With the Maryland Buy Local Challenge and our Arundel Grown Farm To Table Tasting just days away, we're excited to publish a My ArundelBiz Podcast episode featuring one of Anne Arundel County's many farm-based businesses: Morris Hill Farm.
We sat down with Dave and Vicki Haberkorn, owners of the small family farm in Tracy's Landing, to discuss:
- The journey from community farming and chicken plucking in Florida to full-time farming in southern Anne Arundel County five years ago.
- Why it's so fulfilling to sell directly to customers all over Anne Arundel - including at four of the county's ten farmers' markets (the Severna Park Farmers Market, Honey's Harvest Farmers Market, Anne Arundel County Farmers Market, and Farragut Farmers Market), right on the farm, and through deliveries.
- Being proud to have their eggs and chicken, respectively, on the 2022 and 2023 Arundel Grown Farm To Table Tasting menu.
- The intense planning involved in feeding and moving and raising an ever-growing number of pastured animals, then harvesting and storing their meat, in order to generate revenue year round.
- How a $1,000 matching grant from the Arundel Ag Mini Grant Program helped them pull the trigger on getting a gate to better control both animal and human traffic on the farm.
- Their growth plans for the future, from considering a Butcher Box-style subscription to connecting with more retail partners.
- Business advice for early-stage farmers, including taking advantage of resources at organizations like Arundel Ag and the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC).
- Why they say "We couldn't ask for a better county to be farming in."
*SHOW NOTES*
Learn more about the 2023 Arundel Grown Farm To Table Tasting - Arundel Ag's signature summer event that celebrates all of Anne Arundel County's diverse producers by featuring an expansive tasting menu made with local ingredients, wine, live music, and goodie bags filled with info about local producers and sponsors' discounts and samples.
Read our Farm Business Profile featuring Morris Hill Farm.
Learn about the Arundel Ag Mini Grant, which offers Anne Arundel County farmers a one-to-one match of up to $1,000 to expand operations.
