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.