part. His longer-term dream includes eventually diversifying into hogs, ducks, and maybe even a farm market store.
COMMON ROOT FARM: passion and perseverance
Steven Stup designed giant rain barrels to capture water for irrigation at Stelo Acres.
selective in choosing land that slopes gently in several directions. He has planted annual flowers so that pollinators can help his berries and small fruit trees( called“ whips” in the orchard world). Steven says:“… you and Mother Nature have to work as a team.”
He quickly created many rows of raised beds for berries and fruits, and in his 2025 inaugural year provided 1500 pounds of watermelon to CFS. He also grows honeydew melon, cantaloupe, strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos. It will be several years before his trees provide fruit,
Photo: Melane kinney hoffmann
but Steven seems to have endless energy to take on more. When asked about gloom and doom projections about the future of farming, Steven seems undaunted. He talks about the supportive online community of small-scale farmers who exchange ideas and share information.“ All farmers are dreamers— you have to be. We are entrepreneurs who just want to figure out how to crack the code. We all need to eat, and we need to eat healthy food.” He acknowledges that it will not be easy, and that scaling up and figuring out financial survival will be the hardest
Ryan Kalivretenos, who co-founded Common Root Farm in 2018 in Derwood, has mastered growing fresh organic vegetables and greens to the point that his farm is one of the largest producers in the County. Common Root has over 400 CSA members, sells wholesale to food assistance programs such as Manna Food and CFS, and at farmers markets throughout the region. Ryan also grows on property north of Baltimore and in Frederick County.
This level of growing success comes with a price. Ryan cautions beginning farmers that the costs of land, labor, materials, equipment, and fuel make it hard to realize a profit. In addition, a weather event can wipe out a crop. Even with grants and loans from various government agencies and nonprofit organizations, Ryan says income rarely outweighs expenses; thus most farmers end up with debt.
A conversation with Ryan reveals a considered balance between pragmatism and a commitment to strongly held ideals. He believes in the healing power of farming and healthy food, and has trained and mentored many emerging farmers with this mindset. He writes in his most recent newsletter“ We farm because it supports a human society, with the hope that the human society will
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