Guest feature: Steve Adams​​​​ is the Marketing and Outreach Manager for Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation . Visit linktr.ee/aaedc  to stay up to date on AAEDC.

Although the final months of the year mean slower sales for many farm-based businesses in Maryland, the holiday season is anything but for Morris Hill Farm  in Anne Arundel County. In fact, it could be called their busiest time of the year.

Owners David and Vicki Haberkorn recently enjoyed selling nearly all of the 280 Thanksgiving turkeys that they began raising on their Tracys Landing farm back in July. This is a far cry from the 40 Thanksgiving turkeys that the Haberkorns raised and sold back in 2018, when they decided to turn the 13-acre parcel of land that Vicki grew up on in Southern Anne Arundel County into a working farm.

But Morris Hill isn’t just raising and selling more turkeys than ever. Over the last five years it has expanded to raise more animals – including pasture-raised chicken (and eggs), pork, duck, lamb, and grass-fed beef – on more land, and sell its products in more places than the Haberkorns ever could have imagined.

With all of this economic growth in mind, here’s a look back at this summer’s podcast episode with Morris Hill that the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation (AAEDC) published during Maryland Buy Local Week—just days after those turkeys arrived on the farm.

Co-hosts Grayson Orphe and Steve Adams sat down with Dave and Vicki to discuss:

• Their journey from community farming and chicken plucking in Florida to becoming farmers in Anne Arundel County.
• Why it's so fulfilling to sell directly to customers all over Anne Arundel throughout the year, including at farmers markets, on the farm, and through deliveries.
• The intense planning involved in feeding, moving, and raising an ever-growing number of pastured animals, then harvesting and storing their meat, in order to generate revenue year-round.
• How a $1,000 matching grant from AAEDC’s Arundel Ag Mini Grant Program helped them install a more efficient gate to better control both animal and human flow on the farm.
• Their growth plans for the future, from considering a Butcher Box-style subscription to connecting with more retail partners.
  Business advice for early-stage farmers, including taking advantage of resources at organizations like Arundel Ag  and the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC).
• And, why they say they “couldn't ask for a better county” for farming.