PBS Series Spotlights Local Agriculture: Morgan Hill’s FarmTECH and Three Feathers Farm featured on ‘America’s Heartland’

By Staff Report

September 6, 2024

Morgan Hill Unified School District's hydroponic lettuce grown in shipping containers. Contributed photo.

A public radio station program focusing on agriculture in the United States, has turned its focus on two local enterprises in Morgan Hill.

The first nationally broadcast agriculture series of its kind, “America’s Heartland” is back for its 18th season with 10 new episodes featuring crops grown on locally owned farms.

“America’s Heartland” highlights FarmTECH, a farming program in the Morgan Hill Unified School District that grows hydroponic lettuce in shipping containers, and Three Feathers Farm, a community-focused farm that brings culturally relevant crops to farmers markets and local restaurants.

Produced by PBS KVIE in Sacramento, the weekly half-hour series can be viewed on public television stations across the nation. Viewers can also find the series on YouTube or at americasheartland.org.

The episode featuring FarmTECH (#1804) will be available to stream on the PBS app starting Aug. 26. The episode featuring Three Feathers Farm (#1805) will be available to stream starting Sept. 2.

“We’re pleased to offer these new episodes to PBS viewers,” said Michael Sanford, associate GM for production at PBS KVIE. “Our focus on specialty crops, small and diverse farmers and their unique crops, and their shared commitment to sustainability has allowed us to discover and share some amazing new stories.”

First launched in 2005, “America’s Heartland” shines a light on the efforts of farmers around the United States to adopt sustainable practices, bring specialty crops to consumers and nourish their communities. The series can be seen on PBS stations in more than 88% of U.S. television markets, including stations in all top 25 markets.

“America’s Heartland” also features recipes developed by chef Sharon Profis as well as a new segment this season that explores health, the environment and cultural farming practices with Dr. Daphne Miller, a practicing family physician, clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco and research scientist at the University of California, Berkeley.

Support for “America’s Heartland” is provided by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered through the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

For more information about the series, visit americasheartland.org.