National Ag Day March 18
March 13, 2025National Ag Day Farm Interviews
To celebrate National Ag Day (March 18th) Carroll County Economic Development conducted interviews with local farms from each of Carroll County’s 5 Commissioner districts. We encourage you to check them out and perhaps find a new farm to visit or purchase from in 2025.
Jim & Wendy Plank
Briar Ridge Farm
How would you describe your farm/agribusiness? Owned by Jim and Wendy Plank, is a 13 acre fruit and vegetable farm located at 4580 Middleburg Rd., Union Bridge, MD. It is a family farm, established in 1997, using traditional farming methods. We are in our fields everyday and pick our own produce. Our seasonal fruit offerings include Black Raspberries, Sweet Cherries, Peaches, Blackberries, Plums, Blueberries, Apples, Cantaloupes, Watermelons. Our seasonal vegetable offerings include lettuce, onions, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, a variety of tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, fall mums, and some cut flowers.
What’s the most unusual or unique thing about your farm/agribusiness? Unlike many roadside farm stands, our farm stand features 3 glass front refrigerator coolers that are stocked daily to ensure the best quality produce. The coolers help ensure our customers are buying high quality produce that is not damaged or wilted by the hot weather, bees, or bugs. Sweet Corn and fruit especially left out in the sun and heat loose so much flavor.
How did you pick your farm/agribusiness name? We picked our farm name based on the fact that when we bought our farm in 1997, it was covered in wild raspberry briars up on the ridge by our woods. It fit with our vision of having a fruit and vegetable farm, so that’s what we went with.
How do people purchase from your agribusiness?
All of our farm fresh fruits and vegetables can be purchased at our farm stand at 4580 Middleburg Rd, Union Bridge in season. We can also be found at the Carroll County Farmers Market at the Ag Center every Saturday during the Spring, Summer, and Winter Markets. You can follow us on our Facebook page – Briar Ridge Farm for updates on all offerings that are currently available.
Rebecca Reifsnider Conrad & Kyle Conrad
Reifsnider Farm
How would you describe your farm/agribusiness? Reifsnider Farm (@reifsniderfarm) is a 7th generation family farm in Keymar, MD. Seeking to conveniently provide our community with healthy, local food, we offer both pasture-raised beef and seasonal, farm-fresh produce. Our beef cows are pasture-raised through rotational grazing and are not given any hormones or antibiotics. In our garden, we practice crop rotation and utilize cover crops to keep our soil healthy while growing a wide variety of seasonal produce.
What’s the most unusual or unique thing about your farm/agribusiness? The most unique aspect of our farm is that it has been in our family for 7 generations. The Reifsnider’s have been farming this land, which once belonged to Francis Scott Key of Star-Spangled Banner fame, since 1844. Each generation has utilized the farm differently in order to keep it profitable with the changing times and market conditions, but we are very thankful and proud to have been able to keep the farm running and in the family for so many generations.
How did you pick your farm/agribusiness name? We chose our name to represent our family.
How do people purchase from your agribusiness? We sell our products through the online store on our website www.reifsniderfarm.com. Customers place an order through the store and then schedule a time to pick-up that order either on our farm or at Straight Shot Training in Frederick, MD. We offer ¼,½, and whole shares of our pasture-raised beef as well as monthly subscriptions, bundle boxes, and individual items. We also offer a weekly seasonal produce subscription during the summer months.
Melissa Foster
Broken Pines Farm
How would you describe your farm/agribusiness? My name is Melissa Foster and I am the owner and operator of Broken Pines Farm located in Hampstead. We are a cow-calf-feeder-finisher operation delivering beef to your door.
What’s the most unusual or unique thing about your farm/agribusiness? Our cattle. We raise heritage style longhorn beef.
How did you pick your farm/agribusiness name? There are a lot of broken pine trees on the farm.
How do people purchase from your agribusiness? Customers can visit the website brokenpinesfarm.com for more information or to contact us through email or by calling, texting or on Facebook.
Josh & Melissa Mosley
Farm at 1920
How would you describe your farm/agribusiness? The Farm at 1920 is a small, first-generation, family-run farm dedicated to producing high-quality, ethically raised meat and fresh, homegrown produce. Our primary offerings include turkey, lamb, and beef, available on a rotating basis. Additionally, we sell live goats, lambs, and sheep. In early spring, we produce small-batch maple syrup, though it tends to be quickly claimed by family and friends before reaching the community! During the summer months, we also strive to maintain a farm stand featuring seasonal vegetables grown right on our farm.
Beyond our current offerings, we dream of expanding our farm’s role in the community. Once I complete my RN degree and transition out of the employee benefits industry, I hope to establish day programs where both the elderly and children can visit, interact with, and care for the animals while learning about and participating in vegetable and flower gardening. Our goal is to create a space where people of all ages can connect with nature, develop self-reliance skills, and find simplicity, joy, and pride in farm life.
What’s the most unusual or unique thing about your farm/agribusiness? One of the most unique aspects of our farm is our small-batch maple syrup operation. It’s a labor of love and a cherished seasonal tradition. While we generally don’t produce on a large enough scale for commercial sale, sharing our syrup-making process with family, friends, and occasional visitors makes it a truly special part of our farm.
Looking ahead, we hope to make our farm a more interactive experience for the community. We want to offer hands-on opportunities for people to engage with farm life—whether it’s learning about raising livestock, experiencing maple sugaring firsthand, or simply spending time outdoors in a welcoming environment.
How did you pick your farm/agribusiness name? “The Farm at 1920” represents community, love, and hope. It embodies the simple yet profound joys of putting your hands in the soil, caring for animals, and embracing the fragility and beauty of life while leaning on one another. The name itself comes from our farm’s address—1920. My husband, Josh, came up with it after we discovered that the name I originally wanted, Fairmount Farm, was already taken by the historic Wessel dairy farm next door. In the end, I love The Farm at 1920 even more—it feels personal and timeless.
How do people purchase from your agribusiness? Since we are a small, family-run farm, we currently sell on an “as requested” basis rather than through a formal storefront. Right now, we have lamb meat available, and out of all the cuts, I have to say the sausage links are my absolute favorite! In the spring and summer, we occasionally welcome visitors who are interested in meeting us and our animals, and we are always happy to share our maple sugaring experience during that season (which is happening as I write this!). For anyone interested in our farm, the best way to connect with us is simply to reach out! You can find us at facebook.com/1920Farm. Whether it’s to inquire about available products or to learn more about what we do, we love meeting and getting to know those in our community. It’s a dream to be able to share our appreciation for farm life with others.
Grace & Chris Diffendal
Windy Meadows Farm and Greenhouse
How would you describe your farm/agribusiness? Windy meadows started five years ago solely as a roadside stand, operated by my husband, Chris and myself. We began by growing and selling produce such as squash, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, peaches and sweet corn. Because of my love of flowers, we expanded our garden to have the space to grow an assortment of cut flowers. In 2023, Chris and my dad, Lee, built our greenhouse on the farm which allows us to get a head start on our seedlings, have a longer season for production and grow/sell hanging baskets and potted plants.
What’s the most unusual or unique thing about your farm/agribusiness? Our business is unique because we operate on a century farm and we have added our greenhouse as a way to begin reviving and revitalizing the farm. We hope to continue expanding our business to include pick-your-own flowers as our next venture.
How did you pick your farm/agribusiness name? We decided on the name Windy Meadows simply because the farm is surrounded by hilly pastures that are always windy. Due to the constant wind this affects how we go about each planting season and making sure our plants are protected from wind damage.
How do people purchase from your agribusiness? We offer our vegetable products as well as some limited flower arrangements and sunflowers on our roadside stand where items can be purchased self-serve with cash. We also offer our hanging baskets and potted plant products for sale directly out of our greenhouse during business hours.
Thomas Diffendal
Diffendal Farm Stands, LLC
How would you describe your farm/agribusiness? Diffendal Farm Stand LLC offers a mix of a different products ranging from market crops/produce, cut flowers, beef, poultry, eggs, and other farm-raised products. Originally the farm was started by Robert Fischer who solely farmed pastureland and made hay. He began raising Hereford cattle, but shortly changed to the Angus cattle breed when he expanded the farm. Diversification did not occur until I took over management and added the roadside stand while continuing to add to the beef herd to what it is today. My grandfather mainly focused on raising steers/feeders to sell in the fall, but I have transitioned the herd to a cow-calf operation that consists of Hereford, Angus, Shorthorns, and Crosses. All cattle are born and raised on the farm where quality heifers are used as replacements for breeding and steers are processed for beef. In addition to the cattle business, other livestock include the farm’s pastured poultry that provide eggs and meat for the farm stand. Dairy animals have also been added to the farm in the past year in hopes that dairy products can soon be added to the list of products offered from the farm.
What’s the most unusual or unique thing about your farm/agribusiness? The roadside stand business started as an accident. Growing up, I was in 4H. The first year I tried to enter individual vegetables from my garden, but accidently entered the whole garden plot. One day leading up to the CC 4H/FFA Fair, the judges called and told me they would be out to judge my whole garden. I was shocked and not prepared, but I just showed the judges around and told them about my crops. It turned out that the judges loved the garden so much that I received the Grand Champion Garden exhibit. After that, I figured I must know what I was doing so I kept expanding my garden each year to what it is now.
How did you pick your farm/agribusiness name? The farm name came from our family, “Diffendal”, with the stand being a huge aspect of the business, we wanted to emphasize it and its convenience. Through the years, because of its reputation, we can commonly refer to it as “the stand” and most people know we are talking about our little market business at the end of the driveway.
How do people purchase from your agribusiness? Our family’s stands are open seasonally with market crops and flowers that are grown on our farm (June through November). Beef and poultry are available when we have them ready to be processed. We announce beef and poultry availability on our Facebook page so people can message us and reserve their orders. I would recommend following our social media page for updates and announcements to know when and what is available for sale. Pastured eggs are available all year long on weekends starting at 10AM.
Ann & Bob Petrasek
Talbot Run Equestrian Center
How would you describe your farm/agribusiness? Welcome to Talbot Run – we are a thriving family run equestrian center located in Mount Airy, MD. Bob and Ann are retired educators from Montgomery County Public Schools and purchased and built Talbot Run’s main facility in 2004. Our daughter, Robin is the barn manager and lead trainer and manages the horse care of 80 horses who currently live on the 147 acre property. We offer horse boarding, a riding lesson program – beginners thru advanced for all ages focusing on developing safe balanced seat riding and we also offer a popular summer riding day camp. We are a certified Horse Discovery Center for the state of Maryland. We are a United States Pony Club certified riding Center with 60 riders. In addition we compete in local and National dressage, show jumping and eventing competitions. Our riders have the opportunity to join an IEA (Interscholastic Equestrian Association) Dressage team, JeL team (Junior Equitation League) and an Adult Equitation team (NCAEL). We also compete yearly in the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover in Kentucky – retraining and rehoming retired thoroughbreds as lesson horses and teaching are more advanced junior riders to work with young horses.
We are proud of our diverse program – providing riders of all ages the opportunity to participate in a variety equine sports.
What’s the most unusual or unique thing about your farm/agribusiness? Our barn community is absolutely the best – we have the best supportive families who care for each other and make the barn a happy place. Many of our riders started at a young age and have stayed with us through high school and college.
How did you pick your farm/agribusiness name? The stream Talbot Run passed through our property. This was the farm name when we purchased it.
How do people purchase or participate in your agribusiness? Our clients usually find us through our website or word of mouth. We offer a farm tour and trial lesson to try out the program.
Megan & Alex Fulton
Fulton Farm to Table
How would you describe your farm/agribusiness? Fulton Farm to Table is located in Sykesville, Maryland and run by Megan and Alex Fulton. The main focus on the farm are the woodland raised registered Berkshire pigs and pastured Lamb operation. We sell direct to consumer by the whole, half or by the cut. We attend the Clarksville Commons Farmers Market on Saturdays and the Downtown Sykesville Farmers Market on Sundays. Along with the pork and lamb operation, we seasonally raise Freedom Ranger chickens and Thanksgiving Turkeys.
What’s the most unusual or unique thing about your farm/agribusiness? Something unique about our business is that we are both first generation farmers. Alex and Megan both grew up riding horses, but neither had livestock or 4H experiences while growing up. We met in high school and rode horses together. Alex decided to raise some hogs for his family which became an annual event. Megan started becoming more interested in the hogs, and Alex said, why don’t we get some lambs and see how they do? The rest is history! Our farm really came together in 2021 when we started working on proper licenses and getting animals USDA butchered for customers.
How did you pick your farm/agribusiness name? The name for our business came quite easily. Fulton, being our last name, and Farm to Table describing exactly how food should be – from our farm to your table! Animals are bred, born, and cared for by us.
How do people purchase or participate in your agribusiness? We sell by the cut at the Clarksville Commons Farmers Market on Saturdays and Downtown Sykesville Farmers Market on Sundays. Customers are welcome to pick up at the farm by appointment, or we meet in Downtown Sykesville during the off-season of the markets.
