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Third‑generation Palmyra Farm family discusses dairy breeding, 4‑H program and Williamsport shop
Summary
Mary Shank Creek and family described Palmyra Farm’s 75‑plus‑year dairy and breeding operations, their participation in a 4‑H calf lease program for youth, and the launch of Ruth’s Market in Williamsport that sells local cheeses and prepared foods.
Mary Shank Creek introduced herself as a third‑generation member of Palmyra Farm on Wogerman Road in Hagerstown and said the property has been in her family for more than 75 years. “This property has been in our family for over 75 years,” she said, noting the farm and its products take the name Palmyra from language in a deed dating to the late 1700s.
Palmyra Farm is primarily a dairy operation, Shank Creek said, with on‑farm cheese production, sales of breeding stock and a boarding service for cattle. “We...specialize in doing genetics and selling breeding stock to other breeders,” she said, describing work that serves clients across the tri‑state area.
A family member identified as a farmer at Palmyra Farm outlined the farm’s participation in a 4‑H lease program that allows local youth to lease a calf for the season, care for and train it, and potentially show it at the Washington County Ag Expo or the Maryland State Fair. The speaker said the program exposes young people to agriculture and offers hands‑on opportunities they might otherwise lack.
Shank Creek highlighted the farm’s success in developing Ayrshire cattle, and pointed to one cow, Ruth, as an example. “She was national champion, 2 years in a row,” Shank Creek said, and the animal’s success helped inspire a retail shop in Williamsport.
The shop owner, identified in the transcript only by her role as the owner of Ruth’s Market, said she named the store for the cow Ruth and described the shop’s offerings as focused on prepared sandwiches and local agricultural products. “She was the most lovable cow in the whole entire world and she meant the world to us,” the owner said, and added the shop carries hoagies, paninis, grilled cheeses, produce, cheeses to‑go, pastas, salads and charcuterie trays.
The owner listed local producers represented in the store’s cases, naming Palmer Farm Cheese, Moo Cow Creamery, South Mountain and Delightful Dairy, along with vendors such as Smitty’s Nuts and Blackout Pretzels. She said Williamsport’s canal and biking traffic bring steady foot traffic and described her role in the family business as focused on retail and community connections rather than milking.
The transcript contains an apparent inconsistency: an early reference calls the retail spot Ruth’s Market and a later line records the shop owner saying she wanted to name the shop “Bruce Market.” The record here preserves that discrepancy rather than resolving it.
The speakers framed the presentation around farm heritage, workforce and youth outreach through 4‑H, and links between on‑farm production and a small retail business in Williamsport. No formal votes or government actions were recorded in this transcript.
