* HOST: From the feed mill to Maryland agriculture is Did you know that chicken feed That a cow's diet can change And that humans aren't the Maryland-raised beef?

Don't go anywhere.

Stories about the people who on Maryland Farm and Harvest !

ANNOUNCER: Major funding for is made possible in part by...

The Maryland Grain Producers Investing in smarter farming and affordable food, feed, Additional funding Maryland's Best: Good for You, Rural Maryland Council, for rural Maryland... MARBIDCO: Helping to sustain for future generations... A grant from the Maryland Specialty Crop Block Program... Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit: and Rural America... Brought to you in part by from the Cornell Douglas The Maryland Soybean Board Progress Powered by Farmers... Wegmans Food Market: Healthier, The Maryland Association of And by...

The Maryland Nursery Landscape The Maryland Seafood The Maryland Farm Bureau The Keith Campbell Foundation And by... Closed Captioning has been made empowering those who are deaf, or speech disabled to stay * HOST: This is a feeder wagon, in the middle, where cattle stick their heads This keeps the hay and keeps the cattle from Hi, I'm Joanne Clendining Maryland Farm and Harvest !

Whether, milk, or just companionship, to feed all the livestock Today's show is all about Later on, we see some cows who figuratively, at least.

But before that, our first thousands of chickens at a time, for them to reach their How does he do it?

It starts with the feed.

* DAVID DENNY: Here on this farm, and we have right around between the four houses.

JOANNE: And raising all these To reach the right size the birds' nutrition is Luckily for farmer David Denny, Perdue, the company he grows knows a lot about this.

DAVID: I mean, chicken growing, an exact science.

They've got 56 days.

They want the birds nine pounds when they change the feed over, You know, it's all calculated nine pounds in about 56 days.

JOANNE: Creating the feed for starts long before the chickens [grain dispensing into truck] It all begins with grain, DAVID: We store the corn and and then in the fall, And some of it goes to the Some of it, we store you know, for when the feed mills need it.

JOANNE: David brings his grain in Bridgeville, Delaware, of other farmers from the [machine noise] As Perdue's vice-president of Ron Darnell explains this of the 15,000 tons of feed RON DARNELL: The feed is made up vegetable oils, minerals, and other things that it takes a formulated package All of our feeds are and are veggie-based diets.

[machine noise] JOANNE: The mill grinds each And then, it's time for mixing.

RON: Once, they travel to an area, where we thoroughly mix these according to a formulation.

JOANNE: Perdue makes five kinds for three different phases There's the starter stage, The grower phase and the final RON: Each of those feed in their own way, nutritionally.

Chickens, much like humans, they have different nutritional And each of these feeds that to those requirements.

JOANNE: After the feed is mixed, which makes it more dense, more feed with less time Plus, it's easier to transport.

RON: During that process, heat in that process.

That helps us bind those to create that pellet.

JOANNE: Next, air blowers Finally, a series of conveyors the finished feed into so it can be loaded on trucks.

RON: And then, that feed is and to our family farmers that based on an as-needed basis.

The poultry as it grows is of feed per day.

We have projection models that will need its next feed.

So as those deliveries are that feed is actually loaded JOANNE: Today, at David Denny's chicken houses of finishing feed.

DAVID: Birds are about seven weeks old, usually go out about JOANNE: Then, the automated feeding system at its final destination.

DAVID: There's an auger to the chicken house.

And there's bins in there so the auger feeds those bins And then, in the center of the chickens eat out of And once the food's gone, and it kicks the auger on straight through the house.

JOANNE: As the chickens enjoy David is glad to know his birds And he's proud that he's able in creating their meal.

DAVID: It makes me feel good I'm growing my own food for I like the fact that our corn which, all farmers around but it just makes me feel like is coming from, and you know, * JOANNE: All right, your agricultural expertise.

Here is our thingamajig for the [thingamajig hits the barrel] Do you think you know Here's a hint, Stay tuned and we'll have the There's an old saying to make And that's certainly what For this week's photo challenge, their best haymaking pictures * If you look in the dairy section you may see some bottles marked but what exactly does this We stopped by a Montgomery to see if things are greener * Take a look at these The one on the left likely came the most common dairy breed.

And she was probably fed and grains like corn, The one on the right came from was 95% grass.

It looks almost like eggnog, Most of the reason for that but it's also partly due If that crunching sound is any these cows must be enjoying of Woodbourne Creamery JOHN FENDRICK: Most of our of Orchard grass and Clover.

So this is Red Clover, it will It'll have nice big And then, most of the tall grass is Orchard grass.

And it'll give lots of JOANNE: The cows here consume and for these girls, as producing milk, which is why to raise the herd this way.

JOHN: My wife decided she wanted I wanted to take care of our own this whole sort of buy local And so, we thought about it a bigger farm.

And we looked around and we grass-fed's more natural.

And so that's how we wanted JOANNE: Of course, isn't as simple as just putting John uses a system called to make sure the herd gets without hurting the pasture.

JOHN: If you overgraze then it takes a lot longer for So, in our fields, There's another section with There's a couple of more fields The cows are in every field for but the key is to move them before the grass gets eaten JOANNE: From above, where the cows have recently and the fuller pastures And in the winter when fresh John feeds them a mix of dry hay made from alfalfa.

JOHN: So, and alfalfa is a legume, And it's really, really good.

It's really high protein JOANNE: The only grain the herd courtesy of the robotic milker.

JOHN: They get about 5% of and that's an inducement for It basically mainly has minerals to anything that they're not JOANNE: When the cows get milked The machine does everything to cleaning the teats, Then, it's back to the pasture.

JOHN: To get from the north side they have to go through where and they know that when they go or south to north, for them to eat new grass.

[machine noise] JOANNE: The cows' diet and breed less milk than conventional But that milk does come with levels of omega-3 fatty acids, cardiovascular health.

And that's not all.

JOHN: It'll have A2 milk.

So, A2 is a beta-casein that is supposed to make it JOANNE: Guernsey milk also has which gives it a creamy texture which gives it that distinct JOHN: When they move from hay that color becomes Throughout the year, but in the springtime, or a golden color, getting a lot more beta carotene JOANNE: A reminder that on the grass-fed side Joe Ligo would be the first a very good singer, he knows a thing or two about He shows us the way it works.

* JOE LIGO: Folks love to the good old days when everybody and stacked them by hand.

And while this is still of haymaking today, Thankfully, [tractor noise] Enter the round baler.

Instead of packing the hay into Hay is fed through the machine and rollers, As the bale grows, until it gets big enough to that wraps the entire thing Once it's complete, and the finished bail rolls out.

Depending on size and a bale like this can weigh up to And speaking of moisture, 20% water or else it'll get This particular bail is which means it's headed to The wrapper spins and rolls in layers of airtight plastic.

Without oxygen, instead of spoiling.

Which means it can be then fed to hungry cattle Making hay like this sure beats Now, if you'll excuse me, [tractor engine starts up] And that is the way it works.

JOANNE: Hay is more than just Farmers actually grow a mix of the nutritional needs of their Coincidentally, has quite the history * If you've ever fed a horse, chances are, which like all hays is a plant, grass cut and dried for use But have you ever heard Turns out they're actually In 1711, farmer John Herd found as Timothy hay growing wild Although originally, brought to the U.S. from Europe.

Herd began growing the hay a local reputation for its It wasn't until around a decade into the picture.

Timothy Hanson was a Baltimore Herd's grass.

He was probably the first person Soon, Hanson was so strongly it became known as Timothy hay.

Thanks to Hanson's promotion, Timothy hay became a well-known in the American colonies.

And by the early 1800s, throughout the United States.

Today, Timothy hay is one of the It helps horses maintain and good digestion.

Plus, it has no side effects Timothy is also enjoyed by like guinea pigs and rabbits.

A nutritious meal, thanks in For our next story about we're heading to It turns out some critters just as much as we do.

Al Spoler is joined by his best The Local Buy.

Al?

* BARBARA SHIPLEY: Knowing where is very important.

Nutrition is super important You are what you eat and it's You really need to know where AL SPOLER: And if the label it's coming straight from in Harford County, in making wholesome, homemade, packed with fresh flavors from BARBARA: Some fresh basil and some of the ground beef.

AL: Barbara started her but she's been cooking up BARBARA: I like to cook for people, I love cooking for dogs, for my little Gigi.

AL: Gigi's always eager to especially if it includes her BARBARA: My dog loves and no matter where she is she knows the sound of as soon as I start to open it, and she just sits right... AL: This morning, of flavorful aromas.

Oh...man, does that basil smell Well, the basil and everything that Barbara's cooking with And Gigi really loves it, but So, Barbara has to pack it up AL: It's a breezy, at the Bel Air Farmer's Market, browse and sniff their way to BARBARA: I've gotten great They love the fact that AL: And Barbara doesn't have The ingredients she needs are the corner.

BARBARA: The products that at the market the most is what you know like, definitely the produce.

AL: And of course, favorite vendor.

BARBARA: I just need to get some AL: Hickory Chance Farm is known they offer, but their ground BARBARA: Their beef is; AL: The Hill family raises on their 210-acre farm just a few miles from MICHELE MAGNESS HILL: If we plant soybeans, And we grow our own hay, anything to feed these animals, right here on the farm.

[cow moos] We have a 20 by 80-foot silo AL: Munching on corn silage for these Angus crossbred MICHELE: As you can see, It's like candy to them.

AL: But they're not the a special treat today.

[dog cruches on treat] MICHELE: As you can tell, I know.

They're pretty good, AL: Hank's wagging tail Clearly, Barbara's dog treats MICHELE: Oh, yeah.

[laughs] AL: Back in the kitchen, the newest four legged customer On today's menu, AL: [chuckles] This is Archie, He's my little boy.

And he just loves being in the I'm going to drop something But right now, the doggy dinner you've got Yeah, I think we should BARBARA: Absolutely.

I think he's going to love it.

AL: Here you go, Archie.

Ready?

[chuckles] Well, what we'd like to do is on our website at so people can learn more about AL: For The Local Buy, Joanne?

JOANNE: Be sure to check out for all our Local Buy recipes.

And you can watch full episodes Also, don't forget to follow us photos, and updates.

Now hold on, we're not done yet.

Remember our thingamajig?

Did you guess it?

Our hint was that it's not This is a salt block.

This 50-pound brick contains minerals that livestock need.

When a farmer leaves it in the animals can't resist And it's good for them too.

Congratulations, Join us next week for another along with more stories about who feed our state.

I'm Joanne Clendining.

Thanks for watching.

Closed Captioning has been made empowering those with to stay connected.

ANNOUNCER: Major funding for is made possible in part by...

The Maryland Grain Producers Investing in smarter farming and affordable food, feed, Additional funding Maryland's Best: Good for You, Rural Maryland Council, for rural Maryland.

MARBIDCO: Helping to sustain for future generations... A grant from the Maryland Specialty Crop Block Program... Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit: and Rural America... Brought to you in part by from the Cornell Douglas The Maryland Soybean Board Progress Powered by Farmers... Wegmans Food Market: Healthier, The Maryland Association of and by the Maryland and Greenhouse Association...

The Maryland Seafood The Maryland Farm Bureau The Keith Campbell Foundation And by... [bird chirps] *