AMERICA'S HEARTLAND XII


#1201: Head south for an H2O harvest of crawfish in Louisiana. Sample some exotic recipes made with Belgian endive. Join the search as “working dogs” look for dangerous plant pests. Celebrate a special anniversary as an Ohio farm family marks 200 years of working their land.

#1202: Head for the school room to see how Wisconsin’s “Farm to Fork” program benefits students. Explore the science behind Arizona’s plan to turn algae into livestock feed. Join the trek to California’s asparagus fields just in time for the harvest. Serve yourself to a helping of history on sweet potatoes.

#1203: Travel to the Brunkow Farm in Kansas for a dawn-to-dusk look at the challenges faced by a modern-day farm family. Dealing with the grip of a difficult drought, Glenn Brunkow, his wife Jennifer, and their children Isaac and Tatum raise cattle and row crops.

#1204: Take to the range in Wyoming where goats are essential to a cattle ranching operation. Haul in a sweet harvest of sugarcane in Louisiana. Travel back in time to find out about George Washington the farmer. Discover why bok choy should be a regular vegetable on your dinner table.

#1205: Saddle up for a rodeo riding school in Montana. Visit a California farm community pulling together to save pollinating honeybees. Meet an Arkansas rancher as he rounds up a large and growing herd of buffalo.

#1206: Washington farmers deliver a big, sweet, cherry harvest. See how harvesting Georgia watermelons is a big deal. We’ll find out: are those baby carrots really baby carrots? A Michigan farmer saves energy and the environment growing under glass.

#1207: The Wild Horse Sanctuary in northern California is saving wild mustangs. The Padlock Cattle Ranch welcomes visitors who experience a landscape far different from their urban or suburban homes. Customers pick the fruit at Michigan’s Westview Orchards. Kansas is home to some unusual agri-tourism attractions: Shearer Hill Farm plays host to visitors who sample country cooking.

#1208: Examine the smart phone’s potential for better farming as Illinois folks explain how technology could benefit crops in third-world nations. Discover how soybeans became a prevalent part of our diet. Visit an unusual “farm” in California where the harvest is a glowing white crop of salt.

#1209: Find out where California rice farmers have found a market for Japanese-style sake. Then, discover how horses are helping kids with special needs, and how an Indiana man breathes life into historic windmills.

#1210: We follow a California cattle rancher as he leads his last cattle drive before handing the family ranch over to the next generation. As the family faces an uncertain future, so does their small town of Likely, California.

#1211: A program helps farmers with disabilities keep working their land. Folks visit a unique farm museum in New York City. Hmong immigrants find new agricultural opportunities in the U.S. Farm families preserve their community's historic churches.

#1212: A Montana family finds success with farming and fishing. An Arkansas family has a passion for exceptional produce. Meet a Wyoming family preserving their multi-generational ranch. A New England program delivers seafood direct to consumers.

#1213: Saddle up for an Old West cattle drive in Utah. We hit the dusty trail where we meet an extended ranch family who's been driving cattle to summer grazing grounds for generations. It's an experience available to city slickers too.

#1214: On this special edition, host Jason Shoultz explores the many uses for soybeans. It’s a fun and informative journey from rural Iowa to the city streets of San Francisco.

#1215: We travel to Minnesota to get a first-hand look at the sugar beet industry in action. Learn how farmers in the region work together and around the clock to transform sugar beets fresh from the fields into sugar products.

#1216: Traverse the golden plains and “purple mountains’ majesty” as this special edition takes you to our favorite heartland destinations. It’s the scenic wonders that draw travelers back, and you’ll discover people, places, and scenery we’ve found over the past twelve seasons.

#1217: Farmers respond to changes in getting eggs from the farm to your table. Oklahoma farmers take an unusual path to get crops to market. Hawaii farmers educate visitors about agriculture. A Wisconsin farmer has shows off his woodworking skills.

#1218: Chicago Hotel Restaurant sources food from local farmers. A businesswoman improves her farming community with a botanical garden. Researchers work to save the honeybee. Chef Sharon Profis makes some sweet dishes. We meet a Northern California urban farmer.

#1219: A huge Montana ranch welcomes tourists. A farm family works together to bring in the hay harvest. We visit Oregon’s famous Tillamook cheese factory. Discover an underground harvest in a Utah salt mine.

#1220: Cattle rancher documents ranch life with his award-winning photography. Ohio state prison inmates play a major role in bringing in crops. Visit a century old citrus operation in California’s Central Valley. Discover an award-winning artisanal cheese business.