Plent y
spring sowing Season • 2026
FEATURES
4 Climate Change Calls for Climate Smart Farming
by tom farquhar
9 At the Mercy of the Weather The relentless gamble of farming by melane kinney hoffmann
16 Red Wiggler: A Care Farm for Care Farms Celebrating 30 years of creating meaningful work for adults with disabilities by avery marks
24 The Fate of White’ s Ferry What historical maps can and cannot confirm by kenny sholes
27 Open Space Land Preservation in Barnesville An act of civic generosity by tom hoffman
31 Feeding the Nation Mexicano people’ s role in U. S. food production
by alejandro lopez
44 Getting Kids Back to Nature Why it matters more than ever
by david ritter
DEPARTMENTS
13 Wild Thing Critical Habitat for Threatened Birds by rick borchelt
21 From the Ground Up Grow a Birdhouse by allison tjaden
23 Poetry Corner All the Pretty Blossoms by gene kingsbury
29 Conservation on the Reserve Dedication of Montgomery County’ s Newest Park by royce hanson
37 Community Conversation The Inequities of a Public Transportation Desert by link hoewing
40 Treasures of the Reserve A Family’ s Story Rediscovered
by jeff sypeck
48 Community Supported Agriculture Milk Lady Farmers’ Markets publisher i managing editor & design Jane Perini publisher i staff writer & photography Wib Middleton cover i photo by Gene Kingsbury
PLENTY, Spring Sowing Issue 2026. Plenty is published three times a year by Thunder Mountain Publishing LLC. It is distributed free of charge in many Montgomery County, MD locations as well as locations in Frederick. © 2026 by Thunder Mountain Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. • www. plenty-agmag. com • 928-862-0600