Who We Are

SweetAire Farm is located in rural Darlington, Maryland in the northeastern corner of the state. Just over the hill is the Susquehanna River and Conowingo Lake, formed behind the Conowingo hydroelectric dam. A few miles downriver the Susquehanna empties into the Chesapeake Bay. The farm is composed of 49 acres of rolling countryside, with about 25 acres of fruit production, 8 acres of sheep pasture, and the remainder in forest and open fields.

Our Farm

The farm is operated in an ecologically-friendly way. The sheep and fruit complement each other, with the sheep and plants each giving outputs and inputs for the other. Very little is wasted, and almost everything is thoroughly cycled or recycled. As much as possible on a working farm, we try to use natural methods wherever we can. We also tend to experiment with different methods, fruits, and varieties to find those that fit well within our system.

SweetAire Farm is owned and operated by Art and Cathy Johnson, who believe that the farm provides an opportunity to contribute to the health and welfare of others as well as to provide a positive healthy lifestyle for themselves. They do nearly all the work on the farm themselves, with occasional help from friends, neighbors, and family members.

Art and Cathy both grew up on farms in up-state New York, and moved to Maryland when Art went on active duty in the US Army. They have lived at SweetAire Farm since 1972. They have four children, Joy, Jodi, Paul, and Eric. They have four grandchildren, Greg, Clay, Ryan, and Emma. Some of these live close and some on the left coast.

Bernie and Cindy Mullin are close friends who help whenever they can with the fruit.

Bernie was once a customer at the Farmers’ Market who was talked into helping sell at the market. Since that time, a long, long ago, Bernie has become a fixture at the market, and has given many a sympathetic ear to our customers. Cindy is now part of the team and adds culinary expertise and musical ability.

Most of our fruit sales occur at the Bel Air Farmers’ Market in Maryland. We have been selling there since 1982. We offer a wide variety of fruits and fruit varieties, all produced without dangerous chemicals. All of our berries are not sprayed, and our tree fruits and grapes are sprayed minimally with mostly organically-registered sprays. We sell flavor, not looks, to our customers who are interested in eating and living healthy.

If there is a fruit that grows in Maryland, we likely have it. You will find that we offer traditional fruits, such as apples, and peaches, and more exotic fruits, such as gooseberries and goumi berries. We offer, as well, a wide range of different varieties that are rarely, if ever, found at farmers’ markets in Maryland.