CAMBRIDGE, Md. – Agriculture has long been the backbone of the Eastern Shore, with corn and soybeans dominating local fields. But a new crop is starting to make its mark: cannabis.

At Culta’s growing facility in Cambridge, cultivation managers Santiago Rodriguez and Maggie McBain are part of a growing industry that blends traditional farming methods with cutting-edge techniques.

Santiago manages the plants grown outdoors. 

“It’s farming in the sense that we are at the mercy of the weather,” Rodriguez said. “The plants are out here for four months, and in those four months, just about anything can happen.”

While McBain is responsible for the plants grown inside. 

“Inside, we’ll have more struggles with keeping up with our HVAC system and our lighting and trying to replicate the outside as best as we can,” said McBain. 

Like any other farmers, Rodriguez and McBain say success comes down to care and consistency.

“When a plant is flourishing, we’re going to get a nice even canopy,” McBain said. “We’re going to get consistency in our product so that way everyone’s getting the same thing when they open their jar at the end of the day.”

While Culta operates on a large scale, smaller growers are also finding their place in Maryland’s expanding cannabis industry.

That’s where Anthony Darby and James Russ Jr. with Farm Coast MD come in. 

Farm Coast recently became the first company in the state of Maryland to be awarded a micro-grow license. The pair has set up operations inside a repurposed greenhouse at a small farm in Salisbury.

“What you see here is all of our growing and cultivation,” Darby said, walking down the still plant-less aisles of the soon-to-be outdoor growing space. 

Similar to Culta, Darby said the company plans to rely on classic, and organic farming techniques. 

“We’ll do ladybug drops and things like that to keep the harmful bugs off the plants,” he said. “We’ll use the coverage as much as we can to battle the elements. We’ll be able to roll our sides up and roll them down, so when it gets cold or [during] shoulder seasons, we’ll have some help there.”

From large-scale operations to micro-grow setups, cannabis is steadily becoming part of Delmarva’s agricultural identity.