America's Heartland

California rice farmer sells direct to consumers. A Virginia farm sets national record(s) for corn harvests. Farm to Fork turkey burgers. Wisconsin’s “Farm to School” program celebrates local crops as students learn to eat healthier.

New Mexico poultry farmers use yurts to raise “free range” birds. Montana sheep ranchers move thousands of sheep to winter pasture. Louisiana’s Loyd Hall Plantation celebrates two centuries of farming. An Illinois farm mixes agriculture and aerospace parts production.

Arizona farmers raise record crops in America’s “Winter Salad Bowl.” Farmers donate crops to Florida food programs. Farm to Fork cauliflower frittata. Montana farmers develop new crops to meet gluten free demands.

A California farmer helps you raise exotic mushrooms at home. A New Mexico program for beginning farmers. Native American tribes bring in a wild rice harvest in Minnesota. Mississippi rural life is celebrated in blues music.

It’s a “Big Apple” farm story at a very special orchard in New York. Sarah Gardner introduces us to an Ohio farm family taking a “global approach” to marketing their products overseas. Sharon Profis delivers the recipe for a flavorful carrot soup. And Rob Stewart meets a young man reestablishing a historic crop on his Virginia farm.

Rob Stewart visits an Arkansas farm where technology is helping keep down costs for consumers. Jason Shoultz meets a Georgia peanut farmer with a local peanut delicacy. Sarah Gardner heads to Tennessee for the annual “Mule Days.” And then handle with care one Arizona family is all about raising cactus.

Jason Shoultz travels to California’s central valley where one long time farm family has found success with sweet potato spirits. An Iowa farmer turns his cornfields into vineyards to create his own special wine. A candied orange salad is the feature in the “Farm to Fork” segment. And Wisconsin’s Sassy Cow Creamery turns out unique kinds of cheese and ice cream.

Jason Shoultz visits an Oregon farm growing acres and acres of bright tulips. Bright blue is the color of success for a blueberry farm in Florida. Rob Stewarts visits a Louisiana research facility working to save America’s Honeybees. And travel back in time as a Pennsylvania man works to save historic barns.

Rob Stewart joins city folks in a great escape to the country to learn more about farm stays or what some people call "Haycations." Artists make their way to a Nebraska art farm to gain inspiration in a rural landscape. Sarah Gardner travels to Wisconsin where the Crave Brothers Dairy turns cow manure into electrical energy. Sharon Profis is in the kitchen with a special recipe for Mushroom Pasta.

Taking part in a cattle drive is the dream of cowboy and cowgirl enthusiasts everywhere! Jason Shoultz joins the Cox and Heaton ranch families in Utah as they spend days in the saddle to move their herd from winter pasture to summer grazing lands.

The transition from military to civilian life often brings challenges in both how one lives his or her life and what the future holds in careers. A program in Colorado is helping veterans make that transition with an eye to new beginnings as farmers.

Rob Stewart saddles up for a trip to California’s High Country where wild mustangs run free on land set aside to protect them. Sarah Gardner finds a South Dakota farm family counting on new technologies to deliver wheat to consumers. And California winemakers take steps to insure sustainability and work to protect water and air quality.

Sarah Gardner meets musician Rodney Dillard who came to fame on the Andy Griffith Show and is now returning to his farming roots. Reporter Akiba Howard spends time with singer-songwriter Michael Martin Murphey in his salute to America’s farmers and ranchers. Sharon Profis shows you how to turn a dull garden vegetable into something special.

Saddle up for a cattle roundup-this time in Florida. Rob Stewart meets a successful woman rancher whose work centers on cattle and conservation. Jason Shoultz discovers beginning farmers in Oregon taking an “Old School” approach to working the land by using draft horses. We’ll take you to Oregon where hops are also an essential ingredient in making special brews at a very special brewery.

Soybeans touch every aspect of our daily lives from the food we eat to items that we use at home, school, and the office. Rob visits an Illinois farm family that also sees soybeans as important to America’s image overseas. Come along to a New England farm dating back before the American Revolution. Sharon Profis shares an exotic recipe using coconut milk.

Jason Shoultz visits a very different kind of dairy in Oregon where it’s all about milk, bicycle racing and midget sprint cars. Sarah Gardner finds students learning all about dair- thanks to a traveling cow and calf. Rob Stewart takes us to Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts where maple syrup is made in a time-honored way. And travel to Florida where special bees are the secret to sweet Tupelo.

Rob Stewart takes us down south for a Georgia watermelon harvest. Kristen Simoes heads to California to meet a ranching family whose land is focused on cattle and conservation. Sharon Profis dishes up a special way to serve “greens” with a unique spinach recipe. Sarah Gardner finds herself wrestling some very active animals at a Tennessee sheep shearing school.

America’s Heartland takes you to California’s olive groves to meet the growers and learn more about the processing of the green and golden liquid. We’ll also talk to the experts at the University of California-Davis whose olive oil research is giving consumers new information about claims concerning “virgin” olive oil, taste, and price.

Rob Stewart takes you to Illinois where a special program has brought wild bison back to the prairie for the first time since the 1840’s. Jason Shoultz introduces you to a California farmer whose family hobby turned into a successful winemaking business. Sharon Profis dishes up a rich and flavorful recipe using rice. We travel to Minnesota to a family owned pickle company!

Jason Shoultz takes you to Florida where a special farm program helps young men and women facing difficulties. Kristen Simoes visits the asparagus fields of northern California where the tall thin vegetables can sometimes grow up to a foot a day. Sarah Gardner discovers how Ohio farmer Bob Evans went from livestock rancher to famous restaurateur.