Celebrate the hardworking people who provide us with fresh food and fabric. The act of homesteading shaped the very foundation of America’s heartland. Smart folks are leaving the facts, figures, and opinions of our modern-day behind, and are returning to the basics! Explore the story of corn in South Dakota at Mitchell Corn Palace. U.S. growers produce 1.5 billion lbs of carrots per year!
From February to early April towns in Massachussetts take part in an old New England tradition called sugaring. Experience enclaves of Basques around the American west. Visit the Lyod Hall Plantation and learn how it came to be! Put a crunch to your sandwich and find out where iceberg lettuce is popularly grown. Get a taste of Schmeck at the German-Swiss festival in South Dakota.
Soybeans are fuel for the future. It’s a southwestern Florida property where gators and cattle roam. Plains, Georgia has a big name from the 39th President of the United States and farmer, Jimmy Carter. Lucky birds have the run of the roost at Country Hen Farms in Massachusetts. Kentucky is the land of bluegrass, noble thoroughbreds, and bourbon. Visit Maker’s Mark Distillery whiskey shrine!
Spend a day like you are back in the Old West in Texas. Hidden among the rows of towering corn stalks is the frantic morning ritual of the summer sweet corn harvest! Catch a wild rainbow trout with fish farmers close to the Snake River. At the McDougald Ranch in Madera County, Ca, four-wheelers replaced work horses—now it’s time for another renovation. How did Kentucky Fried Chicken come to be?
MaryJane’s Farm in northern Idaho has developed into a widely popular farm with a new book and self-published magazine. Learn the history of the Creole farmers of Louisiana—where 15-year-old pecan trees still stand. Learn how Amish Swiss cheese is more than just a business in Ohio. Horses are honored at the Kentucky Horse Park! A Texas farm family that specializes in one crop: Aloe Vera.
John High has made it his mission to save as many old Pennsylvania barns as he can. Visit Gloucester, America’s oldest working seaport! Meet a husband and wife who are keeping alive the practices of farming and homemaking that thrived 100 years ago, in Illinois. Head to Moline to see the John Deere Pavilion—an extensive display. Learn how a family distributes the work at Weisenberger Mill.
Experience the modern-day cattle drive in the foothills of Montana’s Rocky Mountains. Visit a cattle auction in Wyoming where thousands of animals are bought and sold. Crawfish are a commercial enterprise in Louisiana. Visit one ranch in Illinois that focuses on Christmas critters all year long! Venture away from mainstream products, and offering a variety of specialty foods from around the world.
Visit the O’Briens family wheat and barley farm in Montana. In 2002 Maine Lobstermen brought in more than 62 million lbs—the 2005 season isn’t expected to be as abundant! First you grow it, then you mow it—grass in Nebraska. Study a single gene within the sugarcane plant that creates a protein to combat cancer! Meet us at the Iowa State Fair and celebrate heartland agriculture.
Only a fraction of the great American prairies remain to this day. No matter how you slice them—from French fries to chips, the potato has been a staple of the American diet throughout our history! Visit Zanesville, Ohio for its special version of potato chips. See what makes Crystal City, Texas a special place! Meet Eric Morrow, an eighth generation strawberry farmer in Ponchatoula, Louisiana.
Meet Linda Hubalek as she brings back the bison to the heartland. Advances in technology drives Mason Dixon Farms near Gettysburg, PN. Go green in Iowa, as Lee Faris trys to preserve the natural resources for his family’s future. Experience the music behind one of the most respected singer-songwriters in pop and country western music, Michael Martin Murphy!
Smoking is at an all-time low in our country— what are tobacco farmers producing instead? Visit old barns as they bring back the simple life in the heartland. Leafy spurge is invading farms around America, and nature’s offering a surprising solution. See what a couple discovered during a vacation to Florida! Artist John Cerney is inspired by Ca’s fertile Salinas Valley and beyond.
Harvest walnuts in California’s San Joaquin Valley with a local farmer. Find a home for a wild horse from the American West, with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management team. Experience a love between people and horses called premarin mares. Jerry Habets show’s off his chemical-less crops! Try Limburger cheese from the Chalet Cheese Cooperative—the only factory left in the U.S. that makes it!
Visit Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains, where two brothers are running sheep for a living. Meet Oliver H. Kelley, son of a Boston tailor and founder of the national grange. While most farmers are planting in June, the Olmsteads are picking rainier cherries! Meet a band of bakers that is busy turning out 32 hundred apple pies a day. Visit an emu at a Kansas farm!
Visit the Farm Progress Show, and meet an Illinois grain farmer salivating over a giant tractor. Learn how the 4-H program shows their livestock for prize at the Kansas State Fair. Explore the history of abalone farming in Monterey, Ca. Get a taste of Nebraska’s corn, popcorn that is! One of the smallest fruits in the world holds a special place in Maine’s agricultural heritage—blueberries.
You’ve got to grow the products people want to buy, if you want to stay in business! Listen to bluegrass music from the heartland—energized, toe-tapping, and acoustic. Harvesting rice leads to large amounts of straw left behind, find out how to get rid of it! Learn where wild rice is grown and how its harvested. Meet Dick Maier, the one who makes goat’s milk soap.
George Washington played many roles in the founding of our nation, his most cherished as a farmer. Visit Sussex, Virginia to meet an ag family whose roots date back to the days of George Washington. Diverse history comes to life at an ag museum. Visit Allensworth, a black farming community created quite some time ago! Prairie dogs have been plaguing farmers land for years—how can they be stopped?
Visit Parker Ranch on the Big Island of Hawaii—see what they are growing! Hawaii is the only U.S. state where Kona coffee is grown. Cocoa is also grown nowhere else but Hawaii in the U.S. Visit the only commercial vanilla farm in the U.S. The Big Island is a hot spot for aquaculture!
Stay competitive to stay profitable, in Texas where a group of clever cotton growers turn their crop into denim. Chase down the fish on Lake Superior with the professionals! Mushrooms are a versatile crop that make a fortune for one farm family in Pennsylvania. Get a taste of North Carolina truffles! Visit New Mexico for its hot crop—chili peppers.
Meet a woman who has turned her farm into a tourist attraction in Virginia. FFA members gather each year to learn about leadership, personal growth, and career success in the ag world. See how Melvin Bishop found his success in raising hogs. Try the fuzzy California fruit—a kiwi. Meet a long-time pickle making family from Indiana. Whats their secret?
Visit EdenSpace Plants, a company that developed a way to remove toxins from plants and polluted soil.The mandarin orange has traveled a long way from Asia and the Philippines to be grown right in California. Gary Wood of Desert Sweet Shrimp, is a unique shrimp farm in the heartland. Getting that essential nutrition is a key goal for a Texas dehydration plant. Visit Maple Leaf Duck Farm.
Visit the Sims cattle ranch in Wyoming and learn how they are generating new revenue. Travel to Florida to learn the hardships of growing grapefruits! Discover where the juiciest watermelons are found. Back in Wyoming, meet a rancher who raises yaks and puts yak steaks to the test.
Meet Willie Nelson, who’s emerged as one of the nation’s most visible proponents of soybean bio-diesel fuel. See the biggest and baddest farm machinery in Kentucky. California farmers find and restore tractors and trucks from the past! Celebrate a widely misunderstood animal, the mule, with the people of Tennessee. Compete at nationals to restore old tractors with a group of teenagers from Texas!
A coast-to-coast effort to help farm families keep their young ones safe is in full effect. Examine the struggles farm families have when spring time arrives. Indiana’s famed hardwood stays within its state to be used by local cabinet makers.
Nature always has the last word and there’s nothing any farmer can do about it. Experience the Great Western Show—while cattle industry has faced its share of challenges: import restrictions and dietary trends. Farmers must improvise and innovate when a crop becomes unprofitable or unpopular! Bug farming is a pretty hot business if you grow the right ones!
Work on developing alternative fuel from the highway to the race track. Taste a local brewery’s special beer made right in St. Louis, Missouri. Fish for crustaceans off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. A farmer’s work is hard, and the business of farming can be even harder for a dairyman!
American farm meets the world of high finance at the Chicago Board of Trade. Farmers are seeking new income sources such as tourism! Reap the wild winds of Wyoming! In Texas, rural communities are getting help turning their history and hard work into a selling point for tourists. Start kids young and let them discover with their own hands, the miracle of seed and soil!
A unique program that helped feed America during the darkest days of World War Two as Mexican farm workers were invited north to work as braceros. The descendants of early Spanish settlers in Texas who opened the Lone Star State to cattle ranching and farming. See how Georgia farmers grow and harvest peaches. Meet Mas Masumoto, a California farmer for whom the peach is more than just a fruit.
It’s music that grew up with America, among the mountains, valleys, fields, and ranches—it’s country music! A shrimp boat operator tells a story of how he was affected by Hurricane Katrina. California Almond farmers grow 80% of the world’s almond supply, with the help of honeybees! Tennessee farmers produce freshwater pearls by planting a healthy mollusk into a shell.
Across the heartland, there’s a growing interest and concern about preserving our nation’s precious farmland. Farmers markets are booming across the U.S. Visit a winemaker in Kentucky—not the usual location for a winery!
The Mississippi River, the continent’s largest and longest river, helped grow America from a network of small farms into a great agricultural superpower. Explore Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Tom Sawyer” literature as it depicts farming culture of the Mississippi. Visit the city of St. Louis, one of the river’s great cities. Visit the Ol’ Man River, also known as the Mississippi Delta!
Farming life is very demanding, but the love of it outweighs the long working hours. The Fulton Fish Market has a new location, but the market is still as popular as ever! Find some tasty veggies both in the fields of Iowa and on the rooftops of Manhattan. Caviar is one of the most expensive foods in the world, and a San Francisco restaurant is introduced to many domestic varieties.
America’s agrarian roots that shaped out culture since our nation’s first beginnings. Our farm communities were originally tied together by a common background or religion; some have assimilated into mainstream America. Farmers are both creative thinkers and savvy business-people! Gardening is one of America’ s biggest hobbies!
Greenmarket is a non-profit organization that has been inviting regional farmers into NYC since the 1970s. Rice—bringing back a bit of South Carolina! Arkansas is home to the largest rice milling and marketing operations in the world: Riceland Foods. Visit the Tulmeadow Farm, where they’ve produced everything from chickens to chutney! Visit one of the heartland’s largest alpaca ranches in Ohio.
Help your local farmer and buy their locally produced crops before heading to the grocery store. Garlic growers and local lovers of the herb get together for the Garlic Festival every year in California. Visit our country’s only tea plantation in Charleston, South Carolina. Life couldn't be sweeter for Kristin Ford in Oregon—as she makes her famous hard apple cider!
Farmers across the South roll out massive equipment to bring the crops in! Celebrate the harvest season with a unique event called a tractorcade in Iowa! A South Carolina hog farmer raises them the natural way. It’s a harvest straight from the sea! Meet a female aquaculture farmer who’s a third generation shellfish harvester! Celebrate the end of the harvest with the people who work the land.
Visit the Matanuska valley outside Anchorage, Alaska where summer days last 24 hours—allowing farmers to grow incredibly large vegetables. The Alaska State Fair is the best place to see the state’s agricultural bounty! How hard is it to grow potatoes in Alaska? Alaskan waters produce for than seven hundred million pounds of tasty king crab, whitefish, and salmon!
America’s cowboy heritage is present in fiction and real life, but the main pursuit has always been agriculture. Learn the cowboy profession at a Cowboy College! One week in January each year, thousands of cowboys share their lives as range rhymers. Experience cowboy art as it captures a period of American history. Who was the first American author to capture the grit and spirit of the West?
It’s computers and crops! Potatoes are getting high-tech treatment in Wisconsin. Explore a unique and uplifting program in Wisconsin that helps farmers overcome disabilities to stay on the land. Visit a farm in Death Valley, CA that grows sweet dates in this deathly area! Learn how Oregon farmers keep hazelnut production alive! Get lost in an artistic corn maze in Utah.
Thousands of Midwest farmers cope with the ravaging effects of a drought. Visit Castle Valley Greenhouses where they are producing truckloads of red, ripe tomatoes. You-pick your own produce all over the U.S. A Connecticut family saves their farm by asking for help from their town! Paleontologists flock to St. George, Utah as one of biggest dinosaur discovery sites in the world was emerging!
Poultry is a demanding business with Americans consuming an average of 60 pounds of chicken a year. A farmer works hard to keep birds busy producing eggs! The state of Wisconsin wears the cranberry crown as the prime source of the tart little berries. California is shaking up those trees deep inside the almond grove in search of the ripe ones! Dahlia growing is a blossoming business in Oregon.
Two neighboring Nevada ranch families feel pressured to sell to housing developers. A farm sells to benefit local Delaware schoolchildren. The future of a Kansas family farm is in question when the beneficiaries wish to pursue careers elsewhere. A hobby can turn out to be the right crop in the right place at the right time! Rancher Luke Keeler knows all about sheep and sheep dogs—from Wyoming.
How do James Snyder and Carrie Daves manage 800 head of cattle on 600 acres? A father and son in Iowa harvest their corn crop! After a tragic accident resulted in her husband's death, Teena Borek was left with two sons to raise on her own. Borek is now an award-winning grower in Florida. Advanced thinking and experimentation of biofuels is happening in Michigan.
Las Vegas’s few farmers are feeding many people with such variety and abundance of crops. It’s the Las Vegas buffet story! Far in North Alaska, one man is using discarded salmon as a healthful treat for America’s dogs. A man is recycling scrap metal and building a tribute to the struggling farming community he calls home in North Dakota!
There’s a drive to succeed in Kansas at a critical harvest time! There’s less buzz in the air, the bees are disappearing, and some bee farmers are seeing this as a new business opportunity taking their bees on the road. Oranges are the critical crop in Florida! A Delaware farm is engaged in a unique experiment of solar energy to raise thousands of hens!
Winter wheat lies dormant in the ground through a northern winter and is harvested to perfection in the summer! A thriving crop stand has turned into a huge tourist attraction in Florida. Peanuts come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are grown in a broad range of soils and climates. Find out where the tastiest ones are!
Beagles are the first line of defense against foreign pests! Native Americans in New Mexico have created a major enterprise which have become hot sellers south of the border. CA citrus is the second largest behind Florida, but CA orchards freeze! Discover how CA growers weather these destructive cold spells. Modern farmers look forward to productive corn harvests without unnecessary fertilizer!
Dairymen in Michigan struggle to keep their animals fed and healthy while fighting off bitter cold. A pick-it-yourself farm in Alaska is one of the only greens you will find! Meet a fisherman who’s bringing in the catch and attracting interested visitors. Taste some fruit and spices unusual in farms in the heartland. A chef in Nevada is on the map for world-class chocolate!
Visit Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Virginia—where this founding father performed countless edible experiments. Meet a man whose agricultural practices have credited him with saving more than a billion lives. Meet two Native American brothers who have built a prosperous seed business! Discover two elderly farmers who are determined to pass along their proud farming legacy to the next generation.
With rising costs and shrinking profits, American farmer’s face many challenges. Get a new perspective on one of the earliest fisheries. Colorado’s ranchers are trading their cattle for other animals. New Jersey locals are interested in their own locally-grown produce! The Braceros of Washington State are recognized for their key involvements in keeping farms and ranches alive during WWII.
Agricultural aviation is underway in Mississippi—the way the crop dusters see it. Michigan farmers grow under the glass as the greenhouse business keeps growing in their state. Learn how one California rancher has taken his name brand to success! Learn how guavas, pomegranates, and other tropical fruits are turned into wine in Florida. Milk a cow, churn butter, and taste honey in downtown Chicago!
Visit small farms to really big farms from grass to glass! Ohio is one of the greatest wine-producing regions in the country—producing international award winning wines! Catfish is king in American aquaculture with nearly half of all fish farming in account. New Jersey farmers are fighting to protect their land! Tour through a cheesemaking process from fresh milk to packaging in Indiana!
Kemper family’s 2,000 acre farm in Indiana has been around for five generations. Global economy has gone haywire in Ohio, with soybeans growing not far from where cars are being built. Explore what once was called Elevator Alley—grain elevators brought back to life. West Virginia miners are moving out, and fisheries are moving in!
North Dakota wheat growers harvest around 300-million bushels every year—that’s five hundred bushels per person! Learn about agriculture at the Springdale Farm. Every year, more than 4-thousand farmers and ranchers from across the U.S. gather in Utah for the American Farm Bureau Convention. Meet a couple who runs a popular watering hole in North Dakota!
Explore wheat harvesting in Montana. Meet people who lived during the Dust Bowl, lessons they learned, and how it changed farming in Oklahoma and neighboring states forever. Roy’s Tasty Blend started as a young man’s dream and is now an inspiration on American agriculture! The blues was born in the farm fields of the deep south and today its music is kept alive at the Blue Front Cafe!
Take a ride with Jeff Stewart, an investigator for Mississippi’s Agricultural Theft Bureau. Wheat is a problem crop for farmers in North Dakota, and a state legislator wants to switch to hemp as its cash crop. Jon Teser, a U.S. Senator starts his day on a tractor at 5am—nothing unusual for a heartland farmer. Farmers Against Hunger fights to preserve and promote farming in New Jersey!
The Hoover Dam is critical to the American Southwest as a water and electricity resource. Meet Jack Vessey, a fourth generation grower in California’s Imperial Valley! A quarter of a million acres of leafy greens in Arizona rely on the Colorado River. Learn about an ornamental grass that may be a source for creating ethanol. It’s a race to get their part of CA’s 11 million-ton tomato harvest!
On this special edition, we spend the day with a North Dakota farm family to discover the rewards and challenges of life in the Heartland. Meet Don and Sarah Nordby who along with their two sons and a daughter share the realities of rural life from dawn to dusk.
Farmers in need of a helping hand can call the Farm Rescue in North Dakota. Today, the sunflower business is as sophisticated as that of any crop with its unique look and seeds. Learn about a versatile plant called sorghum! Breed better cattle and go to Nebraska where ranchers are improving their stock.
From politics to business affairs to space flight, women have been taking center stage in America. Women are taking on greater roles in agriculture all around our country!
Visit an Oregon grower who harvests everything just before Christmas! California celebrates Christmas with a colorful holiday parade held by some two thousand people. Farmers raising poultry get busy shipping out birds during the holidays. San Diego County grows and ships millions of poinsettia plants. Oregon grows almost all of the lilies in the U.S.—the beautiful flower that signifies Easter.
Farmers are spending a lot of time at the computer checking out USDA’s latest farming regulations. Robotic weeders are a new development in Illinois! Top agricultural inventors and marketers come up with the next big thing and show it off at the World Ag Expo in California, and the Farm Progress Show in Dectaur, Illinois. Visit Iowa, where farmers are doing research on corn kernels.
Scientific advances in agriculture have spared millions from starvation, and the World Food Prize is up for grabs in Des Moines, Iowa every year. Visit Vermont, home of the largest number of cheese-makers! Michigan is where sugar beets are grown and turned into sweet products for your dinner table. Farmers in Iowa and Kansas are making a tidy profit by welcoming sportsmen onto their land.
Host Paul Ryan finds that pleasant smells sell at a California Lavender farm. Texas cotton farmers face some challenges from nature in getting in the crop. Reporter Sarah Gardner visits West Virginia where farmers harvest hardwoods on their land. Reporter Jason Shoultz meets a Minnesota artist who captures rural life on canvas.
California walnut grower turning shells into power for the farm. Reporter Jason Shoultz visits a Minnesota plant that generates electricity from poultry litter. Reporter Hena Cuevas takes us to a North Carolina company using soybeans to make furniture foam. Meet two California dairymen who have a new approach to selling cheese.
There is a shortage of large animal vets in our country, and will continue to drop in the next decade. Some of America’s best wool comes from New Mexico. The vet school at UC Davis works to protect livestock. Get a taste of the honey that comes from Florida’s Tupelo Trees. It’s some of the sweetest on earth!
Visit a California racetrack that uses solar panels to generate power to keep the horses cool, Texas farmers make big profits harvesting wind power, a new demand for rice is a boon for California rice growers, visit a North Carolina greenhouse where automation makes it easier to get the plants from the field to your patio.
Agri-tourism and new product lines keep an Arizona couples’ ranch alive. Rhody Fresh milk is a local favorite in Rhode Island! A Missouri farming family opens their home to share the enjoyment of living on the land. Get a taste of the Schell Brewery in Minnesota; their beer is appreciated throughout the Midwest.
A 19-year-old is hard at work on his farm! Dairy farmers in the Midwest join forces to make creamery butter. A photographer captures the face of American agriculture through his lens. Stuckmeyer’s Farm Market and Greenhouse is a touch of rural America. It’s a farm that’s been passed down to a fourth generation!
A one of a kind horseradish festival in Collinsville, Illinois, a hard shell harvest for oysters in Florida, how a growing appetite for wine is changing farmland in Texas, a major lemon supplier in southern California.
Heaving spring rains in 2008 led rivers to overflow, flooding the fields and ruining crops in Illinois. The Hurst Family Farm and Greenery in Northern Missouri is still successful despite mother nature’s setbacks. An Agricultural Weather Information Service (AWIS) tracks weather conditions—measuring moisture and how temperature will impact crop and livestock.
Meet a farming family in Blue Springs, Nebraska growing wheat and corn. Farming has become a diversified act here! A school in Mt. Eden, Kentucky teaches students how to make horseshoes. Find out how agriculture impacts our lives in Bonner Springs, Kansas. Residents of rural communities in Kansas have claimed fame in some very unique attractions found nowhere else!
A research scientist and veterinarian are starting out in farming in Sidney, Illinois. Look to Wisconsin for the wide varieties of cheese being created from local dairies. Visit the Kansas City Farmers Market; it’s a landmark! The Farmers Diner in Quechee Gorge, Vermont is a local eatery which specializes in using meat and produce from local farmers! The Blue Plate Specials, are really special.
Paul Ryan visits the Henry A Wallace Country Life Center. Sarah Gardner looks at farming practices that improve America's air quality. Jason Shoultz visits an organic farm in Florida working hard to support community agriculture. Yolanda Vazquez travels to Kentucky where a new research project is assessing how goats can be used to eradicate a noxious weed found all across the South.
Board the USS Ronald Reagan to find out how the harvest from the heartland is serving those who serve us. Meet the men and women onboard who have their roots and values buried deep in the heartland. They come from the ranches, the farms and the small farming communities throughout the country.
The Chinn family hog farm in Clarence, Missouri is a high tech operation. Learn the history of the famous Bob Evans Family Restaurants—from a small family farm in Ohio to all over our country.The Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia gives us a taste of what makes them so special. Like pickles? Gedney Pickles is a Minnesota family operation that uses special cucumbers to make their tasty pickles.
Visit Triangle farms in Oregon, specializing in seed production and processing for six generations.Pheasants are being raised in Wisconsin.In Pennsylvania Dutch country lies the Landis Valley Museum—a living history museum dedicated to the culture and heritage of German families settled in the area since the 1700s. Horses are pulling the power of ag in Texas as the demand for bigger farms rise.
Paul Ryan learns about cheese making at a one of a kind sheep dairy in New Jersey. Jason Shoultz goes on a watery harvest for clams off the Gulf Coast of Florida. Ron Hyde finds out how citrus research is developing flavorful new varieties at a growing operation in Central California. Yolanda Vazquez travels to Rhode Island where sheep ranchers have found a way to market their wool to locals.
Paul Ryan discovers urban farming on the rooftops and in the gardens of New York City. Sarah Gardner meets an Oregon rancher who breeds his own stock and competes on the national rodeo circuit. Hena Cuevas finds out that many urban dwellers are becoming “RuralPolitans.” Jason Shoultz travels to Long Island where multigenerational families are working farms that date back centuries.
The road to some creative uses for corn starts on Alan Tiemann’s Nebraska farm. It’s a journey that takes this commodity halfway around the world to Taiwan. A country of some 23 million people, Taiwan is one of the foreign markets where American grain products play an important role in the economy. The world’s most populous country is a potentially big market for U.S. agricultural goods.
There’s a wild west story of cattle and exotic antelope on an historic New Mexico ranch—complete with buckboards, covered wagons, forts, and cowboys and Indians. Urban agriculture is alive and well in NYC. Visit the annual Antique Farm Expo in Washington—farms take pride in their antique equipment. A Japanese-American farm family is growing the sweet produce in Oregon!
Paul Ryan learns about fresh seafood at Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Jason Shoultz sees how fisheries are protected in Long Island Sound. Yolanda Vazquez meets a Kentucky family who left the city behind to start a mushroom farming operation. Jim Finnerty heads for the Lone Star State, America’s #1 cotton producer and research there is looking to improve how the fiber is used in clothing.
Use modern technology to track each piece of fish caught! Environmentalists and CA ranchers joined together to improve watersheds and grasslands. A ranch in South Central Colorado gives a unique opportunity for urban folks to experience what a working cattle ranch is like on the inside. Find out how wine and romance shape a couple in Wisconsin’s everyday life.
Jason Shoultz visits a Florida ranch where the 82 year old family patriarch is celebrated for his wildlife photographs and prime cattle. Sarah Gardner visits an Ohio farming operation where inmates bring crops and cattle to market. Akiba Howard sees four generations harvesting citrus in California's central valley. Yolanda Vazquez explores an award winning artisanal cheese business in Tennessee.
Rob Stewart visits family sugaring operations in New England where tree sap is turned into award winning maple syrup. John Lobertini goes along on a huge sheep drive in Arizona. Jason Shoultz visits a family-run grain and milling operation in Oregon that is more than 150 years old. Sarah Gardner takes us to Malabar Farm in Ohio, where Bogart and Bacall came for their marriage and honeymoon.
Yolanda Vazquez heads for a Tennessee dairy farm where a family found a unique way to address changing markets. Jason Shoultz finds a Florida couple who found a future in flowers. Sarah Gardner heads for Arkansas where an award winning multigenerational farm family makes some changes to keep it alive. John Lobertini finds a young Arizona couple who gave up city life to start a pecan farm.
Jason Shoultz examines how a new plant disease called Citrus Greening threatens to devastate citrus growers across the country. Sarah Gardner heads out to roundup some Texas Longhorns in Ohio. Rob Stewart finds a school in Massachusetts where farming novices can learn how to live off the land. Yolanda Vazquez finds an Arkansas couple whose sweet potato business is highly-acclaimed.
Jason Shoultz finds a family cattle ranch in Colorado where the 20 thousand acres are overseen by a young woman rancher. Sarah Gardner discovers an Arkansas family who developed a new kind of rice that's found favor with customers in Japan. Rob Stewart heads for Lucy's Sheep Camp in Wyoming where a young woman farmer creates woolen garments. John Lobertini finds a Utah rancher who has ZEBRAS.
Rob Stewart heads for Montana's Big Sky country and the Padlock Cattle Ranch, a huge ranching operation that also welcomes tourists. Yolanda Vazquez is in Tennessee where an award winning farm family works together to harvest its hay. Jason Shoultz travels to the community where Oregon's famous Tillamook cheese is made. John Lobertini discovers an underground harvest in a Utah Salt Mine.
Jason Shoultz has the inspiring story of a Colorado rural community that rallied to save the town's grocery store. Sarah Gardner visits a place in Arkansas where harvesting fish is a key industry. Yolanda Vazquez meets a Tennessee couple who decided their future lay in raising large Clydesdale horses. Rob Stewart talks with a young man who plans to one day return to the family farm.
John Lobertini takes us to meet a Utah ranching family that's been honored for protecting the environment. Akiba Howard visits Nebraska farmers who have decided to make their future on the land. Sarah Gardner discovers that a better chicken comes from research, which ultimately affects your dinner. Rob Stewart finds a New England company that restores America's historic barns.
Jason Shoultz finds out how some states are finding new ways to deal with cattle rustlers. Sarah Gardner discovers an Ohio family farm where generations pull together to plant their corn crop. Rob Stewart visits Pennsylvania's Burpee Seed Company to see how crops get their start. Akiba Howard finds a rural community in Nebraska where residents say you can find the best in their wurst.
Reporter Sarah Gardner visits Jewel and Ty Murray at their Texas cattle ranch. Reporter Yolanda Vazquez discovers a farm in Delaware that has been in the family for 200 years. Reporter Rob Stewart gets a taste of the sweet life at a Montana sugar beet farm. Reporter John Lobertini finds a Missouri breadmaker paying homage to heartland wheat.
The "Lone Star" state is well known for cattle, but Texas also leads the nation in the production of cotton. Texas has become an agricultural powerhouse in the U.S. and much of what is raised here makes its way to your dinner table.
Akiba Howard finds farmers using "Twitter" technology to spread the word on agriculture. Sarah Gardner discovers how research on consumer trends affects the foods you find in the supermarket. Yolanda Vazquez takes us to a Virginia farm where specialty produce meets consumer needs. John Lobertini visits a Kansas farm where the family uses agri-entertainment to teach city folks about farming.
Reporter Rob Stewart visits an inner city high school where the focus is all about farming. Yolanda Vazquez discovers a harvest from the sea at a Maryland Shrimp farming operation. Reporter Jason Shoultz finds some farmers going back to draft horses to handle their field work. Akiba Howard heads for Nebraska where one farmer whose agricultural efforts feed the soul as well as the body.
On this special episode, we see how Heartland food products figure into our vacation plans. Set sail on a Carnival cruise where food is as much an attraction as the scenery. Go to a flight kitchen where millions of meals are prepared to enjoy Bon Appetit at 30 thousand feet. Jump on board an Amtrak train from Los Angeles to Seattle and discovers heartland products on rail.
Sarah Gardner discovers how an Ohio State University professor addresses animal welfare for consumers and farmers. African American vintners in California expand their offerings as they tap new wine markets. John Lobertini heads for Maine where the state's biggest harvest is timber. Yolanda Vazquez takes us to Delaware and a produce farm that can't keep up with customer demand.
John Lobertini takes us to Kansas where a ranching family markets an unique brand of cattle. Jason Shoultz meets a Georgia farmer whose work puts produce on many American tables. Sarah Gardner heads for Michigan and a family farming operation that gives city kids a view of country life. Rob Stewart takes us to California where rescued Mustang horses give city folks a connection to the country.
John Lobertini discovers that harvesting lobsters from the coast of Maine requires special talents. Rob Stewart visits a Pennsylvania farm family that's been recognized for its agricultural efforts on a farm dating back to the 19th century. Iowa farm families celebrate their heritage and reflect on challenges they face. Sarah Gardner meets a woman in Texas who gives feral cats a new home.
A bakery in Egypt churning out thousands of loaves of bread a day, a California hair stylist using the hottest new product on the market and a Moroccan farmer changing the way he raises his cattle. Yes, they are all connected to American farming. In a special episode, reporter Jason Shoultz takes you to Egypt and Morocco to see how American grain products are helping ease hunger overseas.
Akiba Howard meets Michael Martin Murphey, the author of the America's Heartland title song. Jason Shoultz discovers how research in Georgia is addressing water shortages. Rob Stewart takes us to Alabama to see how research at the world's oldest cotton research plot helps farmers. John Lobertini visits a young Missouri couple who left city life behind to start a new life in making wine.
Akiba Howard heads for a harvest of potatoes in Colorado and discovers how they get to your table. John Lobertini shares how urban gardens in Kansas City help consumers eat better and learn about agriculture. Rob Stewart meets an Alabama farm family that overcame devastating challenges and became an award winning operation. Jason Shoultz finds a Florida family practicing sustainable farming.
Learn about the many uses for soybeans in a journey from rural Iowa to San Francisco. You'll explore efforts to grow the market for soy-biodiesel fuel, discover industrial products made from soy oil, and hear from a leading soybean researcher. You'll also see the popularity of soy-based foods in San Francisco's Japan Town and even visit a beauty store selling soy-based lotions and cleansers.
Sarah Gardner learns how produce makes its way fresh from the farm to your fork. A Maine farmer discovers ways to make seaweed more palatable to a wider audience. A young Maryland couple has joined with others in giving new life to an old family farm. An Alabama chef has found that going local is a great way to create a menu with meaning.
A Virginia cattle rancher takes new environmental directions to protect rural waterways. Rice farmers in Louisiana answer the call for humanitarian aid at home and abroad. California citrus growers develop new markets for a unique kind of fruit. Surprising facts about the connection between cotton and cash. Farmers in Hawaii find success in growing Kona coffee beans just like fine wine grapes.
Peanuts provide a budget boon. Farm stay vacations provide a new cash crop. A primer on lettuce. Critical soil research in California and Pennsylvania protecting America's farmland. Corn delivers more than just good eating. A North Carolina grower finds new opportunities in using sea oats to save the state's beaches.
A Kentucky corn farmer battles a debilitating disease to keep his operation going. A woman rancher in California saddles up to promote American beef to consumers. Hawaii's palm trees provide a new and unusual crop. Everything you ever wanted to know about beets including their unusual connection to pizza. Louisiana farmers raise sugarcane that becomes an historic New Orleans beverage.
The secret to Tabasco's spicy success. North Carolina farmers take a high tech approach to raising crops and finding markets via the internet. Discover the story behind that spaghetti you take off the shelf. Farmers in the Southeast discover a new harvest in catfish as well as corn. University researchers and California farmers team up to build a better tomato.
A Farm to School program connects producers and pupils. Fish farmers in Hawaii use computers to bring in a harvest of abalone. Everything you ever wanted to know about antioxidants. New techniques to deliver ripe, red strawberries. Harvest some knowledge about the ancient spice, ginger. Louisiana farmers go back to school to learn how to stay safe on all terrain vehicles.
A young Kentucky farmer overcomes blindness to become an award winning cattleman. California cotton growers bring in a soft and snowy harvest. The citrus that consumers pull off the shelf. North Carolina farmers find new ways to harvest energy savings and benefit the environment. The history of onions. Two Nebraska women develop a unique website encouraging others to get back to the land.
South Dakota farmers bring in a harvest of wheat for our dinner tables. Chef Dave Lieberman cooks up an adventure in Illinois. Facts about nutrition in the oils you use. The biggest and best in farm equipment and inventions at the Ag Expo. If you like potatoes, you may want to thank Thomas Jefferson. A unique ranch in Kentucky provides a retirement home for some equine superstars.
Buses powered by soybean oil. A Minnesota farm family brings in large crops of roses. Discovering the difference when it comes to reaching for cheese on the supermarket shelf. They're man's best friend and essential labor on farms and ranches. Working dogs! The strange story behind the history of artichokes. The flavors of a tropical paradise at a unique farmers market in Hawaii.
When it comes to a tour of the White House Garden, who better to lead the tour than the woman who lives in the nation's first mansion, First Lady Michelle Obama?
AgrAbility helps farmers with disabilities keep working their land. New Yorkers head for Queens to spend time at a unique farm museum. Many Hmong immigrants are finding new agricultural opportunities here in the U.S. Consumers find that rice is nice. Watermelon is America's most popular melon. Farm families in North Dakota work to preserve their community's historic churches.
In this special episode, reporter Jason Shoultz saddles up for an Old West cattle drive in Utah. Join him on the dusty trail where he meets an extended ranch family who's been driving cattle to summer grazing grounds for generations. It's an experience available to city slickers too: the family welcomes guests to experience this real-life western adventure.
A New York family keeps an apple orchard tradition alive. Chef Dave Lieberman discovers unusual produce in Utah's high country. Researchers in Louisiana find new ways to protect essential honeybee populations. A California ranch family works to educate the public on our western heritage.
An Idaho farm develops new varieties of potatoes. An Illinois veterinarian focuses on helping horses in the city. North Dakota farmers work with researchers to develop consumer choices from bean crops. A Wisconsin farmer mixes dairy with a career in demolition derby driving.
Wisconsin dairy farmers develop new cheese choices for consumers. North Carolina hog farmers work with educators to meet environmental changes for hog waste. Looking to buy a larger home, a New York family finds themselves in the produce business. Nebraska may be known for corn, but these Nebraska farmers are focused on vines and wines.
Idaho farmers use high tech produce tracking to protect food safety. A Minnesota man keeps home dairy delivery alive. Chef Dave Lieberman visits Trappist monks raising unique mushroom varieties. Oklahoma farm families turn to one of a kind shelters to protect them from rural storms.
An Idaho family finds success in raising award winning sheep. Kentucky farmers answer the call for specific corn products to make Kentucky bourbon. Oklahoma farmers find new success with sesame seeds. She's all about promoting dairy. You'll meet South Dakota's Dairy Princess.
It's all about cotton on this special episode of America's Heartland. Cotton - It's more than just a fabric. Think cattle feed. And for one spot in Texas it's also cotton, chicken and catfish.
Researchers in Colorado protect source material for farming at the National Seed Bank. Chef Dave Lieberman cooks up special dishes with a unique variety of South Carolina rice. Idaho farm family members work together to get in a crop of barley destined for brewing beer. North Dakota researchers work with farmers to create a better sunflower seed for snack foods.
It's no small farm. An Idaho dairy milks twenty thousand cows a day! Chef Dave Lieberman explores the culinary history of African American Gulla Grub. An award winning North Carolina farmer keeps a family farming tradition alive. It's a city where American farm crops create great American Beer... Milwaukee.
Oklahoma farm communities face health challenges with rescues by rural air evacuations. An Idaho farm woman finds a future raising elk. A Nebraska farm family discovers that dietary concerns are creating demand for their sorghum crop. A Minnesota farmer takes an educational approach to save the environment. It's Sewer Man.
In this special episode, reporters Jason Shoultz and Sarah Gardner travel to Minnesota to get a first-hand look at the sugar beet industry in action. We'll learn how farmers in the region work together and around the clock to transform sugar beets fresh from the fields into the sugar products we find in our pantries.
American farmers respond to calls for changes in getting eggs from the farm to your table. Oklahoma farmers take an unusual path to get their crops to market. Farmers in Hawaii educate visitors and locals about agriculture and eating well. A Wisconsin farmer carves a niche for himself with unique woodworking skills.
A 200-year-old Tennessee farm that's home to a very famous pig, an Oregon tulip farm that draws a quarter million visitors, California avocado farmers delivering heart-healthy recipes, and some fast facts about fiber in your diet.
An Oregon dairy's community outreach delivers more than milk. A sheep shearing class in Tennessee is definitely "Hands On". A cookbook author encourages consumers to support farmers. "Ask a Farmer" explains why horses are measured in hands.
A rural community celebrates its crops with Art on a Silo. A California vineyard combines grapes and olive oil for fine dining. The National Cornbread Festival delivers plenty to eat. Learn about the colorful history of carrots.
Saddle up with the city folk and celebrate great American cowboys and ranches on a cattle drive in Utah. Meet a young Colorado woman who works with environmentalists to protect our land. Want to be cowboy? First, see what it's like moving ten thousand cattle to range.
California farmers and environmentalist work to save waterfowl. A Florida woman rancher is honored for promoting agriculture. A sweet harvest from the trees at a Texas pecan farm. Getting your kids to eat healthier foods.
Washington farmers deliver a big, sweet, cherry harvest. Harvesting these Georgia watermelons is a BIG deal. Are those baby carrots really baby carrots? A Michigan farmer saves energy and the environment growing under glass.
Bluegrass musician Rodney Dillard makes a move back to his family farm. Singer-Songwriter Jewel shows off her music and her Texas ranch. Michael Martin Murphey's lifelong effort supporting all of those who make their living in agriculture. A Mississippi farmer celebrates Blues music as part of his farm's rural roots.
A Washington farm family ties environmental well-being to their winter wheat crop. Hydroponic farming helps produce ingredients for some tasty recipes. Find out how the right farm fresh foods can help you battle stress. A Michigan farm family finds success in raising sweet smelling and tasting mint.
Picking and packing sweet Georgia peaches. An Oregon brewery goes to the source for the right kinds of hops. A rural Tennessee community celebrates the heritage music of the mountain dulcimer.
The Wild Horse Sanctuary in northern California is saving wild mustangs. The Padlock Cattle Ranch welcomes visitors who are a far from the landscape of their urban homes. Customers come to pick the fruit at Michigan's Westview Orchards. Kansas is home to some unusual agritourism attractions. Shearer Hill Farm plays host to visitors who sample country cooking and unique vacation opportunities.
You'll meet an Illinois farm family whose soybeans are an essential ingredient for products in your home. Travel to Texas where a little goat wrangling serves up some delicious cheese. And we'll take you to Connecticut where these farmers have wrapped up the market in cigar tobacco.
Don't miss the chance to meet Miss America 2011, who travels to Iowa to visit a very special farm. Then, learn how an Indiana man changed careers from telecommunications to tilling soil, and discover how the food on your table may be improved in the future.\
Encounter a dairy farmer who says that his work as a veterinarian has a direct influence in delivering better milk to your breakfast table. Then, travel to Texas for a peachy dessert and visit the last family farm in an historic New England town.
Travel with some Illinois farmers, whose work takes them from the back-40 and into outer space. Find out whether your favorite wine comes from vines protected by owls and farmers in Michigan are taking part in a new program that promotes sustainability and addresses water and soil quality issues.
Learn about an Iowa crop that may exceed your expectations of corn and soybeans: wine. Then, a Tennessee couple explains their technique for producing rare cheese, and experience how one family in California goes the extra mile to stay on the land.
Traverse the golden plains and purple mountains majesty as this special edition takes you to our favorite heartland destinations. It's the scenic wonders that draw travelers back, and you'll uncover people, places, and scenery to check off your list.
Unravel the secrets behind new research that shows Washington State farmers how to grow more wheat with less water. Then, tempt your taste buds with apples in New Jersey and gain knowledge about turkeys you may not have previously had.
Learn lessons as you go back to class at a summer farm school in New England. Then, accompany Jason Shoultz to unravel a mystery of meat, and join California nuns in the tasty tradition of making olive oil.
On this special edition of America's Heartland, we celebrate Americans who work together to make a difference. Meet individuals whose personal stories have inspired others to continue traditions of working the land, despite hardships and disabilities.
Acquaint yourself with youth participating in a Florida farm program that helps them face troubling life experiences. Then, find ideas for serving a colorful vegetable, and Kansas women introduce their farms and families through the internet.
Examine the smartphone's potential for farming as Illinois folks explain how technology could benefit crops in third-world nations. Then, explore the story of how soybeans became a prevalent part of our diet and travel to California to harvest a glowing white crop of salt.
Find out where California rice farmers have found a market for Japanese-style sake. Then, discover how Cleopatra and pickles connect to beauty and how an Indiana man breathes life into historic windmills.
Bring in the colorful harvest on a Florida blueberry farm. Pass the salt and learn about the history of popcorn. Cook up some unique asparagus recipes with Sharon Vaknin and climb to new heights at a New Orleans rooftop farm.
Saddle up for a California cattle roundup. Haul in the heads at an Arizona lettuce farm. Take our quiz to learn more about crop rotation. Join Nevada sheep ranchers in preventing open range grass fires and sample Kentucky’s unique bourbon soy sauce.
Head south for an H2O harvest of crawfish in Louisiana. Sample some exotic recipes made with Belgian endive. Join the search as “working dogs” look for dangerous plant pests and celebrate a special anniversary as an Ohio farm family marks two hundred years of working their land.
Head for the school room to see how Wisconsin’s Farm to Fork program benefits students. Explore the science behind Arizona’s plan to turn algae into livestock feed. Join the trek to California’s asparagus fields, just in time for the harvest. Serve yourself to a helping of history on sweet potatoes. Florida's food safety efforts.
Take to the waters of Chesapeake Bay for a harvest of oysters. Open a carton of milk from an Ohio heritage dairy. Test your kitchen skills on some unusual beef recipes and sample the artwork created by farmer artists in California.
Hitch up the team for an Arizona draft horse vacation. Log on to the blog of a Virginia farm family that champions agriculture. Test you agriculture knowledge - just what is gluten free? Join a Kentucky sheep roundup for one of a kind wool creations.
Travel back in time to Kentucky land that’s been farmed by the same family for more than 200 years. Examine the science behind the effort to develop America’s best looking lawns. Take you pick of some great apricot recipes and join Louisiana trackers on the hunt for feral hogs destroying farmland.
Bring in a colorful harvest of irises with a California farm family. Visit the farm that has been one of the country's top corn producers every year since 2000. Sample a unique vintage of wine from Wyoming and join some New Mexico residents bringing the produce from an Albuquerque urban farm.
Haul in a harvest of tall timber in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Learn how to cook up some unusual blueberry recipes. Discover how the internet helped four young ladies begin farming and travel to Arizona where one farm specializes in raising cactus.
Travel to the Brunkow Farm in Kansas for a dawn to dusk look at the challenges faced by a modern day farm family. Dealing with the grip of a difficult drought, Glenn Brunkow, his wife, Jennifer and their children, Isaac and Tatum raise cattle and row crops.
Saddle up to see how Florida ranchers are saving a historic breed of cattle. Make your choices of popular produce at Alabama’s oldest farmers market. Test a new recipe for sweet and spicy corn fritters and discover how a farm school in New Mexico is helping residents in one economically disadvantaged community.
Take to the range in Wyoming where goats are essential to a cattle ranching operation. Haul in a sweet harvest of sugarcane in Louisiana. Travel back in time to find out about George Washington, the farmer and discover why Bok Choy should be a vegetable on your dinner table.
Choose the fast talking winners at America’s cattle auctioneer championships. Bring in a sweet harvest of Alabama watermelons. Discover why grains are playing a growing role in your diet and cook up some unusual recipes using bright red tomatoes.
The two top states for dairy production in the U.S. are California and Wisconsin. Both churn out more cheese, milk and butter than most countries around the world. And the battle for supremacy continues between the states. Which makes the better cheese? Which produces more milk? In this special episode we look at the similarities and differences in dairy farming in the states.
See how a bad drought meant good news for a Wyoming farmer hauling in a harvest of high protein wheat. A Wisconsin dairy divides its herd to meet customer demands for traditional and organic milk products.And we take you from farm to fork to spice up some recipes for green beans.
Saddle up for a rodeo riding school in Montana. Visit a California farm community pulling together to save pollinating honeybees. An Arkansas rancher rounds up a large and growing herd of buffalo.
Take in a tart harvest of cranberries from a historic New England farm. Answer the question: Which is best, canned, frozen or fresh? One woman finds success with an exotic mushroom farm in the heart of one California city.
Meet some classy cowgirls working to change the impression of women in rural communities. Photographers highlight the western look at a ranching fashion shoot. Ride along with one woman rancher hanging tough with the cowboys on her New Mexico ranch.
Find out why some strange hen houses are key to improving poultry production for one New Mexico farmer. Haul in a catch of unusual fish recipes. Take to the field to see how California rice farmers are providing picture perfect opportunities for bird watchers.
Travel to Montana for a one of a kind sheep roundup. Head for the orchard and apple harvest time at one historic New England farm. Discover how one farmer’s soybeans are destined for products in your home.
Fans of antique tractors gather to see them action once again. Discover how gluten free affects your diet and your health. Sharon Vaknin serves up some very special walnut recipes. Harvest some very hot chiles at one Arizona farm. Find out why sweet means different things when it comes to sugar.
Meet a Montana family finding success by combining farming and fishing. Haul in the harvest with an Arkansas family with a passion for exceptional produce. Meet a Wyoming family working hard to preserve a ranch that's been in their family for generations. Take to the ocean for a New England program that delivers seafood direct to consumers.
Haul in a harvest of bright red Washington cherries. Discover how a deadly citrus disease threatens Florida orange juice producers. Examine the research in helping honeybee colonies survive. Travel to California’s Ojai Valley to taste one-of-a-kind tangerines.
Reporter Sarah Gardner saddles up for a heartland outing devoted to horses. Travel to California where a unique program is dedicated to saving wild mustangs. Go on a Texas cattle drive with singer/songwriter Jewel. Meet an Illinois veterinarian helping horses near the Midwest’s largest city and visit a retirement home from racehorses in Kentucky.
A California poultry producer makes changes to impact animal welfare. An Idaho produce company lets consumers track their produce right back to the field. Wheat farmers find support from bakers in Kansas City, and a San Francisco airline kitchen meets dining demands with the help of California produce farmers.
If you’re eating more rice in your meals these days, you’re not alone. Thanks to consumers with more adventurous tastes and changes in America’s ethnic makeup, rice consumption has grown dramatically. Rice farmers in Louisiana bring in a double harvest in their rice fields, meet an Arkansas farmer raising special rice for Japanese diners, and a California rice grower saving wild duck eggs.
A Tennessee craftsman builds historic dulcimers that harken back to America’s past. A Wisconsin dairy farmer does double duty as a woodcarver. A Wyoming woman uses sheep’s wool for one of a kind art projects and a Kansas farm family creates a country attraction that teachers young folks about agriculture.
Travel to North Carolina where one nursery uses robotic workers to plant and pack new flowers. Examine the research going into creating new plant varieties at the world famous Burpee Seed Company. Head for the Atlantic Coast to find out how “sea oats” are helping one state to save its shoreline.
Meet an Oklahoma farmer developing new ways to meet a growing sesame seed demand worldwide.You may not be familiar with the term, Pulse Crops, but researchers in North Dakota are developing new uses for this important group of legumes. A group of California nuns is turning out unique olive oil and take part in a bright white harvest of sea salt direct from the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
Reporter Jason Shoultz takes a trip back in time to share some historic moments in American agriculture. You’ll meet an Indiana farmer saving historic windmills. Join a Florida cattle drive with a bovine breed dating back to the 1500’s. Test your taste buds on a savory pasta mushroom recipe and discover how North Dakota Farmers work to save historic rural churches.
You’ll meet a Minnesota artist who created a career in painting cows. Travel to Nebraska where art students expand their horizons on a one of a kind art farm. California artists and farmers share space to capture Golden State images and we’ll take you to Colorado where one artist uses grain silos to create a huge canvass that celebrates rural living.
Head for some good eating at the National Cornbread Festival in Tennessee. Meet a Wisconsin teenager whose future lies in dairy farming, but whose hobby is demolition derby driving at rural county fairs. Chef Sharon Vaknin serves up tasty dishes using barley, and a small Iowa city pulls out all the stops for its annual town festival.
Sheep have been a mainstay of agriculture for thousands of years. We head for Arizona’s badlands on an unusual sheep drive. We head for Arizona’s badlands on an unusual sheep drive. Meet an Idaho family raising award winning sheep. Sarah tests her wool wrangling abilities at a Tennessee sheep shearing school and we’ll travel to Nevada where wooly white animals help prevent wildfires.
Idaho dairy farmers work to protect rivers and streams. Meet a Tennessee couple making award winning goat cheese. We’ll run down the steps in making Cottage Cheese in Off the Shelf, discover a flavorful dairy dish for your next party in Farm to Fork and go door to door for home delivery with a Minnesota milkman.
A direct to consumer sales program brings success to a California organic Farm. A Nebraska farm family cashes in on a growing demand for gluten free flour made from sorghum. Stefanie Cruz explains just what gluten is and how it affects those with digestive disorders. And school children in Virginia help farmers succeed with a farm to school program that brings local products into the lunchroom.
Reporter John Lobertini takes us to the rocky coast of Maine where lobster fishermen are facing new challenges as they harvest crustaceans from the Atlantic Ocean. Sarah Gardner discovers how Arkansas farmers are finding fish farming to be profitable-hundreds of miles from the ocean.And a special kind of oyster farming in Maryland’s is helping clean up pollution in Chesapeake Bay.
A dad returns to the farm after a long career away from the land. Parents are giving their young children the skills to one day take over their Nebraska wheat farming operations. See how American wheat is benefitting food choices for both people and animals in Africa. Visit an Idaho farm where the focus is all about barley to create distinctive beers.
A group of young people just starting out in farming. They’ve gone back to school to learn all about agriculture at the California Farm Academy. Meet some young people handling farming chores on a daily basis right in the heart of Philadelphia’s inner city. And a young Florida couple teaching others about organic farming with some hands on lessons at their produce farm.
Reporter Sarah Gardner rounds up some Texas Longhorn cattle. These cows, however, aren’t in the Lone Star State. A Kansas Ranching family changes the color of their cattle to improve the brand. Law Enforcement officials in California work to stop modern day cattle rustlers. Rob Stewart travels to Idaho to meet a cattle ranching family that’s added Elk ranching to their rangeland.
It’s all about wine. Rob Stewart does some research on how lab work off the farm is improving the vintage for one California winemaker. African American vintners tap into new markets. Jason Shoultz gives you some background on wine and grapes. And making beer is a multi-family affair at the 7 Brides Brewery in Oregon.
Two Nebraska women using the internet to help promote rural living in Nebraska. Sarah Gardner discovers that technology is making it possible for North Carolina farmers to better reach consumers. Two Kansas farm wives connect with city folks and rural residents with blogs on their new lives on the farm. And smartphone apps make it possible to improve crop yields for farmers in third world nations.
Rob Stewart finds a number of city folks who relish vacations on the farm, even helping to bring in the crops. Urban gardening programs in Kansas City help youngster to eat healthier. And a historic farm in the heart of Boston benefits consumers looking for fresh produce and youngsters who enjoy a rural vacation in the heart of the city.
Visit a working dog training school in Nebraska where dogs learn how to handle sheep and cattle roundups. A Texas program takes feral cats and provides them to farmers and ranchers to help battle rodent problems. U.S. Customs agents use specially trained dogs to discover unwelcome pests coming in from shipments overseas. Barn owls help to keep down pest populations in California vineyards.
New Mexico ranchers helping farmers in Third World nations. Travel to Sacramento where farmers and consumers get together to enjoy the bounty of the Golden State. City residents in Boston join with Massachusetts farmers on a gleaners program that delivers fresh produce to those facing hunger in New England. Spicy Sweet Potato and Beef Stew Recipe.
Sarah Gardner takes you to North Dakota where scientists are developing new kinds of sunflower seed snacks. Akiba Howard profiles research on building a better tomato. Jason Shoultz reveals how entire lines of seed stock are protected at the National Seed Bank. Stephanie O’Neill discovers how researchers in California and Pennsylvania work to improve soil for better crops.
Reporter Yolanda Vazquez takes us to meet a New York family finding success in raising crops without soil. Rob Stewart travels to Louisiana where one grocery store has a produce garden on the roof of its building. It’s science and not soil for researchers in Arizona creating food and fuel from algae. Travel to the waters off the coast of Maine where fishermen haul in a harvest of seaweed.
Travel to Louisiana to discover the secret of the world’s most famous hot sauce. Reporter Sarah Gardner travels back in time to learn more about George WashingtonÂ… the farmer. Ohio’s Malabar farm has a distinguished past as a historic farm and the location for the Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall wedding. Reporter Rob Stewart takes you to Vermont where one man is working to save historic barns.
Reporter Akiba Howard helps haul in a harvest of potatoes in Colorado. An Idaho farm creates new potato varieties to meet consumer demand. An Arkansas family stakes their future on growing large sweet potatoes. Sharon Profis is in the kitchen with a unique potato recipe.
Foodies celebrate artisanal wines and beers. A California man is serving up some very different kinds of beverages with artisanal Vodka! Kentucky is world famous for bourbon, one farmer's corn is critical to the flavor of this special drink. Vacationers to Hawaii love to bring home Kona coffee. One Nebraska farmer is staking his future on wine.
A Delaware farm where the customers do the picking. An Alabama chef celebrates local food producers with his own “Farm to Table” movement. Chef Sharon Profis serves up an unusual pork recipe with a strawberry sauce and delivers a simple strawberry dessert favorite. Reporter Sarah Gardner takes us to Hawaii where a tropical farmers market serves locals and visitors alike.
Reporter Sarah Gardner takes us to New Mexico where urban gardening finds a growing fan base in Albuquerque. Yolanda Vazquez discovers a 300 year old farm in the heart of New York City. Jason Shoultz visits a New England farm family working to avoid the crush of urbanization in historic Lexington, Massachusetts. A California woman finds success by farming mushrooms in the heart of Sacramento.
Reporter Rob Stewart heads down south to meet a South Carolina family that’s been raising prize winning peaches for nearly a century. Discover the hard work involved in bringing in the harvest in the cranberry bogs of Massachusetts. Tap into the successful operation of maple sugaring in Vermont. California farmers find new markets overseas for their bright red strawberries.
Reporter Jason Shoultz meets a Virginia farmer improving his profit margin by helping reduce pollution on his farm. A Louisiana family improves soil for their sugarcane farming operation. Sharon Profis is in the kitchen with a grilled peach recipe that delivers unusual flavor to a spicy meat topping. The State of Michigan works with farmers to improve the environment for city and rural residents.
From BLTs to breakfast, bacon is a staple on the menu for most Americans. With new recipes incorporating bacon into all kinds of dishes the popularity of bacon knows no bounds. Jason Shoultz visits a bacon festival in Colorado, a Chicago pub serving up beer and bacon pairings, a state fair bacon-booth and a bacon-themed food truck hitting the streets of Sacramento, California.
Rob Stewart meets an Alabama farmer who credits a serious accident for his success. Sarah Gardner sets sail off the coast of New England for a harvest of seafood. Jason Shoultz discovers how Florida officials battle bugs and bacteria to make our food safer. Rob Stewart takes to the woods to face a challenge from feral hogs. Jason Shoultz discovers how fire ants are threatening ranchers in Texas.
Rob Stewart heads to class with high school students learning to be farmers. Yolanda Vazquez jumps aboard a New Jersey school bus powered by soybeans. Sharon Profis serves up cheese flavored biscuits. Jason Shoultz meets a Minnesota farmer with an environmental message for third grade students.
It’s all about cotton! Rob Stewart takes viewers to a Louisiana cotton harvest. You’ll learn how cotton fibers are transformed into denim jeans. And you’ll discover why cotton seed is a favorite with dairy farmers.
Rob Stewart finds out how climate change is affecting American agriculture. Sarah Gardner travels to Washington State where farmers learn to do more with less water. Jason Shoultz takes to the fields as Georgia farmers use new technology to stretch scare water supplies. And Jason joins researchers in Florida working to create drought resistant lawns.
Jason Shoultz visits Illinois where one farm’s “country connection” also means weddings. Sarah Gardner meets two Michigan sisters earning honors for their environmental work while growing ripe red apples. The future for one California farm is in the heart of a major city. Rob Stewart meets an Arizona rancher whose life on the range means campfire cooking.
Sarah Gardner visits a farming program helping Armed Services veterans transition from combat to life on the land. Jason Shoultz travels to Minnesota where immigrant members of the Hmong community are starting out in farming. Sharon Profis heads to the kitchen for a recipe on deep-fried avocado egg rolls. Rob Stewart heads to an outdoor classroom in Massachusetts teaching students about farming.
Rob Stewart finds that North Carolina fishermen face challenges from the ocean and consumers in keeping their industry alive. Sarah Gardner heads for Arizona to meet a farmer trying to create the perfect pepper. Sharon Profis serves up a deliciously different recipe for salmon. Kristen Simoes heads for the Great Plains to sample some fine wine from Wyoming.
Rob Stewart takes us to the ranch of William Randolph Hearst. One of the most famous locations in America is home to a special grass fed cattle operation. Kristen Simoes travels down South to meet an Alabama woman rancher working to improve the environment. Jason Shoultz heads for the World Cattle Auctioneering Contest. An Arkansas ranch raises big big buffalo.
Jason Shoultz visits a California rice farm where a focus on preserving wildlife is important to the farm’s future. Sarah Gardner heads for New England where folks are a critical element in preserving one family’s farming heritage. Rob Stewart looks at the challenges faced by North Carolina goat ranchers in creating award winning cheese. Family found success in matching ranching with recreation.
Jason Shoultz reveals how Chicago’s Downtown Marriott sources food from local farmers, and raises vegetables on the hotel roof for its restaurants. South Carolina businesswoman Darla Moore is working to improve her farming community with a world class botanical garden. Researchers in California and the Carolinas work to save the honeybees. Chef Sharon Profis sweetens up a dish using honey.
Rob Stewart visits a California forester transforming hardwoods into heirloom furniture. Kristen Simoes travels to Montana where the Spring Creek Ranch diversifies their cattle operation with world class fly fishing. Sharon Profis hauls in a culinary catch with a shrimp and scallop bake. Jason Shoultz joins one farm family sharing their love of old time travel with horse and buggy outings.
On this special edition of America’s Heartland we follow a California cattle rancher as he goes on his last cattle drive before handing the family ranch over to the next generation. As the family faces an uncertain future, so does their small town of Likely, California. A changing rural economy is forcing many to this once-thriving community.
California rice farmer sells direct to consumers. A Virginia farm sets national record(s) for corn harvests. Farm to Fork turkey burgers. Wisconsin’s “Farm to School” program celebrates local crops as students learn to eat healthier.
New Mexico poultry farmers use yurts to raise “free range” birds. Montana sheep ranchers move thousands of sheep to winter pasture. Louisiana’s Loyd Hall Plantation celebrates two centuries of farming. An Illinois farm mixes agriculture and aerospace parts production.
Arizona farmers raise record crops in America’s “Winter Salad Bowl.” Farmers donate crops to Florida food programs. Farm to Fork cauliflower frittata. Montana farmers develop new crops to meet gluten free demands.
A California farmer helps you raise exotic mushrooms at home. A New Mexico program for beginning farmers. Native American tribes bring in a wild rice harvest in Minnesota. Mississippi rural life is celebrated in blues music.
It’s a “Big Apple” farm story at a very special orchard in New York. Sarah Gardner introduces us to an Ohio farm family taking a “global approach” to marketing their products overseas. Sharon Profis delivers the recipe for a flavorful carrot soup. And Rob Stewart meets a young man reestablishing a historic crop on his Virginia farm.
Rob Stewart visits an Arkansas farm where technology is helping keep down costs for consumers. Jason Shoultz meets a Georgia peanut farmer with a local peanut delicacy. Sarah Gardner heads to Tennessee for the annual “Mule Days.” And then handle with care one Arizona family is all about raising cactus.
Jason Shoultz travels to California’s central valley where one long time farm family has found success with sweet potato spirits. An Iowa farmer turns his cornfields into vineyards to create his own special wine. A candied orange salad is the feature in the “Farm to Fork” segment. And Wisconsin’s Sassy Cow Creamery turns out unique kinds of cheese and ice cream.
Jason Shoultz visits an Oregon farm growing acres and acres of bright tulips. Bright blue is the color of success for a blueberry farm in Florida. Rob Stewarts visits a Louisiana research facility working to save America’s Honeybees. And travel back in time as a Pennsylvania man works to save historic barns.
Rob Stewart joins city folks in a great escape to the country to learn more about farm stays or what some people call "Haycations." Artists make their way to a Nebraska art farm to gain inspiration in a rural landscape. Sarah Gardner travels to Wisconsin where the Crave Brothers Dairy turns cow manure into electrical energy. Sharon Profis is in the kitchen with a special recipe for Mushroom Pasta.
Taking part in a cattle drive is the dream of cowboy and cowgirl enthusiasts everywhere! Jason Shoultz joins the Cox and Heaton ranch families in Utah as they spend days in the saddle to move their herd from winter pasture to summer grazing lands.
The transition from military to civilian life often brings challenges in both how one lives his or her life and what the future holds in careers. A program in Colorado is helping veterans make that transition with an eye to new beginnings as farmers.
Rob Stewart saddles up for a trip to California’s High Country where wild mustangs run free on land set aside to protect them. Sarah Gardner finds a South Dakota farm family counting on new technologies to deliver wheat to consumers. And California winemakers take steps to insure sustainability and work to protect water and air quality.
Sarah Gardner meets musician Rodney Dillard who came to fame on the Andy Griffith Show and is now returning to his farming roots. Reporter Akiba Howard spends time with singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey in his salute to America’s farmers and ranchers. Sharon Profis shows you how to turn a dull garden vegetable into something special.
Saddle up for a cattle roundup-this time in Florida. Rob Stewart meets a successful woman rancher whose work centers on cattle and conservation. Jason Shoultz discovers beginning farmers in Oregon taking an “Old School” approach to working the land by using draft horses. We’ll take you to Oregon where hops are also an essential ingredient in making special brews at a very special brewery.
Soybeans touch every aspect of our daily lives from the food we eat to items that we use at home, school, and the office. Rob visits an Illinois farm family that also sees soybeans as important to America’s image overseas. Come along to a New England farm dating back before the American Revolution. Sharon Profis shares an exotic recipe using coconut milk.
Jason Shoultz visits a very different kind of dairy in Oregon where it’s all about milk, bicycle racing and midget sprint cars. Sarah Gardner finds students learning all about dair- thanks to a traveling cow and calf. Rob Stewart takes us to Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts where maple syrup is made in a time-honored way. And travel to Florida where special bees are the secret to sweet Tupelo.
Rob Stewart takes us down south for a Georgia watermelon harvest. Kristen Simoes heads to California to meet a ranching family whose land is focused on cattle and conservation. Sharon Profis dishes up a special way to serve “greens” with a unique spinach recipe. Sarah Gardner finds herself wrestling some very active animals at a Tennessee sheep shearing school.
America’s Heartland takes you to California’s olive groves to meet the growers and learn more about the processing of the green and golden liquid. We’ll also talk to the experts at the University of California-Davis whose olive oil research is giving consumers new information about claims concerning “virgin” olive oil, taste, and price.
Rob Stewart takes you to Illinois where a special program has brought wild bison back to the prairie for the first time since the 1840’s. Jason Shoultz introduces you to a California farmer whose family hobby turned into a successful winemaking business. Sharon Profis dishes up a rich and flavorful recipe using rice. We travel to Minnesota to a family owned pickle company!
Jason Shoultz takes you to Florida where a special farm program helps young men and women facing difficulties. Kristen Simoes visits the asparagus fields of northern California where the tall thin vegetables can sometimes grow up to a foot a day. Sarah Gardner discovers how Ohio farmer Bob Evans went from livestock rancher to famous restaurateur.
