Feel the Love

Have you seen our latest Leader magazine yet?
Every quarter, we put out a member publication, called the Leader. It’s full of stories about leaders in our area—men and women who have overcome obstacles and established successful ag businesses in our area.
You can find our latest issue at www.mafc.com. But let me give you some highlights: this month, the theme is all about love, from the heart-shaped wreath on the cover to the members that we know and love and feature inside the pages.
You’ll read about Al and Jennifer Cassinelli, who had a dream of owning their own vineyard. They moved from farm to farm—finally ending up on their current property in Queen Anne’s county—before they found the right soil and the right place for their beloved grapes to grow.
And who can think about wine without thinking about a nice slab of cheese to go with it? Not me…which is why I enjoyed the story on Wakefield Dairy in Peach Bottom, PA. I don’t know a whole lot about cheese-making, and enjoyed learning about “cheese cave” that they use to age their tasty product.
Cheese isn’t the only dairy product we featured this month—there’s a great article on Kilby Cream, a dairy farm based in Rising Sun, MD. They make amazing chocolate milk, and people line up for their ice cream, even in the coldest weather.
Speaking of the weather, I know I’m like a lot of you, dreaming about when it’s going to get warmer and finally start greening up. If it’s too grey for you, too, it’s a great time to visit a local nursery. We featured one on page 8 of the magazine, Weber’s Nursery in Winchester, VA. Seeing all of the colorful blooms is a great reminder that Spring is just around the corner.
With Spring, comes our annual stockholder meetings. I hope you can make it to one of them. If you want more information, just stop by any of our offices and ask for an annual meeting information statement—you’ll have all the info there that you need to sign up for one of the five regional meetings we’re planning. They start April 5, and end the 13th…so you’ll still have time to get out in the fields!
In the meantime, enjoy the longer days and try to carve out an hour or so to flip through our latest Leader. I think you’ll love it.