BY WIB MIDDLETON
Photo : christina hopkins
Deere Valley Farm : A new way forward
If you want a break from online shopping and mega grocery stores head to The Market at Deere Valley in Dickerson , off Route 28 , just shy of the Frederick County line . It ’ s the farm with the huge stand of pines , partially obscuring the dairy barn . The farm market is filled with carefully curated , mostly local products . Owners Rob and Samantha Baker envisioned the retail operation years ago and operate it with their two boys , Josh and Zack , recent college grads . It ’ s been open for almost a year . Three generations of the Bakers — Rob , Samantha , Josh , Zack and Rob ’ s parents , Nancy and Paul Baker also work the commercial side of the business that had its roots as a dairy farm almost 100 years ago . Known for their high quality hay , corn , wheat and soybeans , and more recently , cattle and hog raising , the Bakers go back five generations . It ’ s a family enterprise with a lot of history .
The market store is immediately welcoming . Cuts of beef , pork , lamb and chicken fill a long freezer wall on the left . The protein offerings and the creation of the farm market was a huge addition to their traditional farm operation , and for the young Baker family , a way to stabilize their future . In summer months the farm market is also a hot spot for their everpopular soft serve ice cream in creative flavors that change weekly to entice faithful followers on their Facebook site .
“ Every single vendor I ’ m getting product from I talk to or email on multiple occasions ,” says Samantha . And that ’ s after exhaustive research to find what fits in the market . “ Many of the products you can ’ t get anywhere else . The idea is to work with small local businesses who are trying to make it , too .” Farm fresh eggs , cheeses , yogurts , baked goods , spices , cookies , fruit in season , veggies , a deli section , locally roasted coffee , home baked cookies to kettle corn , and colorful tins of jerky , pasta and sauces ... all charmingly displayed .
The customer who just bought a T-bone streak at the Market has no idea how that steak got there and what causes had to line up for it to even be available . The progression and ultimate realization of the Market at Deere Valley began decades ago . In the 1920s , the Baker family land was acquired from a bankruptcy by Rob ’ s great uncle James “ Bub ” Runkles , a local businessman in the logging industry . Eventually some 700 acres was consolidated and a dairy operation begun . The heyday for dairy farming ran from the early 1940s to the 1960s with farms as far downcounty as Bethesda , Rob recounts . Hundreds of dairy farms existed at that time throughout the region .
Dairy farming started declining around the mid 1960s … in large part because the on-farm profitability
plenty I autumn harvest 2024 43