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.

ot 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. Later, young Mallan would only accompany and assist her mother on home visits to sell jewelry if there was a dog present. 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 USDAinspected 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.

Emma Jagoz, founder of Moon Valley Farm 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 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.

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

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

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 acquired 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 now selling his product to national distributors. During this time, he has turned to MARBIDCO for help financing 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.

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 Talbot County in December 2017.

“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 limited access to adequate financial capital to purchase it. 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.