The cost of meat, dairy and produce has risen in recent years, but there’s no lack of it. Somehow, through the madness of war and tariffs, farmers foreign and domestic keep it all coming to the nation’s 45,575 supermarkets — broccoli and butter, chickpeas and chicken, lettuce and lamb.
Add the tons of kale and spinach, peppers and onions, tomatoes and potatoes, bacon and eggs that flow through the nation’s 8,800 farmer’s markets.
When you step away from the assumptions we’ve all grown up with — that dairy cases will always be full, crates of apples always packed — the American food system is a miracle of agriculture and commerce. We gripe about the price of food, but give little consideration to the dynamics of its vast and constant supply.
For the record: There are nearly 6,000 full-time farmers in Maryland, and thousands more who work on farms. The majority of farmland lies in the north central part of the state and the Eastern Shore, with 12,600 farms on some 2 million acres of land. A 2022 census of agriculture showed that 81% of Maryland farms were family owned.
Fun fact: Maryland farms produced 750 million eggs in 2025.
For all that, most of us have nothing to do with farms, so we seldom think about what goes on there.
But a trip to the barns and judging rings at the Maryland State Fair in Timonium forces you to think about it, especially when young people bring their critters into the arena for the 4-H/Future Farmers of America competitions. They represent the next generation and the promise of future food for the rest of us.
On Sunday, a familiar scene: Teenage boys and girls in white shirts and khakis paraded their spotted swine, tapping gently with crops to keep their pigs on course, conscious that they were being judged.
It might seem a quaint throwback to an earlier time, but, of course, it’s prime time for young farmers; they hope to make a good showing at the fair and, in having their animal judged, maybe earn a ribbon for good breeding and care.
And even when they don’t finish first, they learn something.
“A big part of that experience is education,” says David Gordon, general manager of the state fair and, having been raised on a Frederick County farm, a graduate of its youth trials. His 15-year-old daughter, Leah, represents the sixth generation of her family to show at the fair, with prize-winning hogs.
During Sunday’s competitions for spotted swine, boer goats and breeding sheep, I noticed that each judge commented on each animal, pointing out its good points and flaws. That gentle exercise struck me as the thing adults should be doing in all arenas of life — both praising and advising young people.
Future Farmers of America goes back 100 years to a national livestock judging contest for young men in Kansas City, Missouri. About 20 years older than FFA is 4-H, and its mission goes beyond farming to teaching life skills and leadership.
Both organizations require boys and girls to embrace the responsibility, day after day, of caring for an animal for market or for breeding, says Gordon. And that, he says, will serve them well as they become adults.
Not all are destined to be farmers, but many will follow their parents into providing food for the rest of us.
One of the families showing animals at the fair just hit the century mark: The Stiles family of Spring Valley Farm in Carroll County is in its 100th year of exhibitions. Allen and Wayne Stiles, their sister Betty Ann Heath and her husband Billy run the place, raising award-winning Jerseys, the light brown, doe-eyed cattle that produce milk known for high butter fat. Spring Valley, near Westminster, has about 120 head at any given time.
The Stiles family will be showing their animals at the state fair again, a tradition that goes back to grandpappy, N.C. Stiles, founder of the farm.
The state fair runs over the next two long weekends, with more animal competitions on the schedule and exhibitions about farm life and where all that food comes from.
Getting there tip: Consider light rail. It leaves you right at the fair entrance, and one of the first things you’ll see are farm animals getting washed up and spiffy for the show rings.
Dan Rodricks writes his column weekly for Baltimore Fishbowl. He can be reached via danrodricks.com
Another fascinating article by Dan Rodricks !!! The Maryland State Fair and Agricultural Society is an enduring tradition that hearkens back to yesteryear but also showcases a critical part of all of our lives today, from the food that we eat to the clothes that we wear and so much more.
With great thanks and appreciation to Dan Rodricks for showcasing the hard work and passion of our 4-H and FFA youth.