MARBIDCO Success Stories

Jacob Buchanan and Victoria Robinson, relatively new to the world of farming, launched their distinctive agribusiness at Black Rock Farm in Myersville, Frederick County, with the support of family, a shared dream, and MARBIDCO’s Next Generation Farmland Acquisition Program.

Establishing a hand-cutting halal poultry processing plant with assembly in efficiency was deemed impossible by many in the poultry sector.

Abdolreza Hajir, having spent numerous years working in poultry facilities, gained insights into the industry from the ground up. Driven by his deep faith and self-belief, he pressed on towards realizing his dream.

Farhan “Far” Nasir and his wife, Val, worked long hours back in Connecticut at a grocery store, somedays from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. While there, to keep an eye on their young son Noah, they took him to the store most days. The toddler made many friends as he used his walker to explore the store. Many customers grew accustomed to the young boy being there. When he napped, folks would ask, “where is Noah,” explained Val.

Not many chicken growers in Delmarva can claim to have raised birds on two different continents – but Mohammad Sheikh is one of them.

As a young man, Sheikh gained experience working on a chicken farm in his home country of Pakistan. After moving to the United States, he gained more experience – 12 years - at a poultry business in Virginia. While there, he saved money to purchase his own chicken farm.

MARBIDCO helped him realize his dream in 2022 with a Maryland Resource-Based Industry Financing Fund loan, also known as “MRBIFF”.

When Dr. Mallan Willis was a child, she had an affinity towards helping animals. Many times, her mother would have to tell her “no” when she would bring home a stray cat.

She even had a horse at one point, a partially blind horse that had run into a power tower, fracturing its face.

Dr. Willis was fascinated by the veterinarian who came to treat it and she was interested to see how her horse would heal. That incident solidified her career path.

MARBIDCO partnered with the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC), which is a division of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland, to enhance local livestock processing capabilities in support of livestock producers in Southern Maryland.

After more than 10 years of intermittent progress in establishing local meat processing facilities, farmers in Southern Maryland will have access to a USDA-inspected meat processing facility for post-slaughter operations right in their area. Stauffer’s Butcher Barn, located in Mechanicsville, St. Mary’s County, has received the inaugural funding package from the Southern Maryland Livestock Processing Revolving Loan Fund, a collaborative effort between SMADC and MARBIDCO, including both loan and grant funds.

Dr. Nadine Burton, an Alternative Crop Specialist at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), Education and Research Farm, and owner of Tallawah Farms, LLC, along with Michael Edwards, (above) owner of Wood Duck Landing Farm, work tirelessly to promote and sustain the Around the Bay Farmers’ Alliance (ATBFA).

The non-profit organization based in Somerset County was founded in 2021 by Dr. Burton and today is made up of a diverse group of 52 members with 10 active farmers, agricultural service providers, researchers, extension agents, and stakeholders working together for one cause, “the advancement of food security,” says the organization’s Farm Talk Magazine. Alliance farmers hail from both sides of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

ATBFA sells specialty foods and produce to local food banks and wholesalers from Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware.

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 in 2012, to sell his limo business, 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.

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.

Emma Jagoz, founder of Moon Valley Farm located in Woodsboro, MD, once wrote about her future ambition on her website: “No money, no experience, two tiny kids, a slice of borrowed land and a vision”.

The first-time farmer began her journey into growing food in 2012 after a thoughtful process of evaluating her values in prioritizing her family, eating healthy foods, and sharing with the community.

Today, she runs a 25-acre certified organic farm. Ms. Jagoz and her team grow specialty vegetables and herbs in Frederick County. When she was ready to take the farm to the next level, she applied for and received two MARBIDCO Certified Local Farm Enterprise Food Aggregation Grants.

The purpose of the Certified Local Farm Enterprise Food Aggregation Grant Program (Small-Scale Farmer Entity Project Grant) is to demonstrate how an investment of funds can help to grow and strengthen Maryland’s local food system and to create opportunities for small farmers to sell products to wholesale and institutional markets.

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 Boyle’s, 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 enable them to repurpose the oak wood 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, resulted in Wood Ingenuity applying for a grant to help them increase their capacity through two new buildings.

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

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 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.

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.

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)

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 that’s goal was to increase start-up rates of agricultural operations and resource-based businesses.

In celebration of MARBIDCO’s 15th anniversary, we look back at our first loan recipient in 2007, their history, and where they are today.

Black Ankle Vineyards was conceived by two young profession­als who walked away from lucrative consulting careers to follow their dream – to create a world-class vine­yard and winery in Maryland.

Sarah O’Herron and Ed Boyce were serious about their new venture, and it took several years to bring their vision to fruition. Having no winemaking experience, they traveled to renowned wine regions from Chile to France to New Zealand learning the art of winemaking.

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 one day become self-sufficient.

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

Milburn Orchards Inc. is a family farm located in Elkton, in 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.”

Prior to the pandemic, the Maryland forestry industry was facing challenges, having been greatly impacted 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 side of the market for the industry.

One company impacted was Eastern Shore Forest Products inc. (ESFP), with the subsidiary company Animal Comfort Group LLC (ACG). The company was founded 42 years ago in 1980 by Tom Johnson, (left) and is located in Salisbury, Maryland.

Lavette and Warren Blue have owned and operated the Greener Garden Urban Farm, located in Baltimore City, for the last 35 years. Together they run the farm, sell produce, and teach good farming practices. When the Covid-19 pandemic initially hit, at first their product sales were just consistent.

However, after a few months, they began to experience a large drop in sales. Regular customers and healthcare workers that had continued to call the farm to place orders and pick-up eventually stopped. This was coupled with bad weather that resulted in a decrease in crop production. And in the spring of 2021, Lavette contracted the coronavirus.

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 revenue source when they were unable to host school field trips.

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

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 meet the influx of new customers and help her 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.”

Tal Petty started Hollywood Oysters in 2010, anticipating that it would be his “retirement plan.” The 20-acre aquaculture operation is located on the Patuxent River near his family’s farm in St. Mary’s County. He started the business after learning about a small income tax credit program for growing oysters offered by the State of Maryland, and later acquiring a shellfish aquaculture lease from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Petty’s business has grown from him selling a few oysters to his friends to where he now sells his product to national distributors. During this time, he has turned to MARBIDCO as a resource to help him finance this expansion. In the past, he has used MARBIDCO’s Shellfish Aquaculture Financing Fund program to acquire seed (oyster larvae) and a variety of equipment, including oyster- grow cages, harvesting equipment, dock extension, and a refrigeration unit.

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), and with help from his brother Austin Spies, he started Marsh Creek Cattle & Company, located in Caroline County. They raise beef cattle, 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.

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 operated the business, and in 2013, Jen and her husband Dan took over the operation.

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.

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 resulted in a surge of customer interest.

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

Amy Falcone grew up in Somerset, Ohio, on her family’s farm, and for most of her life working as a nurse. 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 roads tour of Zion Canyons, when they were taken to a restaurant with 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.

In early 2019, MARBIDCO was approached with the opportunity to help the Baltimore Development Corporation on a project in Baltimore City to bring natural dye production to Maryland, including growing 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.

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 for hosting wine tastings and storing products. Now, over 10 years later, the vineyard is a thriving business looking to expand.

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 in 2002, a 150-acre farm. When working with MidAtlantic Farm Credit, they learned about the support MARBIDCO could offer for them on their project and applied for an MRBIFF loan.

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.

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 is comprised of 2,000 acres, which are mostly leased and 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.

“I have been farming my whole life,” says Paul. “My father was a farmer up until about five years ago when he was forced to retire due to medical reasons. I had to take over the farming operation and decision-making.”

Paul heard about MARBIDCO through his local USDA Farm Services Agency (FSA) office. He decided to apply to the Next Gen Program because it has been difficult to figure out how to afford to purchase a farm. The farm he purchased also had sentimental value.

Brittanie and Andy Collier always knew they wanted to own a piece of land to operate and raise kids on. For over five years they searched for an affordable property when they heard of MARBIDCO and the new Next Generation Farmland Acquisition Program, or the Next Gen Program. Using this program, the Colliers purchased Hidden Acres Farm in December 2017 in Talbot County.

“It is definitely a wonderful program, and it wouldn’t have been possible for us to purchase this farm without it,” said Brittanie. The program is geared towards young or beginning farmers who have trouble entering or staying in the agricultural profession because of relatively high farmland costs and a lack of access to adequate financial capital to purchase farmland. It also helps to preserve agricultural land from future development. “It’s nice to see a program out there for young farmers trying to start,” said Andy.

Loan officers are a critical partner to MARBIDCO, helping prospective borrowers benefit from our programs. One loan officer is Lisa Cunningham, who works with various types of farmers in Dorchester, Talbot, and Caroline Counties to get access to 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 Agriculture Industry. It’s hard to get started and I want to help make the process easier.”

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 while at a meeting, he knew he had to make a phone 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.

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 heard about an opportunity to expand her farm with help 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.

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, it was because they knew there was a 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.”