MARBIDCO Success Stories

FY 2024

• Family is Key to Raising Poultry. MRBIFF Loans Facilitate Time Together and Thriving Businesses

  When Choudhry Asif (above) and his wife, Usma Razzaq, lived in New York City, Asif rarely had time to spend with his four children. As the owner of a busy limo service, he found his business was taking too much time away from his family.

  A fellow New Yorker and friend told him about the poultry industry in Maryland, as he had purchased a broiler farm near Pocomoke City. This information led Asif to sell his limo business in 2012, pack up the family, and move to Wicomico County.

  This was the beginning of not only a big learning curve, from limousines to chickens, but also a quest for financing this new endeavor. He hoped this move would also help him spend more time with his family.

  MARBIDCO’s popular product, the Maryland Resource-Based Industry Financing Fund, or MRBIFF, was the perfect financial instrument to get this new family venture up and running. The family purchased their first poultry farm with help from MARBIDCO and a commercial bank. They then signed on with Perdue Farms.

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• New Roots Farms’ State-of-the-Art Equipment Fosters Growth and Sustainability

  MARBIDCO’s Local Government Agriculture & Resource-Based Industry Project Cost Share Program Grant Increases Resources for Farmers

  Founded in 2016, New Roots Farm in West River has quickly made a name for itself with its high-quality grass-finished beef, grass-fed lamb, and pasture-raised pork.

  Its owner, Sarah Campbell, a 4th-generation farmer, started the business on her family’s land. Sarah moved back to the farm in 2014 and began converting the land from conventional row crop production to pasture for grazing.

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FY 2023

• Wood Ingenuity Repurposing Nature’s Beauty Grant Helps the Growth of the Company

  In 2013, an ancient White Oak on Jim Boyle’s 140-acre Queen Anne’s County farm crashed to the ground during a storm. The Boyles, a hard-working family who have farmed their land for five generations and more than 100 years, seized the unlikely opportunity of a fallen tree and turned it into a profitable business.

  Mr. Boyle and his son, David, searched for a sawmill to cut up the massive tree, but could not find a saw large enough to repurpose the oak into a barn. On a trip to New York State, they discovered the 67″-diameter Wood-Mizer Saw, WM-1000.

  A MARBICO email blast sent in early 2023 announcing a new program available to wood fiber harvesters, processors, and manufacturers led Wood Ingenuity to apply for a grant to increase its capacity through two new buildings.

  MARBIDCO’S Wood Products Industry Equity Investment Grant Program (WPIEI) helps qualified applicants purchase new equipment or construct facilities to increase production using locally sourced wood fiber, enhance commercial revenue, and create new jobs.

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• Woman-Owned Aquaculture Business Grows and Grows: MARBIDCO Helps Company Start and Expand

  A little over a decade ago, Victoria, a retired career woman, met Robert T. Brown Sr., a waterman who makes his livelihood on Maryland’s waterways.

  Their union became the perfect match to start a new business that has become their passion: shellfish aquaculture.

  With Robert T’s knowledge of the Maryland seafood industry and Victoria’s 39 years in finance in private business and with the federal government, they became the perfect team to start a new business.

  Victoria, and “Robert T.,” as she calls her husband, then created a business plan to become oyster farmers and started Shop Cove Aquaculture, LLC.

  Their aquaculture business has grown tremendously through their dedication and with the help of MARBIDCO.

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• Redemption Farms U-Pick Expands Orchards, Using Maryland Vineyard/Hopyard/Orchard Planting Loan Fund

  Wayne A. Cawley IV was having a very bad day back in 2020. COVID was raging, nothing was going right, and he was stranded on a farm in his broken-down truck.

  What else could he do? He prayed. “God, you got me stranded, now what?” When he spied on his cell phone a for-sale listing for a run-down, 38-acre farm straddling MD Route 404 in Denton.

  Two days later, his wife, Kirsten, sent him the very same real estate listing.

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• Maryland Seafood Cooperative Advances Oyster Production Capacity at Ferry Cove Oyster Hatchery with the Help of MARBIDCO

  For many decades, oysters have been a prized Chesapeake Bay seafood product featured on restaurant menus and at seafood shops, and now, increasingly, oysters are available at specialty grocery stores and even at some farmers’ markets.

  Following important regulatory changes instituted a dozen years ago, and with some economic development support provided by State public sector agencies (including MARBIDCO)

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• Don’t go to Napa Valley for Extraordinary Wine, it’s Right Here at Home: MARBIDCO supports the growth of Co-op and Port of Leonardtown Winery

  The Southern Maryland Wine Growers Cooperative (SMWGC) was formed in 2007 to become a local market for vineyards to sell their wine grapes after the region transitioned away from tobacco production.

  MARBIDCO was there at the start with the first of many financial resources that would help the Cooperative grow over the years - including the Maryland Farm and Producer Viability Program, a financial tool whose goal was to increase start-up rates of agricultural operations and resource-based businesses.

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FY 2022

• Small Acreage Next Generation Farmland Acquisition Program "SANG" Recipient: Michael & Lauren Adams

  Living the Dream via the SANG program; First Recipients of Small Acreage Next Gen Program Finding Success

  Michael and Lauren Adams (above photo), a young couple living in Keymar, Frederick County, had a dream. They wished to own a farm, make and sell hay, and buy and sell livestock. Both had experience in farming, and both wanted to purchase their own land. Unfortunately, they were finding it difficult to finance their desire to become self-sufficient one day.

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• Maryland Urban Agricultural Commercial Lending Incentive Grant Recipient: The Garden International

• Passion for Healthy Living Grows into Superfood Mushroom Farm; MARBIDCO Maryland Urban Agricultural Commercial Lending Incentive Grant Award Enables Expansion of New Industry

  Elizabeth Robinson and Cory Moore (in the above photo) came to farming from divergent backgrounds. She was an accountant for Marriott International, and he was a fitness businessperson for 25 years, opening Gold’s Gyms for many of those years. What brought them together into the health food industry was that each had suffered from painful physical conditions. At one point in her career, Robinson faced stomach issues so severe that she had to go on disability at her job. Moore had slipped and fallen on the ice and suffered a back injury.

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  FY 2021

• MD Value-Added Producer Grant Fund Recipient: Milburn Orchard Inc.

  Milburn Orchards Inc. is a family farm located in Elkton, Cecil County. It is known for its you-pick produce, apple cider donuts, and family-friendly atmosphere. Fifth-generation farmer Stephen Milburn is planning to take apples from the family operation and turn them into a value-added product, hard cider, creating a new business venture.

  “We plan to take apples that would have been sold for next to nothing, ferment them into hard cider, and we should make a good return,” said Milburn. “We will do the production and sell directly to the consumer.”

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• MD Wood Products Industry Equity Incentive Relief Fund Recipient: Eastern Shore Forest Products Inc.

  Prior to the pandemic, the Maryland forestry industry faced challenges, having been significantly affected by the closure of the Luke Paper Mill in Western Maryland in 2019. The pandemic further disrupted supply chains, affecting both the supply and demand sides of the industry's market.

  One impacted company was Eastern Shore Forest Products Inc. (ESFP), with the subsidiary Animal Comfort Group LLC (ACG). The company, founded in 1980 by Tom Johnson (left), is located in Salisbury, Maryland.

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FY 2020

• Pandemic Adjustment Equipment Grant Fund Recipient: Venture Manor Farm

  For many farms, the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions and changes to their operations. Henry Oakley and his family at Venture Manor Farms in Wicomico County lost a major source of revenue when they were unable to host school field trips.

  This was compounded by the difficulty of finding seasonal labor during the spring produce harvest. The unexpected turn of events led them to MARBIDCO’s Pandemic Adjustment Equipment Grant Fund.

  Read the full article here

• Pandemic Adjustment Equipment Grant Fund Recipient: Amaranth Acres

  The COVID-19 Pandemic has led many consumers to seek local farm products. For Indhu Balasubramaniam, this meant a spike in interest in her Montgomery County farm, Amaranth Acres, and an increase in demand for her produce and her community-supported agriculture (CSA) membership program. When she heard about MARBIDCO’s Pandemic Adjustment Equipment Grant Fund (PAEGF) in June 2020, she knew it would help her adjust her operations to accommodate the influx of new customers and remain economically sustainable now and in the future.

  “This year, with the number of new people asking for vegetables and asking to be members, I thought, okay, now is the time. And this grant came at the right time,” said Balasubramaniam. “It has been very easy working with MARBIDCO.”

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• Pandemic Adjustment Equipment Grant Fund Recipient: Marsh Creek Cattle & Company

  Henry Spies V always knew he wanted to farm full-time after growing up on his family’s farm and raising 4-H livestock. While in college (at the University of Maryland), Austin Spies, with help from his brother, started Marsh Creek Cattle & Company in Caroline County. They raise beef cattle and pigs and have recently expanded into poultry. When the pandemic started, Marsh Creek Cattle experienced a surge of interest from new customers seeking to purchase their products.

  “We had a lot of people looking towards us as a food source, especially when grocery stores ran out,” said Spies. People came to realize some of the vulnerabilities in the food supply system.

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• Pandemic Adjustment Equipment Grant Fund Recipient: Galvinell Meat Company Inc.

  Located in Cecil County, the Galvinell Meat Company Inc. is a USDA-inspected “old school” butcher shop that has served local farmers and the community since 1968. Today, the shop is operated by Jen and Dan McGrath. Jen’s father initially ran the business, and in 2013, Jen and her husband, Dan, took over.

  The COVID-19 Pandemic caused a dramatic increase in demand for their services from local farmers, with appointments now booked through August 2021. Hoping to improve their business’s efficiency, Dan reached out to the Cecil County Department of Economic Development and learned about MARBIDCO’s Pandemic Adjustment Equipment Grant Fund (PAEGF) Program.

  Read the full article here

• MVAPG (CAO) Grant Recipient: Sudlersville Frozen Meat Locker

  The COVID-19 Pandemic has caused many challenges for businesses. For Dwayne and Dawna Nickerson, owners of Sudlersville Frozen Meat Locker, LLC, a meat processor in Queen Anne’s County, the pandemic led to a surge in customer interest.

  Thanks to the Maryland Value Added Producer Grant – Capital Assets Option (MVAPG-CAO), which they received in the Fall of 2019 from MARBIDCO, they have been able to keep up with demand for their products. Grant funds from this program were used to purchase a new vacuum pack machine.

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FY 2019

• Grant Incentive Recipient: Bella Vita Farm

  Amy Falcone grew up on her family's farm in Somerset, Ohio, and has worked as a nurse for most of her life. It was only after a vacation in Utah that she was inspired to start her own farm, an aquaponics operation producing microgreens.

  In 2017, Falcone and her family were on a back-road tour of Zion Canyons when they were taken to a restaurant serving amazingly fresh vegetables, fish, and chicken. At the end of the meal, the chef came out and revealed that all the food they had eaten had been grown there.

  “He had an aquaponics greenhouse out back, which supplied all the food for their meals,” said Falcone, recalling the trip.

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• Pandemic Adjustment Equipment Grant Fund Recipient: Venture Manor Farms

  In early 2019, MARBIDCO was approached about an opportunity to help the Baltimore Development Corporation with a project in Baltimore City to bring natural dye production to Maryland, including the cultivation of indigo. This project is known as the Baltimore Natural Dyes Initiative Pilot Farmer Project.

  A variety of public entities and a local college were brought together in support of this project. These include the Maryland Department of Commerce, the Baltimore Development Corporation, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, the University of Maryland Extension, the Maryland State Arts Council, and MARBIDCO.

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• A Look Back on MRBIFF: Black Ankle Vineyards

  Located off the beaten path in Frederick County, Black Ankle Vineyards received one of MARBIDCO’s first Maryland Resource-Based Industry Financing Fund (MRBIFF) loans in 2008. The loan was used to build a straw-bale building to host wine tastings and store products. Now, over 10 years later, the vineyard is a thriving business poised for expansion.

  In the early 2000s, Sarah O’Herron and Ed Boyce first considered starting a vineyard in Maryland. As management consultants, both had experience doing research, and they turned their expertise to learning about grapes and wine. Together, they bought Black Ankle Vineyards, a 150-acre farm, in 2002. While working with MidAtlantic Farm Credit, they learned about the support MARBIDCO could offer on their project and applied for an MRBIFF loan.

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FY 2018

Next Gen Program Recipient: Rocky Spring Farm

When most families sell their farm, it is rare to have an opportunity to buy it back. However, Scott Shank and his family were given that chance in 2017, after applying to MARBIDCO’s Next Generation Farm Acquisition Program.

From a young age, Scott and his brother Tom worked on the family farm with their mother and father, making hay, feeding calves, and running equipment. But neither Scott nor his brother planned on becoming farmers, and both found alternative career paths. However, in 2009, their father passed away unexpectedly.

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• Next Gen Program Recipient: Duley Farms

  Farming is often passed down through generations, and this is true for the Duley family. In 2013, Paul Duley and his wife, Missi, took over his father’s farming operation, Duley Farms. It comprises 2,000 acres, most of which are leased, in Prince George’s and St. Mary's Counties. Their home farm is in Upper Marlboro in Prince George’s County. Their primary crops are grains, including corn, soybeans, wheat, and sorghum.

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• Referring Lender Profile: Lisa Cunningham, MidAtlantic Farm Credit

  Loan officers are a critical partner to MARBIDCO, helping prospective borrowers benefit from our programs. One loan officer is Lisa Cunningham, who works with farmers of various types in Dorchester, Talbot, and Caroline Counties to obtain commercial and financial assistance.

  “My goal is to help the agriculture community gain access to the financing they need for their farming operations,” said Lisa. “I enjoy helping beginning farmers and educating them on programs like MARBIDCO. There are fewer farmers in our nation, so young and beginning farmers are important to today’s agricultural industry. It’s hard to get started, and I want to help make the process easier.”

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• Shellfish Aquaculture Loan: W.M. Abbott & Son Oyster Company

  When Wylie Abbott Jr. decided to enter the aquaculture industry and grow oysters, he researched various programs to support his new business endeavor.

  Thus, when he heard about MARBIDCO at a meeting, he knew he had to call to find out more. In May 2018, he successfully acquired a Maryland Shellfish Aquaculture Financing Fund Loan from MARBIDCO.

  Using this loan, Wylie purchased cages and additional seed oysters to expand his oyster-growing operation. “It’s more work than the average person would do, but it’s what we want to do,” said Wylie.

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• Southern Maryland Revolving Loan Fund Recipient: 804 Cattle Company

  While specializing in beef cattle at veterinary school, Roxann Motroni, DVM, Ph.D., realized she wanted to have a beef herd. However, that day came much sooner than she anticipated when she moved to Upper Marlboro in Prince George’s County. After starting her family business, 804 Cattle Company, in 2016, she learned of an opportunity to expand her farm with support from the Southern Maryland Ag Revolving Loan Fund.

  The fund was designed by the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) and MARBIDCO to assist Southern Maryland agricultural producers with smaller agricultural projects that typically might not be financed by traditional commercial lenders.

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• Maryland Vineyard Planting Loan Fund Recipient: Three Sisters Vines LLC

  The number of Maryland wineries has been increasing over the past several years, but the number of wine grapes grown in the state has not been keeping up. Thus, when Vince and Tami Gesiskie decided to start a vineyard, they knew there was demand for Maryland-grown grapes.

  “We started visiting local wineries in Montgomery County and became friends with them,” said Vince. “They told us they wanted to produce 100% of their wine from Maryland-grown grapes, but there weren’t enough (grapes) for them.”

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