers as well, not just your regular customers, but your grocery buyers. For us that's really helped us go the extra mile. Some of the corporate heads of teams have become my personal friends throughout the year. We've worked with Giant Foods for close to a decade now and you know, they’ve become a second family to us. Harris Teeter, the buyers there, they stop in whenever they're in the area. We've gotten close to the people that we work with and giving them that time and attention and a close level of detail and customer service. If there's something that's not right with your product it’s important to make it right. Everybody's going to have that one ear of corn or something like that every now and then. So it's making sure that they know that that's important to you as well to make it right.

Whether it's a lot of rain or whatever it may be. Some of them may have been breakers in the box or whatever, but crediting them back and making sure that you've given them a positive experience at the end of the day goes a long way. I feel that our customer service, our level of detail, and our quality through the years on the produce side has  gotten our foot in the door when it comes to the creamery side of the operation as well because then we're traveling through a chain from one category manager to another.

Meag:

It doesn't cost any money to build a good relationship with somebody. It takes the personal connection and making the effort. I think people are  craving that connection and it's, it's so important and even on those bigger levels too; you guys are literally stocking shelves at grocery stores around  in our area. I feel like that is not an easy feat, but it sounds like you guys have made quick work of it and I can see why people would want to work with you. You are focusing on all the right things and everything seems to come back to building that relationship. You guys have an amazing opportunity coming up soon. I know, I think it's already happened, but so you guys are going to be featured on an episode of shark tank coming up and that'll air March 27th, right?

Katey:

That's correct. Yes.

Meag:

I know that you can't tell us a whole lot about it, so we don't want to spill any secrets.

But if you could tell us anything about the process [of getting on Shark Tank] or what your goals were with applying, I would love to hear about how that came about.

Katey:

Well, ever since we opened our doors to The Frozen Farmer in 2015, our customers had been telling us, “You've got to take this product to Shark Tank because its’ unique concept of using the misfit ugly fruit that you're not able to sell it to the grocery chain in your end product and really it creates a value added product.” And so of course, being from such a small town, I mean I'm a farmer's wife, so I didn't think that there was a shot in the world of me actually landing on Shark Tank. Let alone getting an investor’s attention. But year after year after year of hearing, take it to Shark Tank, finally last year I said, “Oh, what the heck, I'll give it a try.”

We were at a point in our business at The Frozen Former where we need a little bit more money if we wanted to see our product grow on more grocery shelves throughout the nation. Started small with Giant Foods and they gave us 11 stores to try to supply our first year with them. And then by the end of the first year we found out, okay, well we can take on probably about 15 stores total. We were comfortable with our capacity to produce for 15 stores and then year three, challenged ourselves a little bit more. And we said, well, we'll try to take on 30 this year and we hand pack every single pint on the grocery shelf. And so we tested our limits that way. And by year three, we ended up with 58 stores with Giant. We ended up renting a freezer trailer here on the farm while we built up the supply to distribute to the stores, and so that we can have some extra frozen stores on farm. We bought another ice cream batch freezer. We bought a depositor that allowed us to pack the pint more efficiently. And giant by this time was saying, okay, well we'd to see you sit on the shelf of all 164 stores throughout the nation, with every store in the chain. Then I said, okay, in order for us to grow to that level, we're going to need a lot more money because the container order alone for 164 stores was, you know, more than we had in the bank at the time. And I said, what can we do? I mean, we were at this, at this pivotal point in business. We needed to grow. We had the business. We had the demand, but not the money.

And I said, we need to figure out how we can ramp up business. Whether it's an investment or through exposure, we need to get to this next level and we need a breakthrough somehow, some way. And it came about again, Shark Tank, Shark Tank, Shark Tank. Actually, I had reached out to Bethany Frankel - I've followed the Skinnygirl brand forever and have been a huge fan of Bethany when she was on Real Housewives and with the Skinnygirl brand. I think what she's done with that is phenomenal. And had gotten brought up in our Giant meeting, “oh, I could see you guys as being the next Skinnygirl. There's so much you could do with ugly fruit, from fruit bars to jam, everything under the sun, you could do with ugly fruit. And so the whole ugly strawberry concept was born and I reached out to Bethany and said, “Hey, can you send us a video saying something about our partnership with Giant because I wanted to share it with our Giant buyers.”

I thought it would be exciting for that and instead of saying, congrats on your Giant partnership, she came back and she said, you guys need to apply for Shark Tank. And I said, okay, this must be my sign. So, the casting process was actually happening at the time. The timing was great and I felt all the stars aligned for us. I filled out the application online and took it to New York City with me where I stood in line with 600 other entrepreneurs. I got in line 4:00 AM, freezing cold in New York city. And somehow I have made it through the casting process and now our episode. So it was a really exciting year for us. Just the opportunity to pitch a product in and of itself has been such an incredible honor.

Meag:

You guys have been working so hard on it and it's such a unique and great concept. So that's amazing. I love it, that Bethany Frankel reached out to you. And at that point you have to do it.

Katey:

Yeah, exactly. And so, well, with the help of MidAtlantic Farm Credit, we actually were able to receive the funds to purchase our container order for Giant. And we're probably sitting on the shelf of every Giant Food store in the nation. And that's something that we've done with MidAtlantic Farm Credit and The Frozen Farmer that's not anything to do with Shark Tank whatsoever. We've done that on our own proudly and are so thankful for our partnership with MidAtlantic Farm Credit, for being that support system for us and allowing us to grow that way.

Meag:

Where can our listeners find you and learn more, or perhaps even purchase, some of The Frozen Farmers' products?

Katey:

Sure. So our website is www.thefrozenfarmer.com and I'm excited to say that we will be able to provide ice cream online very soon. That's our next phase. We're actually going to be launching e-commerce online. So follow along. We'll provide updates when all of that has taken place. We have all kinds of events and festivals and specials that we post all the time and we're also doing ice cream cake. I would   encourage you to join us on Facebook follow along. There's all kinds of fun things that we post about there. And Instagram, in addition to the #frozenfarmer.

Meag:

I was looking at your events calendar and it looks like you guys have something almost all year long to offer for the family. Is that right?

Katey:

We do. So we actually are open 12 months a year including through the winter, when we do cut back to about four days a week. But our Easter Bunny Sunday events are coming up. We have the Easter bunny coming out every year for the Sunday’s leading up to Easter. We do ice cream sundaes for the kids and then it's a free meet and greet with the Easter bunny. You can get your kid's picture taken, you can take their picture for free. And then we have our u-pick strawberry patch that opens in July. We have our ice cream festival in October, then we have our fall festival. So there's always, always something so follow along.

That was one thing that's, that's been very important to us is giving back to our community and giving them a place to feel home here on the farm too.

Meag:

Do you guys work with any particular community groups and organizations?

Katey:

We support a handful throughout the year. We actually, our car show in July, we'll be benefitting the Moore’s, the registration for the car shows, those proceeds are going directly to the Moore’s this year. But we support the FFA group. With our fall festival, the 4H club, we do as much as we can for the community.

Meag:

What do you advocate for in agriculture?

Katey:

I think my biggest thing that I advocate for an agriculture is to be mindful of where your food comes from and where it's going to as well. Farmers in our nation are under substantial pressure to increase our production capacity as our population grows. At the same time the population of American farmers is rapidly declining. And so year after year we're faced with a lot more pressure to increase production capacity. And I think what we should focus on, as well is being mindful of where our food goes. If we can reduce food waste, I think we might take the pressure off of our own back and consumers can contribute to that as well. When you’re mindful of food waste, the pressure to increase production capacity becomes a little bit less. And for us The Frozen Farmer is about more than a business. It's about a food movement and being mindful of where that happens.

Horizon Farm Credit recently announced the hiring of Paige Hargett as a loan officer. She will be based in the association’s Frederick, Maryland office and will report to Jim Aird, Horizon Farm Credit’s Senior Vice President, PennMarVa Division.

“Paige has a strong agricultural background, having grown up on a farm right here in Maryland,” says Aird. “That, coupled with her knowledge of Farm Credit and our customers, will make her an excellent addition to our sales team.”

As a loan officer, Hargett will work with current and prospective customers to help them find the right financial solutions for them and their operation. “Farm Credit has been a proponent in the success of family’s farm operation,” says Hargett. “As a loan officer, I look forward to further supporting the agricultural community, and meeting my customers’ needs.”

Prior to joining Farm Credit, Hargett was a mortgage loan officer with NVR Mortgage. A native of Sabillasville, Maryland, her family owns and operates Scenic View Orchards, now in its seventh generation.

Horizon Farm Credit recently announced the hiring of Chad Hamilton as a loan officer. He will be based in the Association’s administrative office in Westminster, Maryland.

“We are very excited to have Chad join our Farm Credit team,” says John Stump, Horizon Farm Credit Lending Manager. “His extensive agricultural background and work experience will allow him to provide our members with industry knowledge and service.”

In his role as a loan officer, Hamilton will be working with customers to guide them through the various financing options for their specific needs. “I hope to offer our members a lending environment where they can feel confident in their decisions and supported by the services we offer,” says Hamilton.

Hamilton, a resident of Frederick, Maryland, earned his degree in Animal Science and a minor in Agronomy from Penn State University, where he also lived and worked at the Penn State Beef and Sheep Center. Prior to his role at Farm Credit, Hamilton worked as a commercial sales specialist for Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) where he grew market share by providing on farm expertise to customers and prospects. He grew up in 4-H showing lambs and hogs, which eventually lead him to FFA where he became the Maryland State FFA President in 2012-2013.

We know how important your fair experience is and the effort you put in behind the scenes. Horizon Farm Credit held another virtual contest to showcase your 4-H and FFA animal projects! This year's entrants could either write an essay or submit a video to answer the questions: 

• What is one new skill you learned this summer with your fair project?
• How can this experience positively influence your future?

Here are our 2021 Virtual Showcase Winners!

Essay Award Winners

Champion – Elizabeth Green, New Windsor, MD

Reserve Champion – Emily Vincent, Boyce, VA

SENIOR DIVISION

First Place – Andrew Knatz, Hampstead, MD

Second Place – Hannah Fisher, Lebanon Church, VA

Third Place – Heather Goldman, Hampstead, MD

Fourth Place – Kaitlyn Bradley, Vienna, MD

Fifth Place – Cheyenne Estep, Mount Jackson, VA

JUNIOR DIVISION

First Place – Elizabeth Green, New Windsor, MD

Second Place – Emily Vincent, Boyce, VA

Third Place – Brileigh Francis, Centreville, MD

Fourth Place – Braelyn Francis, Centreville, MD

Fifth Place – Olivia Fisher, Lebanon Church, VA

Video Award Winners

Champion – Cohen Miller, Marietta, PA - VIDEO

Reserve Champion – Emily Fritz, Westminster, MD - VIDEO

JUNIOR DIVISION

First Place – Cohen Miller, Marietta, PA

Second Place – Emily Fritz, Westminster, MD

Third Place – Yardley Lockridge, Winchester, VA

Fourth Place – Payton Dill, Sudlersville, MD

Fifth Place– Billy Comegys, Queenstown, MD

Essays

From Failure to the Fair by Elizabeth Green

"The difference between success and failure is persistence." This quote by Debasish Mridha relates to this past year as I experienced many failures before I found success raising 4H pigs. As a result, the new skill that I learned was how to use veterinary care techniques on pigs. Now you might be wondering what “veterinary techniques” means and let me assure you, it is not good news for you or your pigs. If you are performing these techniques, it means your 4H pigs are not healthy. I had six sick 4H pigs, ranging in illnesses from conjunctivitis, upper respiratory infections, and failure to thrive. Our vet, Dr. Simmons, visited our farm frequently this spring and each visit, he taught me new veterinary techniques to help my pigs.

On his first visit, he agreed with my concerns and helped me develop a treatment plan of antibiotics and vitamin B12 shots. Dr. Simmons showed me which gauge needle to use, how to draw out the medicine, and helped me find the spot on each pig to give the shot. On the first visit, the pigs were small and could be held, but when he visited for conjunctivitis, the pigs were too big to hold. This time, I learned how to use a pig snare to safely give shots and put eye drops in their eyes. Now you can imagine giving a pig eye drops was not an easy task and I needed my family to assist me. When Dr. Simmons came in May, we thought one of our pigs was not going to make it. He explained that sometimes you have to change your treatment plan. We used different, stronger antibiotics for our pig, Terp, and the plan was successful.

I also shared my concerns regarding the pig’s weight gain. We discussed the old feed and he helped me select new feed that promoted growth, was medicated, and included vitamin supplements. After several weeks on new feed, the pigs were picking up weight; however, even with the change in feed and vitamins, only two of the six pigs weighed enough to be shown at the fair. At first, this realization was a huge disappointment especially after spending my own money on buying the pigs, their feed, and the vet bills. I then changed my thinking and realized that we had two pigs to show, and one of them won Reserve Champion Spot, both were nominated for the sale, and the other pigs were healthy and growing. 

Although things didn’t turn out quite as we hoped, I learned many lessons raising my 4H pigs that will positively influence my future. I learned that I’m able to use veterinary techniques and think outside of the box regarding their health. In addition, this experience has solidified my plans of studying animal science in college, specifically focusing on how genetics can improve an animal’s health. Most importantly, I learned that when you’re raising animals sometimes you learn more from your failures than you do your successes.

Virtual Showcase Contest Essay by Emily Vincent

COVID-19 flipped my world upside down in 2020. Many of the shows and contests I participated in were either canceled or held virtually. While I wasn’t able to attend these events  there was one benefit from being at home.  I had plenty of time to work with my animal projects. My 4-H and FFA project animals got more attention than in previous years.

 This year, I exhibited market steer, lamb, hog, poultry projects. I began to return to being  involved. I went to stockmans and livestock judging practices and contests. I went to shows with my lamb and steer and had more activities with my FFA officer team and chapter. Ultimately, this meant I had less and less time to spend at the barn because the calendar was full again.

Time management became necessary in order to have my animals prepared for the county fair. I had to find a way to balance my extracurriculars and personal time with my projects.  It also meant that I needed to focus more and be effective with the time I did have at the barn. The hours before school or in the morning before it got too hot were used for feeding and walking animals. The hours after school or during the heat of the day were used to clean and rebed pens. Finally, the hours after dark, when it was cooler, were spent feeding, walking, and washing my projects.  Mixed between these tasks were school, homework, FFA meetings, practices and contests.  I found a way to get it all completed, it just took time and a well thought out plan.  

A specific challenge with one of my projects included walking my market hogs.  In past years, it has been difficult to train them to walk slowly with their head held high.  They would often get stressed from the heat and run back to the barn.  Youth in Clarke County were unable to use pig whips for the longest time.  At the beginning of the year I presented an idea via Zoom to our swine and livestock committees asking them to allow pig whips. I was later thanked for speaking and informed that the committees voted to allow pig whips again.   I was excited to learn this new technique for training my market hogs that would decrease their stress and make the time I spent walking them more effective.  I worked hard and managed my time wisely and efficiently to result in Reserve Intermediate Swine Showman at our county fair.   

Developing the life skills of time management, planning, and adapting techniques to be most effective will benefit me in the future tremendously. I understand how to balance my personal time and time for my career. I am comfortable with a busy schedule even when it can be challenging and I can adapt techniques to ensure success.  Following the obstacles and lessons of 2021, this year has offered more learning opportunities that I will take with me into high school, college and my career.

Horizon Farm Credit recently announced the hiring of Jennifer Feindt as a loan officer, based out of the association’s Dover, Delaware office. She will report to Martin Desmond, Farm Credit’s regional lending manager.

“Jennifer is not only very experienced in the agriculture industry, but she is also a native of this area, making her a wonderful addition to our team,” says Desmond. “We look forward to her getting to know our customers and helping them reach their business goals.”

“Our sales team staff is not only well-versed in financial management, but they have real-world agricultural experience, setting them apart from many other lenders today,” says Stuart Cooper, Horizon Farm Credit’s DelMarVa Division Vice President. “Jennifer will make our department that much stronger, and we’re excited to bring her on board.”

Feindt graduated from University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture with a bachelor’s degree in environmental soil science and a minor plant biology. She also holds a master’s of business administration from Wilmington University.

“Agriculture has played an integral role in Delaware’s history and continues to be a vital part of our local economy,” says Feindt. “I am looking forward to working with our local ag producers to meet their financial goals, both now and in the future, so that we can continue this tradition.”

Prior to joining Farm Credit, Feindt worked for the United States Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, and as a branch manager for a community bank. As a loan officer with Farm Credit, she will help current and potential customers determine which financial solutions will suit their business best and help them plan for the future.